Diamonds InThe Sand

Well, gang, it has been a very long and trying time since our last post.  Not long after our visit to Buff's garden we were called away from home to deal with some very serious family medical problems.  One worked out well but the other left us with a large void in our hearts.  We won''t talk about that here, today but some time in the future we will.  It is a remarkable story that I would like to share at some point.  For now, though, we have some catching up to do.  As we mentioned in the earlier posts, we had come to Virginia Beach for a meeting and were fortunate to arrive during the annual "Neptune Festival."  Of course, like all really successful and continuing festivals, this one had scores of events and attractions throughout the week.  There were music offerings of virtually every kind, art - visual and culinary and all kinds of opportunities to show off their "beachwear" during the festival  But the centerpiece of the event was the "International Sandsculpting Competition."  This spectacular demonstration of artistic skill and pure creative ingenuity is mind-boggling.  Remember, they are working in a particularly unforgiving medium and when you see these creations you have a very difficult time realizing that they are so ephemeral.  Totally amazing!!!  But - I have to make a confession right up front.  The events that took place between the time we saw the sculptures and now severely affected my ability to recall the things I wanted to tell you about each work.  So - if you will bear with me, I am going to comment on selected works but will let the photos do the work for the others. 

Artists in the "Masters Solo Competition" for the 2014 contest were John Gowdy (Italy), Matt Deibert (USA), Dan Belcher (USA), Abe Waterman (Canada), JooHeng Tan (Singapore), Chris Guinto (USA), Sue McGrew (USA), Peter Vogelaar (Canada), Benjamin Probanza (Mexico), Ilva Filmonstev (Russia), David Enguerrand (Belgium) and Marielle Heessels (Netherlands).  In the "Masters Doubles Competition" were Meredith Corson and Dan Doubleday (USA), Wilfred Stijger and Edith Van De Wetering (Netherlands), Brian Wigelsworth and Kirk Rademaker (USA), Carl Jara and Greg Grady (USA). Jonathan Bouchard and Jacinthe Trudel (Canada),  Leo Ugolini, Italy and Dmitry Klimenko (Russia), Helena Bangert (Netherlands) and Fergus Mulvany (Ireland), Joris Kivits, Portugal and Guy Olivier-Deveau (Canada), Uldis Zarins and Sandis Kondrats (Latvia), Andrius Petkus (Lithuania) and Bagrats Stepanian (Russia).

I'm going to jump right to the big winners for 2014 - and it so happens that #1 was the very first sculpture we saw when we entered the tent.  It was entitled "What Good Clothes You Wear" and that title has a unique place in our history.  Interestingly ... unfortunately ... or confusingly ... the title shown on the card next to the sculpture was "Drag Queen".  Whatever - the sculpture was really astonishing in it's intricacy and execution.  To me it was unbelievable that anyone could actually create the intricacy of the lace collar and the detail on every aspect of the sculpture was amazing.  Now - back to the title we mentioned earlier.  When Sir Walter Raleigh came to the new land he met what he would come to know as the "Secotans."  Of course learning the vernacular of the newly discovered civilization was a challenge but by the time of his second visit, Raleigh understood the name of the Chief of the Secotans to be "Wingina" and the name for their land was understood by the English to be "Wingandacoa."  Although many would argue that the name of the territory discovered by Raleigh was inspired by the "Virgin Queen" appellation it seems clear that it could easily have come from the name of the ruling Native American.  Whatever the case may be, the sculpture by David Enguerrand was spectacular.  As it turned out, the term "Wingandacoa" turned out to be a phrase meaning "What Good Clothes You Wear."

The second place winner was one I was not completely enamored of but - hey - what do I know.  It was by the Russian Artist Ilya Filmontseve and was a tribute to the lovely city of Venice. 

Continuing the trend of scattering the winners across the globe, JOOHeng Tan from Singapore won third place for his intricate "Holy Crab." Although not as large or elaborate as some of the others, this piece demonstrated absolutely machine-like precision in the carving of the various pieces of the sculpture.

The fourth place winner (solo) on the left entitled "Equinox" by the USA's own Dan Belcher was a subtle but very impressive example of carving sand into spaces and filagree-type designs that seem impossible.  The same technique was also seen in the fifth place winner entitled " The Sower" also by an American - Matt Deibert from New Jersey.  It also demonstrated that exceptional talent for carving sand into almost unbelievable forms.  I realized (belatedly) that I had cut off a good bit of the sculpture and I apologize for that - but - I wanted you to see the intricacy of the lower part of the piece.  Phenomenal!!  And then we moved on to the sixth place sculpture.  Now, I've gotta tell you, this one was kinda creepy to me!!  But - there is no doubt that the artist is extremely talented.  It was Canadian Abe Waterman's "Face Suck."  As you will quickly see when looking at the work, it means exactly what it says!!!

In the doubles competition, Canadians Bouchard and Trudel executed a beautiful combination of art and folklore with their compelling "Feed."  We don't have time to go into the details of the legend here - but - we have talked about it before.  It has to do with the competing "wolves" in our personalities and the sage reminder that it is the one we 'feed' that will become dominant.  The doubles entries seemed to me to be extraordinarily detailed.  Of course it stands to reason that with two people working on the sculpture you can get more done.  But - there seemed to me to be a synergistic phenomenon at play here where the result seemed to be way more than simply the work of two people.  The beautiful product of the Netherlands on the left is a prime example.  And "Metamorphosis" (right) by Zarins and Condrats from Latvia is an example of amazing talent and execution I thought should have earned a bit more recognition.  The detail in that piece was so crisp and intricate I did not see how it could have been done by humans!!  And the work on the left - "Sprit And Stuff" seemed like it had to come from Mesoamerica but it was carved by Italian Leonardo Ugolini and Russian Dmitry Klimenko.  Cool!!!  And then - Americans Meredith Corson and Dan Doubleday took us back to Margueritaville with their whimsical "Its Five O'clock Somewhere."  For those of you who joined us on our sojourn to Key West a while back you "get it."  In the doubles division, the "People's Choice" award was won by Americans Brian Wigelsworth and Kirk Rademaker and, I've gotta tell you, it was clearly "our choice" as well.  The sculpture entitled "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain" was a tribute to the incomparable Robin Williams.  It depicted not only his humor and acting genius but it put in front of us - for all to see - the excruciating agony of depression and mental instability.  Williams gave so much of himself to us and it is so sad that he could not feel the support we would gladly have given him.  Such a beautiful and poignant work of art.  Virtually every one of the sculptures we saw during our visit had meaning on multiple levels.  The power of the symbolism in these works was viscerally felt at every turn.  Although it did not win the acclaim I felt it deserved, the multi-faceted "Sea" Time Pass served to remind us of the sacrifices made by our service personnel to ensure our security and safety.  On one side - the sculpture shows a lonely wife with her infant child (and puppy) awaiting the return of their sailor.  On the other side it shows the sailor's return to a family - and world - that is vastly different than the one he left.

Tributes to women, to the environment, to the nature of mankind and an incredible array of causes, ideas and emotions permeated this amazing art event.   I am not going to be able to adequately do justice to the rest of the sculptures in the exhibit and I deeply regret that I will not be able to share with you the personalities of the artists and the powerful impressions each one of these sculptures makes on the viewer.  I found it increasingly difficult to believe that these masterpieces were actually created from mere sand.  It seemed that there had to be some magical substance included in the mix to enable these exquisite works to come forth. 

The final section of this post will consist, primarily, of photographs but let me encourage you to go to the various web-sites that were created in connection with the Neptune Festival.  You will likely find far better pictures and descriptions that I could provide.  The bottom line, though, is that if you ever have the chance, please try to attend the week-long festival in Virginia Beach.  It is a beautiful location and the folks you will meet are "World Class".  As we strolled through the exhibit and the surrounding vicinity we were struck by the absolutely passionate interest in not only the artistic skill demonstrated in the exhibit but the deep philosophical meaning underlying the pieces.  Think back to our visits to Brookgreen Gardens, to the Olympic Sculpture Garden and to so many of the other artistic venues we have gone to together - you see the same level of commitment in this whimsical - yet serious - competition.  I am very glad that we had a chance to see a whole different category of art together on this visit.  I'll close with another apology for delaying the completion of our visit and, at the same time, a tribute to one of the most beautiful souls I have ever been honored to know - my brother,  David.  He and I roamed the sands of Virgina beach during the springtime of our lives.  We lived as loving brothers - defending and supporting each other to the hilt when confronting the world around us and sharing the joy of 'family' we both intuitively knew we were so lucky to have.  I'm not sure I can carry on as well as you would have, Dave, but I will try - and - my love will never die.

David William Vandiver

April 16, 1942 - October 19, 2014 

Buff's Garden

In our last post we talked about the place we were going to be visiting this time.  But, as they say gang, "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men; Gang aft agley....etc."  That particular poem by Mr. Burns is a beautiful one and so prophetic to those of us who go along expecting things to remain "normal."  (If you remember the story, there was a little mouse all snuggled down in her nest when - Wham! - a farmer plows through her home.)  Well - I kinda felt like that this week.  We had several medical emergencies to deal with and there is nothing like one of those to upset your whole world for a while.  But - thanks to copious and sincere prayers from our family and friends, (and their steadfast support) things got turned around and we're back on track.  And - it kinda ties right into this visit with you.  As you might recall from our posts a while back - that went on for a couple of years - we had a bit of a battle with the despicable breast cancer demon.  Thankfully for us, prayers again rose around us like protective armor and our loved one was able to defeat the beast.  It is a terrible disease and has been devastating to so many lives that we thought we would share with you a hallowed place we found tucked away along the shores of Virginia Beach.  It is a place called "Buff's Garden" and was created in memory of Buff Taylor Koch who lost her battle with cancer some seventeen years ago.   To commemorate her valiant struggle and to create a permanent and beautiful place where those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer could be remembered, "The Buff Foundation" set about establishing a special place right on the Virginia seashore.  The objectives of the foundation were to maintain the garden located at 47th Street and Oceanfront Avenue and to do some rather remarkable things.  They wanted to foster breast cancer awareness through educational outreach in local area high schools; coordinate and manage the "Buff Foundation Scholarship Fund - The Gift of Awareness" which provides school supplies to local students whose lives or families have been touched by cancer; and promote the award winning cancer awareness video designed for teenagers entitled "The Real Deal = The Truth About Breast Cancer."  Obviously, the foundation's contributions in those areas are of tremendous importance and I totally support the idea behind those campaigns.  But, I've gotta tell you - for someone who has been directly affected by the disease, and one who has spent a lot of time in quiet places doing some heavy-duty praying, the availability of a spot like this means a lot more than most people could describe - or comprehend.  The garden extends between Oceanfront Avenue and the sands of the beach front.  Right in the middle is a circular pergola that provides an anchor-point for some extraordinarily moving memorials and a central point for gardens containing some amazing flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees.  The garden is not very large in total area but, in terms of emotion and memory it is enormous.  As you will see when you look at the photos of the walkway and the memorials in the flower beds that line the entire path this is both a poignant memorial and an emotion-evoking source of philosophical wisdom.  We were absolutely awed by the succinct but powerful phrases found throughout the garden and I think it would be a pretty safe bet that if you can get through the entire length of the place without a tear in your eye you are a very stoic individual.  This place represents the best of us folks.  It serves as a never-ending reminder of the courage and fearlessness of some extraordinary - yet ordinary - individuals.  It shows how the power of our memories can inspire us to remarkable achievements.  Clearly the people who established this beautiful place and those who are committed to seeing it continue understand that they have a greater role in life than simply planting flowers or carving out pathways.  They have seen that by giving encouragement to others; by letting others know they are not alone; by refusing to think of themselves first and, instead, caring for their brothers and sisters who are often in despair - they will leave the world a better place for their efforts.  Anecdotally, even though the "medical issues" I described at the beginning of this post were still a week in the future, our visit here was subtly preparing me to cope with events and emotions I would likely not have been able to handle very well without the "centering" effect of the garden.  Here's the deal, gang;  We are only present on this beautiful blue globe for an excruciatingly brief time.  In order to make the most of that time we must love deeply, share unselfishly, exhibit faith unflaggingly and be friends, loyally.  When we are inspired by those who serve as living models of grace we must not become jaded or intimidated but allow ourselves to be openly and honestly motivated to become larger in our lives.  Bad things do, indeed, happen to good people but let me assure you - when we commit ourselves to actions on behalf of (or inspired by) the best of our friends, brothers and sisters, we will leave the world a brighter, clearer and more peaceful place.  Please do yourself a favor and visit Buff's Garden when you are in Virginia Beach.  You will not be sorry - I guarantee it.  See ya. 

Chesapeake Bay Gemstone

 

Well gang, we made it!! After a long drive up the East Coast from our 'Palmetto State' we entered the Commonwealth of Virginia somewhere near Roanoke Rapids and squeezed our way through afternoon rush hour traffic out to the shore of the Atlantic. We talked a bit about Virginia beach in the last post so I won't repeat all of that information but I will add that it was a bit startling to see the transformation since I was stationed in Norfolk in the early sixties and even since I traveled there for meetings during the eighties and nineties.  It wasn't exactly what one would describe as "sleepy" back then but it was a whole lot smaller!!! But hey, whenever you have a chance to get close to the seashore it's gotta be a great time.  Our home for this visit was to be the Wyndham Hotel and fortunately for us it was right on the beach.  Remember from the last post we talked about the Neptune Festival and the Sand Sculpture Contest we hoped to see?  Well, it was in full swing when we got there so we'll be able to show you pictures of all of the major entries.  First, though, I thought we'd take a look at a few other things we saw when we finally had a chance to look around.  I have to say, I was a bit envious of Linda because I had to attend meetings a good bit of the time while she got to roam around the beach a bit more.  But - I think I caught up with her so we'll have some interesting things to see.  The location of our hotel was great and it was a reminder of the enormous ocean-going commerce that is such a vital part of this area.  One of the things we will not get to see on this trip but which we have visited previously - and which I strongly encourage you to see - is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.  It is a remarkable engineering feat and one that was still under construction when I was stationed here so long ago.  But - that requires some explanation.  The first part of this amazing thoroughfare was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  That structure was started in 1949 and completed in 1952.  A parallel bridge was completed in 1973.  But wait!!! - (Remember those TV commercials that tell you "That's not all, you get a Ginsu knife too!!)  While that bridge construction was going on they were also digging tunnels to connect the distances not reached by the bridges.  It was the tunnel part that was going on when I was here as a guest of the U.S. Navy.  The picture above, on the left, shows one of the bridge spans that are absolutely awesome.  The picture on the right is even more startling.  It shows one of the artificial islands where a section of the tunnel rises from the floor of the bay to cross a section of the bridge.  Absolutely amazing.  While we are talking about this extraordinary area of our wonderful country let me put in a plug for my favorite author.  If you've been with us for a while you will remember that I consider James A. Michener to be one of the best writers of all time.  (Personal preference!!)  Well, one of his masterpieces was "Chesapeake" which chronicled the development of the Maryland Eastern Shore.  The book gives us an opportunity to experience the geographic, zoological and human evolution of that environment in a way that few historians can emulate.  Check it out!!  OK, I realize I got significantly off track and I'll try to get it back together.  We checked
into the hotel, checked out the view and started looking around for places to visit.  Fortunately (or unfortunately) there are about a zillion places to visit here but we won't be able to see them all.  I had hoped to take you to some of the historic lighthouses that line this section of the Atlantic coast but it became clear that we were going to run out of time before we got to do all of that.  So, we'll focus on a few things that are a little closer.  One of the first we'll take a look at is a place that has a very specific and personal meaning to Linda and me.  It is "Buff's Garden" located just a few blocks down from our hotel.  The garden is a tribute to those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer and, as most of you know, that includes us too.  We'll go there and see what a small group of folks has accomplished but I just realized that this post has run on a bit longer than planned.  So... we'll pause for a brief rest-break and let you put your walking shoes on;  then we'll head South for a few blocks and take a look at this remarkable community jewel.  Come on back quickly, OK?  See ya.

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