Halloween is just around the corner....

Tybee celebrates Halloween in a big, big way.... Lewis Ave ( where Crabby Pirate and Missy's on the Marsh are located) literally shuts down so all the children of Tybee can come and Trick or Treat on the street. Adults, kids, policemen, city officials- everyone dresses up!

We also have some guests coming to visit us who have the sixth sense.... Seriously. If you live in the Tybee area, they've also offered to come to your home and ask the spirits why they're there and if appropiate to leave.... In their own words:

" My name is Kathy, I am a psychic medium from Indianapolis. My husband and I do paranormal investigations and I do psychic and tarot card readings. recently I did a Halloween Podcast, Oct. 25th, at 9 PM. for Ilike2rock.net on some of the cases we have investigated. If you would like to hear the broadcast click on this link: http://download.podango.com/mediatracker/1/97253/ourhauntedtravels.mp3

it will take you straight to the podcast. My hubby and I will be in Tybee in a couple of weeks. If anyone has any ideas of sights we should check out drop us a line at: www.ourhauntedtravels.com "

We love how so many of our guests become part of the Mermaid Cottage family! And we look forward to welcoming Kathy and her family - including the ferrets- to our island!

Updates on the beach renourishment project

As many of you know, the island is in the middle of re nourishing the beach. This is a major project taking several million dollars and 2 months to complete. Here is a recent story from the local TV station that I thought all of you would enjoy seeing. Thanks to www.wsav.com for keeping the public current on the progress!

http://www.wsav.com/midatlantic/sav/news.apx.-content-articles-SAV-2008-10-27-0019.html

We celebrated Mary Lou's Birthday in Tybee Style!

Our beloved Mary Lou celebrated a birthday recently and we celebrated in great Tybee Style! Yes, these are adults wearing birthday hats- why- well just because we could! Mary Lou is now off on a road trip with another Tybee favorite- Joyce- they jumped in their car last week and headed off - a la Thelma and Louise- to drive to Texas! Not sure when she's returning- but as she said- "I'll be back before Spring!"

The NY Times discovers Tybee....

During the pirate fest , I saw one of my friends who said she heard there was a reporter from the NY Times wandering around to experience all the Tybee pirate fun! Sure enough, the reporter went back to NYC and wrote about our little island and even better- put the story on the front page of the Fashion and Style section! True, the story was about Pirate Fashion, but fashion is fashion. I watch Project Runway and see what they create! Read this article and you'd better start working on your Pirate Fest outfit for next year! Like I said earlier.... Mermaid Pirates.....


http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/26/fashion/26pirates.html

My weekend as a Pom Pom Girl

I'm off to my college for Homecoming this weekend, but even bigger ( especially since I haven't been to one Homecoming in 30 years) is I'm attending because of the 100th Year Anniversary of the Marching Band- of which my Pom Pom Squad was part. More to come on this after the weekend, but in the meantime, here's a picture of my squad in 1974 at the University of Maryland ( can you find me with my Farrah Fawcett hairstyle which we all had in 1973 on?)
You can also visit the website we have set up for the weekend http://www.pomterrapindancers.shutterfly.com/ for all the details and pictures! My years were 1969- 1977 with my actual years 1973- 1977. Enjoy!

Yes, these are some of our owners...

Pirate Fest here on Tybee brings out the best in people. Yes, these well dressed "adults" are some of our cottage home owners.... Truly having a great time over Pirate Fest a few weekends agao. We all had so much fun ( even those of us dressed in normal clothes) that we all decided that NEXT year's pirate fest we are going to participate in the Saturday Afternoon parade down Butler Ave- we're going to be Pirate Mermaids! Haven't yet decided if we want to be on bikes or have a float- if we do bikes, then everyone can particapate. Don't worry, we'll give you all plenty of notice so all of you can be here on Tybee attired in your best mermaid and merman pirate clothes! If your schedule allows next October to join us for Pirate Fest- visit the website for more details. This really is a great time for all ages! http://www.tybeepiratefest.com/

She came, she saw, she conquered. She's 2...

Julia Reilly blew into Tybee last weekend with her mom Nancy. She took over the island! Such fun seeing everything thru the eyes of a little child who's only 21 months old. Her pure joy of the ocean, the beach, the big girl chair she got to sit on and of course the dogs. She adored Danny and Max and spent every possible minute with them. Crawling all over them, riding them like they were horses , best of all, "reading" books to them! Enjoy these pictures and hurry back Julia! Tybee misses you already!!!

My Sleeping Porch Beauty

How do you take an already magical place and turn this into something so special you actually gasp? The sleeping porch of Dutton Waller Cottage is the favorite place of many of our guests to just completely relax .Look at the new look that was created for a new book on southern style. The book will feature outdoor spaces in the Savannah area and Dutton Waller was selected as one of the porches to showcase. Jane Coslick ( http://www.janecoslick.com/ ) and her team jumped in and in 48 hours completely changed the look of the porch. The photo shoot was fun , full of creativity and the book will be out next fall. We can't share the name of the famous southern belle who's in charge of this project, but soon as it's public knowledge, you'll be the first to know! In the meantime, here is my simple little pictures I took. Just imagine how great the pictures will be in the hands of a professional photographer!

I've been really, really busy....

I love to blog and share life on Tybee.... I usually able to keep everyone up to date on what's been going on a daily basis. However , the past few days I've actually been so busy living life here on Tybee I haven't had a chance to blog about it! Things are getting back to normal and I'll be back tommorrow keeping everyone current on island happenin's!

Marsh Henson- she paints, she kayaks, she does it all!

Tybee is such a melting pot of talent. No one just does one thing and usually they do several things and do it very well! Marsha Henson is one such person. She paints, she runs a business, she plans international events, she travels! Best of all, you can be the recipient of several of her talents.

• Her Art! In her on words..."The natural landscape and all elements therein have always drawn me like a magnet. I am equally amazed by a vast panorama or a one inch square of wilderness. The driving force behind my painting is combining different pieces of a landscape such as trees or flowers in a way that expresses my impression of them. This sometimes leads to a painting being similar to what I am observing or sometimes it looks more like my impression.
  The variations in habitat on the Georgia coast, particularly the islands, offer a fresh and always changing perspective and I get my best inspiration from simply looking out my back door..."
  
• Her Business! Marsha and her best friend , partner and favorite guy Ronnie co-own and operate Sea Kayak Georgia. This wonderful kayak center is the Tybee headquarters for gear, trips, tours, instruction and even a place to stay ( The Outdoor Inn is right next door). Ronnie himself is multi talented and photographs the coast, water, wildlife.



• World Events! Sea Kayak Georgia sponsors each year here on Tybee the Georgia Skills Symposium and British Canoe Union Week. You can learn from some of the best in the world skills from every level- you don't have to be a pro to attend! The events kick off this weekend.

Marsha's Art is currently on exhibit at Irene Sullivan's Art Gallery in Downtown Tybee http://www.irenesullivangallery.com/ You can learn all about Sea Kayak Georgia and this upcoming week's events on http://www.seakayakgeorgia.com/ Marsha and Ronnie are always available to answer questions and share their knowledge about the waters and this island they love so much.

From Canned Ham to La Petite Crevette

One of our favorite artists, Pam Martin, has done it again. Pam was here on Tybee this spring when Sisters on the Fly ( http://www.sistersonthefly.com/) were here for their regional spring conference with their 50 plus vintage trailers and decided she had to have one of her own. Pam is very single minded and darn if she didn't accomplish her goal!! She found a vintage trailer in the South Georgia countryside and has turned this into a Pam Martin Orginal. A piece of art that travels no less! La Petite Crevette ( The Little Shrimp) went from being stuck in the 1960's in the middle of a field to becoming bright and cheerful and full of fun and ready to be the life of the party no matter where she goes!

These pictures only slightly do her justice, but you can see her live and in person ( along with Pam who has to drive her here ) on Saturday Oct 18th from 10AM- 4PM at SeaSide Sisters Coastal Cottage Shop. We're celebrating our shop's 1st year Anniversary in great style and Pam and her "shrimp" will be the centerpiece of the party. Pam is bringing with her an entire trailer full of her art for the home, for holiday gifts, for yourself! Some pieces just created for the fall, some art no one else has seen yet and some of her old favorites. Be sure to come by and visit! www.seasidesisterstybee.com

A Mermaid Sighting!

This wonderful handpainted Mermaid was a gift from the owners of Surf puppy- Pat and George. They found her in a wonderful little shop in their hometown in Maryland and felt she needed to come live on Tybee! We love her and she's very welcome! Thank you so much!

Fluffin' and Plantin'

Daughter Katie and one of her college best friends, Phillipia just left after two days of visiting. Phillipia is a container gardener extraordinaire and has been wanting to come down and play in the coastal dirt vs the mountains of Asheville, NC dirt. She completely re did the window box and front yard gardens at Mermaid Manor and added some great containers at Dutton Waller Cottage. Enjoy her beautiful work!

The Full Moon is rising over the ocean

There is a gorgeous full moon out tonight rising over the Atlantic. The tide is very high because of all the rains over the weekend. Yet another reminder of how close we live to nature on this little barrier island.

And another reminder of where we live- Doc's Full Moon Party!

Here are the details....

" Tuesday Night is Full Moon Party Night
When The Moon Hits Your Eye Like A Big Pizza Pie
That's Amore
Italian Buffet starts at 6:00
We have a real Italian chef
Price of buffet will included a complimentary drink
Wine Specials
The Movie Moonstruck (Sevenish)
If you can't stay for dinner come by and get a take out
It's a night of great food, with love in the air
(or is that garlic)"

Doc's Bar Tybee Island GA. Oldest Bar On Tybee, And Still The Center Of The Universe Celebrating Our 60th Anniversary www.docsbartybee.com

It's never dull on Tybee.......

Get your Piratey self to Tybee today!

Just as Sarah/ Tina created a new word on SNL "mavericky" I created my own new word- "Piratey". OMG, what fun is Pirate Fest! I'll be honest, the first year it was crazy.... and not in a fun crazy way. The City didn't expect the crowds, no one was prepared, but last year lots of changes were made and the event was very well organized and fun. This year it's even better!

Whole families of pirates have invaded the island, dressed to the 9's and just having fun! Walking home last night I saw a family of 6 with kids from 2 - 12 with their parents "Arrghhhing" their way home!

The Parade down Butler Ave begins @ 3PM today, rain or shine, the Thieves Market is open all day for shopping and fun, Live bands are playing non stop and everyone has forgotten - for at least two days- how scary the world is right now.

So get yourself down to Tybee today , wear an eye patch and even dance in the streets!

visit http://www.tybeepiratefest.com/ for more details . Mark your calendars for next year- it will be bigger and better then ever!

Officially Middle Aged

Today I am officially middle aged. I don't know too many people who live to be 106, so I guess I may even be over the hump of middle aged and started to slide into just slightly older then middle age! However, I am one of the luckiest people I know and here's why!

• My family is all healthy and doing fine. Daughter Katie just left after visiting for a couple of days, she made her world famous shrimp cakes for dinner , her college room mate created beautiful container gardens for both Dutton Waller Cottage and Mermaid Manor ( a whole separate blog on these beautiful creations complete with pictures) my mom and stepdad are in Florida for a long weekend attending a wedding, my sister and her family are in CA enjoying their new dog . So all is truly good with family


• My friends are coming out of the wood work with their birthday greetings! The power of social networking- between facebook, my space, plaxo and just email, I've heard from more people this bday then I have in years! What a great way to stay in touch with everyone!
  
• Our cottage business is doing great- thanks to so many of you all! We strive to offer the best possible island cottage experience at very affordable prices and thank you for continuing to visit Tybee and enjoy our cottages.

Yesterday was a special day- we finished the photo shoot of Dutton Waller Cottage's Sleeping porch and Tybee Tides marsh view porch. The porches turned out beautiful ( I'll be sharing pictures in another blog). What made the day even more special for me was the three key women involved with the shoot had changed my life and didn't even know it until yesterday. Here's how:

• Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn was the photographer who took the picture of Palm Cottage for Coastal Living Magazine's Jan/ Feb 2000 issue which first introduced me to Tybee Island . Because of that cover I never would have known about Tybee, purchased my first cottage, moved to Tybee. etc. etc etc.... http://www.coastalliving.com/
  
• Janice Shay who writes and publishes books and is coordinating this new book, wrote about "my" Sour Cream Peach Poundcake in her newest book Savannah Classic Desserts . Most of you know this is the recipe I make over and over again for holiday presents, dinner parties etc. Janice gave me an autographed copy of her book- we will be selling this book soon in SeaSide Sisters! http://www.seassidesisterstybee.com/


• Jane Coslick-Jane gave me the much needed advice on how to purchase Palm Cottage, pushed me into starting my vacation rental business and completely changed my life path.
  

These are three examples of how you go along in your life, never knowing how much a simple action can completely change someone else's life..... The picture above is of these three ladies on the sleeping porch of Dutton Waller...

So Happy Birthday to me! But more importantly, thank you to everyone in my life who's helped me create and live the best life possible! I truly appreciate you all!

Magical Isle of Hope

I was lucky enough to go to a party at the Isle of Hope Marina last weekend. October is truly the best month to be in the Low Country. The humidity is gone, the sky is blue, the sun is warm, the clouds and stars are so clear in the sky- just a great time to enjoy being outside. The night of the party was just this way- we could wear clothes other then shorts and t-shirts and our hair didn't go flat ( or frizzy) from the weather and our makeup didn't sweat off. It's these simple things that make us happy. Oh yes, no bugs to swat!

These are some pictures of both the marina and the homes along Bluff Drive. If this isn't perfection, I'm not sure what is..... Enjoy!

Name our new Sea Turtle Hatchling!

Remember Squirty the Loggerhead Sea Turtle we released this summer? The Burton 4 H Center is raising their next loggerhead baby! One of our summer nests hatched on August 13th and the Dept of Natural Resources gave the 4 H Center one of the babies to raise like they did Squirty with the plans to release the teen age turtle in about 18 months. This picture is of the baby freshly hatched from her nest.

You can help name this baby! Just go to http://www.burton4h.org/ and submit your name suggestion. She is currently being called Clover ( as in the 4 leaf as in the 4 H logo) , the center is hoping for a great new suggestion for the name. We'll be keeping everyone updated on her growth and progress.

Mermaid Sightings from La Jolla!

What a fun mermaid sighting! This is a blogger from Southern California who took to the rocks of La Jolla, CA as Ariel the Little Mermaid! She was enjoying a California day , lunch at The Cottage, a seaside restaurant , then fun on the beach. Thank you for sharing! Be sure to visit http://www.cottagelajolla.com/ to see more details on this great restaurant as well!

And keep those wonderful mermaid sightings coming our way so we can share!

The surprise that was a surprise that was a surprise!

We love a party here on Tybee. Doesn't matter what the occassion, we just love to gather together, eat good food and visit! One of the joys of small town living. So a group of my very dear friends decided to surprise me with a gathering for my upcoming birthday! The only problem is, I'm a moving target during this time of the year and they took a risk and picked a date. Sue Bentley, one of our favorite realtors here on Tybee and a part time mermaid, took on the coordination of the surprise party. E invites went out, rsvp's collected, food prepared but guess what- the birthday girl- me- already had accepted another invitiation for the same night that I couldn't back out of! Poor Sue and then Mary Lou, Judy, Teresa, etc etc, when they called me to tell me they had planned this surprise party, I had to tell them I couldn't be there!

But Tybee being Tybee decided to have the surprise party without me! As Fallon and Nevin said- it's a "because party" as in, we want to have a party just because! Life being life, my dinner date was delayed due to traffic, so I hopped on my bike and surprised my birthday surprise party by showing up! Yeah! Delicious food, great friends and a birthday cake that was the winning cake receipe at the recent Baptist Church bake off here on the island!

Thank you to everyone who had a hand in the planning and attended. Look for the receipe in a future blog. And a very special thank you to Joyce and Gary for hosting the event at their terrific Tybee home!

Mary's Gone Wild - Folk Art Extradonaire!

One of the stops on my Mr.Toad's Wild ride with Miss Lynda was to Mary's Folk Art and Doll Baby Museum in Holden Beach, NC. I've been to Miss Mary's before and been just amazed . Who thinks of these things?? Mary paints on any surface she can find. People drop junk off at her home- literally- and she finds ways to create art from anything left on her door stop. As Mary tells it "God told me to start painting several years ago and I haven't stopped since. " She's been published in serveral books, has her own website and a recent documentary film has been produced about her for Public TV.

I purchased a few pieces of Mary's Wild Art for my shop within the shop at SeaSide Sisters. The pieces are "Mr and Mrs Moon" painted window, one of her wooden Crabs and of course, the two sided piece of art- titled " Mermaid with bad hair day". How could I not! Please visit her website http://marysgonewild.com/aboutthefilm.htm and stop by SeaSide Sisters to see Mary's Wild creations.

Oh yes, the other piece of art available for your home is titled Heart Lipped Fish. You can't miss her in the shop! Only from an artist like Mary could create such magic. Her parting words of wisdom to me when I was debating about buying this orginal art " God's love is not in a recession and money is all about the flow of life. So when you are trying to decide if you need a piece of Wild Mary Art- keep that in mind! "

These are pictures of all three pieces of art available at SeaSide Sisters as well as Mary and the rest of her art.

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride .... the North Carolina version!

Quiet week this past week on the island, so I hopped in my car ( yes we do have gas here on the Georgia coast) and headed up I 95 to visit my friend Lynda who lives in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Lynda has such a charming cottage, two little dogs and a very lively life. She's also a brand new grandma for the third time, has two booths at antique malls in Southport and Shallotte, NC so she's always rushing around Brunswick County attending estate sales and finding unique art and shabby beach chic "stuff". Lynda drives like a bat out of h... a mini van that whips around the country road curves, screeching into driveways, all the while chatting about her job as the wedding planner for her beachside inn and solving the problems of the world. I realize her driving is actually like the Disney ride- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride- and I'm just hanging on enjoying the thrill!

Enjoy these shots of the so very charming Southport, NC- a little coastal seaport town a few miles from where Lynda lives. Found some great finds for my SeaSide Sisters booth.... http://www.seasidesisterstybee.com/ so stop by soon! The top two pictures are Lynda's home Seaboard House. That's the Intra Coastal Waterway in the background.

My love affair with SusieCakes

I love it when I find someone , something, someplace some whatever that is just really special , unique and something I want to share. Martha calls her finds " A good thing". Oprah calls her, "My favorite things "( and her favorite things Christmas show is the highest watched show of the year and whatever product she selects sells out almost immediately) . Still working on what to call the things I discover and want to share ( mermaid marvels? mermaid must haves, must do's, must experience?) I'm open to suggestions so send me a comment with your thoughts and we'll make this a category for the blog!

I blogged earlier about LA and the cupcake shop my friend Cindy Lou took me to in her very upscale neighborhood of Brentwood, CA called Susie Cakes. I was cleaning out the things I brought home from my trip and had picked up the menu from the shop and decided I needed to share more.

I loved this place because it was so well done on every level. From her color scheme ( mermaid sea foam green is her colore so she had me at the color. In honor of her color scheme I'm blogging in her colors today!), to the clean and fresh style of the shop, website and all her branding, to the downright incredible taste of the products I was lucky enough to sample. So here is some more details to share.

• First thing- go to the website www.susiecakesla.com Look at the great food styling in all the photo's. If this doesn't want to make you want to eat white sugar again, I don't know what will. I try so hard to stay away from white sugar, white flour, white pasta, white rice, the list goes on, but sometimes you just have to live a little.


• Her cupcakes have frosting both on top and INSIDE! Click on the "frosting filled cupcake" picture and you'll see what they do- they scoop a tiny bit out of the cake and put a dollop of frosting inside. Brillant. I'm going to copy that on the next batch of cupcakes I make!


• Cupcake tip of the year from these experts-Cupcake storage- should for some crazy you don't devor every cupcake you purchased the same day , you never, ever, ever refrigerate your cupcakes. I DID NOT KNOW THIS! You can put the box in the microwave to store (they are air tight) or you can wrap the entire box with saran wrap to keep them fresh. Try this next time you make cupcakes!


• Whoppie Pies. She bakes two dense chocolate cookies and piles a small mountain of buttercream frosting in between. Enough said. One whoopie pie cookie will feed four women as it did for us at the Sound of Music Sing a Long at the Hollywood Bowl.
  

Thank you for indulging me in my writing about this great place. Well run, well done, very profitable and her business makes people happy. This is a good business plan to follow for anyone!