NAWILIWILI — Jeff and Cindy Haigh of California are back.
Jeff is known as the sand sculptor who has been creating Christmas and New Year artwork that serve as backdrops for people’s tropical holiday photos at Kalapaki Beach for the past 16 years.
“I don’t know about this year’s piece,” Jeff said. “Between the waves and keiki, the pile is smaller. The waves were huge Saturday and lapping away the pile. And then, there’s the keiki who further reduced the hill.”
But he is undaunted in his task, working on a “practice” piece, Monday fronting the Kauai Marriott Resort and Beach Club.
“I’ve got two of Dickie Chang’s shovels,”said the sculptor who only does sand sculpting when on Kauai. “Usually, Dickie Chang lets us use the equipment until we leave. Then, we return it to him before we go.”
Jeff said he is considering a nene theme for this year’s piece — “Nene Kalikimaka.”
“I’ve never done geese before,” he said. “I’m working on some pieces now to get a feel for ducks. I haven’t figured out the feathering, yet.”
“But this might not happen,” Jeff said. “We’ve got rain scheduled for about 3 p.m. That’s going to wash everything. On top of that, it’s supposed to be dumping pretty good when Santa is supposed to arrive via his double canoe. We just have to pray that it stays clear.”
Jeff said, despite the gloomy weather outlook, he’s planning on having something for people to use as a backdrop for Nene Kalikimaka.
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Dennis Fujimoto, staff writer and photographer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@thegardenisland.com.
