It's early on a typical Saturday morning, at least for most beach goers. Second Beach in Middletown is still nearly deserted at 8:30, with only a few of the diehard regulars having claimed their traditional places. I pull my two wheeled hand truck loaded with pool siding forms, shovels, and bags full of tools through the entrance path. The Huggins family has arrived as it has so many previous summer weekends to transform the Middletown beach into something more.

The chairs are placed, umbrella set, cooler set down, and I set out the implements of my art as I have done so for the past 15 years and get ready to get to work. My wife Valerie always a vigilant looker-on has her books and papers to read. Sometimes my sons will be there, sometimes not; a young man does not live by sand alone.

The process is arduous. Arriving early affords the luxury of setting up above the high tide line; no small amount of real estate is needed for the day's work.

Then begins the process of manual labor which precedes the artistic creation.

In years past, I normally used wooden forms to set the bases of the towers and castles. At a master's event two years ago, I discovered a new form -- plastic pool siding (called “Rad” forms in the sandcastle culture). These are lighter and more efficient to use than the heavy wooden forms. Two strategically placed “C” clamps hold the length of siding together in a neat circle and the base form is in place and ready to go.

I add the sand shovel full by shovel full. When the form is a quarter full, I pour in water from the five-gallon buckets that are part of any sand sculptor's stock and trade. If the tide is going out, the sand is wet and fewer buckets are added. If the tide is low, the sand is dry and the work goes on. It may take twenty to forty gallons of water just to soak the bottom form. The water drains from the top down compressing and compacting of each layer. I assist the process with a tamper. When the bottom form is full, I add another level and process repeats until a suitable height is reached.

More often than not, I have no preconceived idea of what I'm about to create -- only a vague idea of the subject matter, perhaps a castle, perhaps a dragon or other cartoon character. The building process takes several hours of nonstop shoveling and lugging.

More and more people arrive, many familiar with “the castleman” as many have come to know me. Most never see the hard part, for now the sun is higher and the morning later.

Around 10:30 the sculpting begins.

It is a simple routine. The top form comes off, the tools in hand and the sand starts to fall away. Large areas may be sliced off with masonry trowels but most of the creation involves cutting away small amounts of sand until the desired shape or figure is all that is left. Always working from the top down, gradually from the shapeless mass of sand a castle tower emerges.

Using a straw to blow away the excess, fine details emerge. Rocks, stairwells, windows, doors, brick siding, and tile roofs appear from nowhere.

Passers by stop and comment, some asking questions. Over the years, I have created a sheet of Frequently Asked Questions, usually left hanging in a plastic bag from one of the shovels.

"Do you do this for a living?" No, I'm President and owner of Technology Engineering And Marketing, selling electrical controls for a real job!

"Do you get paid to do this?" Not usually, although during the course of a given summer the boys and I will typically do a few paid events.

"Do you do contests?" Yes, and for the most part we do very well.

"What's in there and how do you do that?" Always interesting as if they cannot believe what they have just seen. It is just sand and water and watch how this is done.

And of course the how long questions: "how long have you been doing this", "how long did this take," and of course "how long will it last." Fifteen or so years, since 9:00 am, and untouched for two to four days come the replies, almost automatically as the work continues.

I began sand sculpting in 1985 and have taught my sons the art form. While on vacation in Watch Hill, I created a simple pyramid. I was hooked. The next day with the assistance of some of the hotel's kitchen implements, an Aztec style stepped pyramid was born. Over the years, I have created hundreds of sand castles, creatures and sculptures.

I remember the year a young toddler, toddlers always being faster than Mom, reached out to hug a castle and watch in stunned disbelief as it melted to his touch. The Mom apologizing profusely was told, it is sand, the wind and tide will reclaim it soon enough. And tomorrow is another day to start anew.

It is the way of most sand sculptors, a transitory art form, which often will vanish with the next tide.

The day winds down. My family and I have finished a 7-foot-tall multitowered castle. Arches beckon, strange fingers seem to be opening a door, stone walls and countless of details start to dry and lose their edge as the wind begins its work.

The forms are loaded, the tool bags packed, chairs put away. It is only 3PM but the day has been long. Tomorrow is Sunday and there is plenty of sun forecasted for another creation to come to life.

Two years ago I meet Steve Topazio at the AIA event in Newport over Labor Day. In a close decision, Steve's Summer Time Blues creation took first place over my 8 foot tall castle. He was convinced that I had won; I was convinced that he had won. We talked that day and the idea of combining our talents gave rise to the creation of Sandtasia, Sand Sculptors of the Ocean State. Our goal was to hopefully make a little money, promote the art form, and be competitive in the regional sand castle contests. We have successfully been working on all of those.

Competitions typically have time frames with the starting time and ending times varying. Usually the start time is around 8-9 AM and the judging is anywhere from 12 to 4 depending on the contest rules. Some places have themes other just let you go and have fun. The more basic contests have an adult or team category and a child's category. Some of the older standing contests have added venues based on the level of competition.

In 1996 when we entered the AIA as the Huggins family, no one had seen forms used. Our creation that year, a 7-8 foot tall castle made the Providence Journal and was a tremendous success. The only problem was the AIA had a professional division for registered Architectural firms, which we are not, an adult category, and a child's category. We were approached that year by the AIA sponsors to act as judges because they were having trouble getting people to enter the Adult/family category. The following year they changed the categories so there was an Architects category and a “Professional” category for people like ourselves.

Steve Topazio became interested in the art in 1999 while on vacation in Maine. While in a local shop he was asked about a sand castle contest being held that day. Never one to shirk a challenge, he picked up a shovel and tools and entered into the fun.

Together Steve, Rich, Jon, Jessie and I have placed first in many of the local sand sculpting contests, including the AIA contest held Labor Day in 97, 98, 99, 2002 and 2003, and the Governor's Bay day event in 1998, 99, 00, 01, 02, and 03. Dick and Steve have also participated in the Hampton Beach masters event both in the group demo and Steve in the individual competition.

We entered the Crane Beach Sandblast in Ipswich, MA this summer, joined by my two sons Rich and John and Steve's sister Jessie. This year's theme was "under the sea" and over 100 entries lined the beach, competing in the child, adult, team, corporate, and the coveted masters division.

Our team created a seascape panorama entitled "Atlantis Idol,” complete with Sebastian the crab atop a coral rock formation as judge, a six-foot tall beret-bearing fish competing with an equally large and menacing shark among the fallen towers and ruins of Atlantis. The prize treasure chest sat ready for the victor.

The creation was nearly 40 feet wide and 30 feet deep. Composed entirely of sand and water, each figure was carefully sculpted using basic tools, such as trowels, pallet knives, and other assorted household implements. The official competition began when the gates opened at 8 AM when the early arrivals rushed in to grab the primo locations with completion and awards announced at 3:30.

Our creation came in First in the masters division. And if it remained undisturbed, it probably lasted a couple of days before it dried out and crumbled back to rejoin the sand on the beach.

Sandtasia’s next big contest events are Labor Day weekend when they will join beach and castle lovers of all ages in Narragansett. on Saturday the 4th for a local contest and Labor Day on First Beach in Newport to defend their title in the AIA end of summer event. (Photos by Dick Huggins.)

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