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 i
ntricacy 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
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