More details onKid's Kove at participating Virginia Beach hotels... Learn how to build a sand castle with hands on tips from the expert.
Artist Bio
My name is Leana Lewis, I grew up in rural Southern Indiana, over 400 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. My first fascination with building sandcastles was in the late 1960's with my father, Everett Loveless at Rehobeth Beach, Maryland. In 1988, my husband, Mike and I moved our family from Indiana to Macon, Georgia, but we were still 200 miles from the nearest beach. The picture shown here is one of my early sandcastles in 1990 at Hilton Head, South Carolina. Those in the picture are, my brother, Bob who is retired and lives in Princeton, Indiana and his son, Tyler, a six foot six inch former Marine currently living in Santa Ana, California.
In 1991, my husband, Mike and I moved to Virginia Beach, Virginia, but I only went to the beach once or twice a year, when out-of-town guests were visiting. It was a few years later, when my children Lindsay, Lesley and Lance gave me a wonderful gift of sandcastle tools and forms for Mother's Day. This gift marked the beginning of my obsession with sandcastles. I began building bigger, better sandcastles. I continued to perfect the detail and challenge myself to new techniques. Mike is the muscle behind the sandcastles, he always tells people who stop to watch " ... every sandcastle has a slave. Right? Well that's me."
Of course, we have friends who sit near our sandcastles and when we pack for the day they remain behind and take credit for it. But that's OK, then I know my master piece is protected. My biggest enemy is Mother Nature and pets. You would think it would be children, but they are in awe and usually want to help. So, Mike and I encourage onlooking children to build a huge moat and wall for protection. The texture of the sand, the sun and the wind are always a challenge with each new sandcastle.
In 2004, Mike and I moved to a condo near the beach on the Chesapeake Bay. Since the Chesapeake Bay does not have the rip tide like the Atlantic, the high tide is not as much of a factor. Most of the time the Chesapeake Bay is calm like a lake. This summer the water is very shallow and great for small children, but also tends to discourages the dolphins from coming in close.
Our grandson, Mikey, lives in Chesapeake, Virginia and has quite an imagination for a ten year old and helps Grandma and Grandpa sometimes. He usually adds his own hidden jewelry room with strategic traps to protect "King Neptune's" treasures from possible intruders. Mikey is also good at drawing blueprints with sketches and written instructions. He thinks of every angle and also demands perfection. There have been times when I had to destroy a tower or two and replace them with a staircase or a water slide to meet his specifications. He is also the crew chief when there are other children building a moat.
Mike and I see all kinds of people in all shapes and sizes at the beach, some read a book for relaxation, some walk or run, some just spend the entire day soaking up the sun. But for me, building sandcastles is therapy from a stressful week at work. Mike's job requires him to travel through the week, but we always find time to make it to the beach on Saturday and Sunday. When we retire, we hope to travel and build sandcastles whenever and where ever we want. But for now, we will be building sandcastles in Virginia Beach from May through October. Due to the mild winter of 2007, we actually built a sandcastle in January and March. You will find us on the beach near the Virginia Beach Resort and Conference Center. Maybe we will see you on the Beach!
Artist, Leana Lewis
Virginia Beach, Virginia
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Sandcastles by Leana .... makes dreams come true... even if it is a beach house made of sand. Reserve your speical day at the beach today!
