Sandcastle Lessons

Everyone loves to build sandcastles at the beach. It brings out the kid in all of us.  So when we went to the beach last summer, we decided to take Sandcastle Lessons from the famous Port Aransas Sandcastle Guy. In case you haven't heard, Port Aransas has some of the world's best sand for building castles and sculptures.

Mark Landrum was an accountant until he realized how much fun it was building sandcastles and teaching others how to do the same.  So now he's a full-time Sandcastle Guy and loving life.

We emailed Mark a few days before our beach trip to see if he could give our group a lesson. Thankfully he had an opening at 6:00pm on a Sunday evening  (he does 4-5 lessons a day).

He provided all the equipment needed for the lesson.  His "high tech tools" included shovels, 5-gallon buckets for water, additional 5-gallon buckets with the bottoms cut out for molding the sand, and some plastic cutlery for adding details to your castle.

The first order of business was to take the Sandcastle Builders Pledge to "have fun, be helpful and use mistakes as an opportunity for creativity". In other words, when something crumbles -- and it will -- don't cry over it. Just make it into something new.

Then we got down to the business of making our sandcastles.  We really learned a lot!  For example, getting a good, solid foundation is the key to successfully building a sandcastle that won't crash.

Now we know what those 5-gallon buckets are for --- to fill with sand for our base.

Once you have a solid foundation, then you top it with mud pies. Who doesn't like making mud pies?  We added sand to our water buckets until it made a soupy sand mixture. Then grabbing a handful, we plopped down our mud pies, one on top of the other.

Once your tower is as tall as you want it, the real fun begins! This is when you start carving the sandcastle using those high-tech tools . . . plastic forks, knives, and spoons.

Mark showed us how to make several different roofs for our tower. You can have a thatched roof, shingles, or a "german mushroom". And you can add eaves,with or without scalloped edges.

Then, working our way down the castle, we decorated the tower.  Mark taught us how to make our towers have bricks, "bear claw" marks, add windows and balconies. Even pillars.  And finally, for the base we learned how to carve stairs for our castle.

Everyone was deep in creative thought working on their masterpiece.  What a great Team Building exercise! And finally, after adding that last finishing touch, our sandcastle was done!

For lessons in the Corpus Christi / Port Aransas area, contact Mark Landrum at (361) 290-0414 or lessons@sandrum.com.  www.sandrum.com

Port Aransas

My first trip to Pt. A was Spring Break 1983. I still love visiting this small fishing village -- just not so much during that week-long teen party called Spring Break. But any other time of year, it's a great place to visit for a relaxing vacation.  http://www.portaransas.org/

THEN



AND NOW

FAVORITE THINGS TO DO (when you're not swimming in the waves):
1) Electric Buggies http://www.nauticalwheelers.net/
My kids love to rent an electric buggie for a few hours and drive all over town, as well as up and down the beach.  The buggies are painted in bright colors and themes, so picking out the buggie is almost as much fun as riding in it!  We like to drive down by the ferries and stop at the park to watch for dolphins. Then we head down to the UT Marine Science Center (http://www.utmsi.utexas.edu/visit/visitors-center.html) to look around their exhibit hall, and from there continue driving up the beach. There's also a bird sanctuary that we'll drive over to for a visit. And stopping along the way for snow cones is always a must!

2) Sandcastle Lessons http://sandrum.com/lessons/lessons.html
Hiring the Sandcastle Guy for a family lesson is well worth the money! Both kids and adults will have a great time mastering the art of sandcastle building. But call or email the Sandcastle Guy before your trip because he books up quickly in the summer months.

3) Miniature Golf http://www.onpadreisland.com/minature_golf.aspx
Heading north up the island toward Corpus Christi is a fun miniature golf course. We love to head over there in the evening after the temperatures have cooled down. And right next door is one of the nicest gift shops around.

4) Destination Beach & Surf Store aka "The Shark Store" 516 South Allister
You won't be able to miss this souvenir store because it has a giant shark out front. No trip is complete without pictures made of the kids standing inside the shark's mouth. The shark is actually a tunnel and you can walk through him, from mouth to tail. Kids love it! And we usually end up buying at least one boogie board in the gift shop during our trip.

5) Texas State Aquarium http://www.texasstateaquarium.org/
My kids love to visit here any time ... but it really makes for a great rainy day activity.

Petting sting rays at the Texas State Aquarium

6) Fishing and Crabbing
If you like to fish, especially deep sea fishing, then Port Aransas is the place to go. Several companies will take you out on their boat for a day of fishing, or you can fish from one of the piers. My nephew once caught a baby shark fishing off the pier!  After dark, though, is when the real fun begins for my kids -- crabbing! All you need is a small net, a sand pail and flashlight. My kids prefer to wear a head lamp, though, because it's easier to catch crabs when both hands are free. The kids walk along the sand, shining their flashlights, looking for sand crabs. When they're lucky enough to actually catch one of these fast little critters you'll hear lots of yelling and cheering. The kid who ends up with the most sand crabs in their pail is winner for the night. Mom then makes sure that all the crabs are set loose before we head back to the beach house for the night.

RESTAURANTS:
1) Pelican Club - Many people say this is the best restaurant on the island. It's upscale high-end seafood, steak & sushi. Reservations suggested. Not too kid friendly, though, unless you go early.
2) Virginia's - Those same people say Virginia's is the second-best seafood restaurant on the island. Good atmosphere with cheaper prices than Pelican Club -- but you may wait a while for a table.
3) Shells Pasta & Seafood -- This hole-in-the-wall restaurant has great food and is perfect for carry-out.
4) Moby Dick's -- Be prepared to eat here at least once if you're traveling with kids. They love the atmosphere! And there's plenty of picture-taking opportunities.
5) Snoopy's -- This has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. No trip to the coast is complete without a meal at Snoopy's. Some of the best, fresh-of-the-boat fried seafood and hush puppies can be found at this casual restaurant. If the weather's good, you can eat out on the deck. And after dinner, head next door to Scoopy's for an ice cream cone.
6) Seafood & Spaghetti Works -- This "round house" restaurant is where we go when we want to eat something besides seafood.  Our kids love the spaghetti and pizza, while mom and dad enjoy a glass of wine.
7) Port Aransas Brewing Company -- My husband loves brew pubs and was thrilled to discover a new one on the island. http://www.portabrewing.com/

PLACES TO STAY
Port Aransas has several different condos and hotels available, as well as beach houses for rent. I've stayed at all of the above throughout the years. They're all suitable for a great vacation -- just depends on the size of your group and how much money you want to spend.


Final word of advice -- I would be remiss if I did not tell you to watch out for tar on the beach and jellyfish in the water. If you've never been to the Texas beaches, you might be surprised by the amount of seaweed and tar that sometimes washes up on the sand. But don't worry because nearly all the local stores sell tar remover.  And if someone gets stung by a jellyfish during your trip, just walk over to one of the lifeguard stands and they'll treat the sting for you.