One duo of master sculptors are competing in the 2018 Texas SandFest for the sixth year in a row. However it’s the first time Morgan Rudluff and Abe Waterman have competed together as a married couple.
"We met here," Morgan said. "We had a connection. We did start falling in love."
Morgan and Abe met at SandFest in 2012. Two years later, they competed as a couple who dated. Then in 2016, Abe proposed to Morgan on stage at the end of SandFest. In may of 2017, the two tied the not.
Now almost one year later, they are building a sculpture called "the ole’ ball and chain.’ It’s reflective of their relationship with one another, as they are now tied together.
"It’s great. It’s something we both love to do," Abe said. "So it’s really nice that we can come together and do it together."
The couple hopes to continue the tradition of competing with one another at the annual SandFest.
"We feel very rooted into the community here and every time we come back, I think in ways it’s even a refresher for our relationship," Morgan said.
For now, Morgan and Abe have a long distance marriage. She lives in San Francisco. He lives in Prince Edward Island, Canada.
