Comillas (EFE)
That of Gabriel, accompanied by brothers, cousins and nephews who surround him, is a story of illusion and perseverance of a whole family for maintaining a tradition that goes back to the 60s of the last century, but also of the desire to demonstrate the abilities that each one can contribute.
Originally from Madrid, Gabriel spends his summers in the Cantabrian fishing village with his family since he was born, to which they all arrived through his grandparents’ love for this town where they met in 1914 at a party and which they chose as their second residence, forging a special affection for this sea and this beach.
Gabriel, the fourth of ten siblings, is “the nucleus of the family”, as his older brother Luis Lacasa Heydt defines him, as well as “the fundamental gear to keep us together because he preserves the innocence of the children and takes care of everyone”.
At the age of six, he participated for the first time in this contest that became provincial in nature and since then his passion has only grown, to the point that, during the short period of time that it stopped being held, he insisted so much on his father that he managed to get the City Council to resume its organization every summer.
A particular technique
His brother tells that Gabriel has his particular technique to build his castle, which always begins by choosing a good site, then digging a large hole to have the necessary material and last but not least, taking the sand closest to the sea to form churros in the style of Gaudí’s Sagrada Familia.
During all these years, his greatest dream has always been to participate in the contest, where it is common for him to receive a special prize for his technique or for his skill with the sand, surrounded by his family that now has more than 60 people around him, who at all times give him words of encouragement and encouragement.
In addition, his knowledge of the Comillas beach makes him always pay attention to the tides because if there is something that annoys him greatly it is when the waves take the work of a whole morning under the sun with a bucket and shovel.
This summer, at the age of 64, he continues to pick up his stick and bucket and go down to Comillas beach to participate in the contest with the same enthusiasm and enthusiasm as the dozens of children who surround him in the nearby plots.
During this half century, all his brothers have participated with him in the contest, but now it is the nephews who have taken over the family, so that, according to Luis Lacasa, Gabriel has become the “oldest” of all those who go to the beach every summer to build their castles with the only help of sand and their imagination.