It's another great day on Tybee!

Today is THE day when The Last Song Movie comes out! We are very, very excited!  I took this picture yesterday when I decided after talking with my sister that I needed to enjoy alittle bit more of the beauty of this island. This is the very south end of the island where much of the movie was shoot.  The day could not have been more beautiful and in classic Tybee fashion, I was able to include in the picture one of our true Quirky Island Originals.   This local wears lime green high top sneakers, a lime green shirt, has a big walrus style moustache and rides his bike with a boom box playing nothing but beach music!  Could not have been more perfect a sight.

The national media has picked up the story about our Flip Flop party and Tybee is all over the country.  Here's the story the AP ( Associated Press) is running everywhere:

"Tybee Island buzzing for movie debut


The Associated Press

Posted: 03/30/2010 08:03:54 AM PDT

Updated: 03/30/2010 08:03:55 AM PDT


TYBEE ISLAND, Ga.—The locals on Tybee Island are getting their flip flops and T-shirt tuxedos ready for a beach-bum-style premiere of the Miley Cyrus movie "The Last Song."

Cyrus spent last summer filming the movie on the beach getaway near Savannah. The film opens Wednesday, and Tybee residents are throwing their own red-carpet party to celebrate the island's Hollywood debut.

Party organizer Susan Kelleher (KEL-uh-her) says all 500 tickets for the Wednesday evening event quickly sold out. After cocktails and barbecue on the island, party goers will caravan to Savannah to see the movie.

Once the credits roll, another party will commence on the island. Locals appearing as extras in the film will receive awards fashioned from bowling trophies, in typical Tybee fashion."
 
How Great Is This!!! 
 
PS- still trying to find out if there is spell check on this new blogger format...  anyone who might know- let me know.  until then

The Tybee Community Garden has begun...

We have begun....  the community garden group is getting formed and we labored hard the past few Saturdays to get ready.  We have about 15 memebers now and the raised boxes have been built and one ambious person has even planted their first plants! Very Excited about this project!

BTW- if anyone has figured out how to do spell check on their blog- PLEASE let me know!  There is a new format and I really think I need spell check so I can be sure I don't show the world how bad a speller I am!!! So please let me know....

My Love of Homes

I love homes, I love fixing up homes, I love talking about homes, I love renting out homes to our guests. I love the excitement when someone walks into one of our homes and just bursts into a big grin.

We had a situation yesterday where my phone rang @ 9AM ( on Sunday- but not un common since this is when most folks start the planning of their vacation home search). These were some folks who had checked into a place here on Tybee (not a Mermaid Cottages home) that was not at all what they had hoped. Not clean, not nearly enough of anything for a family of 6, just not happy. Despite the great ocean view and a pool, they really did not want to spend their time cleaning up a place. The Dad called me and I could tell there was a whole group of very un happy people. It just happened that we had one home available that would work and even though it was over their budget, I knew we could work out a price for them.

I took the whole family down to see Southern Cross, which is a new Mermaid Cottage which had been purchased by two of our regular guests, Joe and Sherry who had wanted a Tybee cottage for a long time. ( If you haven't see how great this home is- be sure you check it out on the mermaid cottages website). This is a classic Tybee Raised Cottage, just like Dutton Waller Cottage, but there is s total of 4 bedrooms, plus a fire pit PLUS a dipping pool! The look of sheer joy on this families face was a pleasure to behold. The two little girls and I were out side and they both hugged and thanked me because as they said- Our dad works really hard and this is his only vacation a year. And we didn't want him to be unhappy. Thx you Joe and Sherry for allowing us to share your home with our guests!

I also spent time on Friday helping out another of our home owners- Sharen, who owns Star Cottage. Sharen's full time home is a jewel book of a house in downtown Historic Savannah on the corner of Lincoln and East Gordon. She was asked to be in the Savannah Tour of Homes this year which is a HUGE honor. The tour has been around for 75 years and is a major fund raiser. People come from all over the world and every year this 4 day tour sells out. Sharen's home was built in 1865 and is very small- around 1000 square feet with a courtyard that should have books written about it's beauty. The people that came thru on Friday all commented this was their favorite home and I completely agree. Another one of the volunteer's for Sharen's home as the owner of Old Love Cottage, another very charming Mermaid Cottage that had been featured on the Tybee Tour of Homes a few years ago- so I guess we all love homes equally as much being part of Mermaid Cottages.

Last but not least, Breeze Inn Cottage will be the featured poster child home for the Tybee Tour of Homes! We can now proudly say for the past 7 years at least one Mermaid Cottage has been on the Tybee Tour of Homes!

Pet Guests of Mermaid Cottages

We are putting in all our pet friendly cottages a new gift for our furry guests. We will have a jar ( right next to our dog biscuits!) full of red dog tags that say:

"I am a pet guest of Mermaid Cottages. If found, please call 912 313 0784."

These are for our pet visitors to wear while they are here and if they'd like- may also take home with them and wear as their souvenir of their visit to Tybee and our cottages! We know most likely they'll never decide to go off touring on their own, but just in case, there is now a local number for someone to call in case they get lost.

This picture of Danny showes him wearing his- forgive those red eyes- yes he can be the devil dog counter surfing, but it was just my camera acting up.

Be sure to look for the jar here in the cottages and if any of our previous guests would like me to send them one to wear, just let me know and I'll drop one in the mail!

The Last Song Red Carpet Flip Flop Party March 31st

We are in countdown mode- the movie opens next Wednesday March 31st! Do you have to ask which movie? Is there really any other?? Nicholas Sparks book and movie " The Last Song" opens and we'll be there 500 people strong to watch the movie en masse! If you haven't already done so- be sure you call or visit Seaside Sisters here on Tybee Island to buy your tickets. The ticket will include the Red Carpet pre party at the Tybee Ballroom ( or Gym as it's usually known) then we'll be heading over to the Victory Square Movie Theatres to watch the movie, then after we've cried and cheered and just about burst with pride, we'll be heading back to Tybee for the after party @ Huckapoo's bar and restaurant.

Best of all ( if it could get any better) the event will be a fundraiser for Sea Turtle Projects right here on our island. Who by the way had a staring role in both the book and movie. See you on the Tybee style Red Carpet next week!

You can call the shop or go right to their website www.seasidesisterstybee.com

Our Technology Concierge Superstar

We are so lucky- we have our very own "technology Concierge" , Michael Bodine. He's like Spiderman- he looks like a normal everyday person, but when we call him- 24/7 to come fix something that needs fixin' ( a DVD player, the internet connection at your cottage, even that darn Direct TV that never seems to cooperate) Michael jumps into action! Always smiling, never makes you feel dumb, just a great guy to have around.

I have a brand new toy to play with, my very own Netbook which is bigger then a Blackberry, but smaller than a Laptop and oh so great! Michael found one on line on sale, set it up and tah dah! My new netbook has come into my life!

Michael was also so proud of his Christmas present. And only Michael could wear something like this and get away with it! When you walk into a home and are wearing this shirt, whenever you are around wifi, it lights up! Just typing this brings a smile to my face.

Thank you Michael- you are indeed the BEST!

one of our many talented guests

I truly believe that Mermaid Cottages is one of the reasons I'm on this earth. This is my purpose for very many reasons. One of which is to be able to help guests like David and Lily enjoy our island and cottages.. Here is a guest blogger who I'd like you all to meet. In David's own words....


David Eduardo is a thirtysomething freelance music journalist and bowling alley bartender based in Athens, GA. His daughter Lily, a native Athenian, presently lives 250 miles away in Jesup, GA. The commute has been difficult. In December 2009 David decided that he was spending too much time having conversations with Lily's reflection in the rearview mirror of their '99 Honda Civic and not enough defending her youth and imagination and curiosity against a world that looks to take these things from us all too early. So, it was decided, that while Lily still believes in mermaids and buried treasure and the power of fantastic sunsets she should live (at least part time) in a magical place that supports those beliefs. Enter Tybee Island. Many of the their adventures, exploits and lazy afternoons will be shared here on this blog, and ultimately in a novel you'll be able to find at Chu's Convenience Store on a rack somewhere between the flip-flops and sunscreen, summer 2011.

Meteorologists Agree: Spring Comes Early on Tybee

Most of you probably subscribe to the notion that the tilt of Earth’s axis coupled with the planet’s elliptical orbit around the sun determine our winter and summer solstices and by extension our seasons and calendars. With all due respect to the creators of the Mayan, Gregorian and racy firefighter fundraising calendars—none of which suggest February 28th as being even close to the first day of spring—y’all must not have been on Tybee Island yesterday.

The front porch of the Dutton-Waller cottage does amazing things for Folgers Classic Roast Instant Coffee Crystals. Sure I could’ve brewed a pot of fresh ground (conventional) coffee in the home’s comfortable kitchen but my five year-old daughter Lily is a high maintenance handful in the a.m. so I’ve learned to save time by forgoing the drip brew. Best to get caffeinated, and on equal energy footing with the child, as quickly as possible.

Before ten o’clock the sun had dismissed the clouds and claimed the sky for itself—it was nearly sixty degrees and a quick stroll down Chatham Avenue to Fisherman’s Walk had us on the inlet river beach building sand castles for the tiny plastic seals and seahorses I found in a Gainesville, Georgia thrift store earlier that week. Sure it was difficult keeping the mote filled using an 11.2 oz Evian bottle, but that damp ring around the tower will definitely discourage uninvited nefarious folk. Lily proclaimed it to be quicksand, and thus, our fort was impregnable.

Naturally, we had to celebrate the spring-like Sunday and the safety of our gently used toy friends with lunch (outside!) at AJ’s Dockside. In the distance Little Tybee begged me and Lily to commandeer a canoe and row over for adventure—an adventure that would have to wait until the (real) spring, or summer. We contemplated this, and a zillion other Tybee-centric vacation goals, over the kids fried shrimp plate and a blackened mahi-mahi po’ boy with potato salad. Culinarily-speaking Lily and I now live in a house divided. I think AJ’s has fantastic fried shrimp. She prefers the butterfly cut version Stingray’s has to offer. The remoulade sauce my sandwich was served with makes for a nice alternative to cocktail or tartar when looking for a condiment to compliment said shrimp. As for Stingray’s, I’ll always love their lobster and crabmeat bisque.

No, I’m not a food critic and you haven’t stumbled upon the new online home for a resurrected Gourmet magazine (RIP)—but I resolve to eat at every restaurant on Tybee Island before the (traditional) calendar expires, and I’m prone to form opinions. And now that I have a forum for random Tybee ramblings maybe the chef at AJ’s will consider replacing that spongy sub roll for a lightly toasted flaky-chewy French baguette to really bring their po’ boy sandwiches to life? As long as they don’t change the perfect potato salad, or the view.

Mermaid Sightings

I've been missing in action from my blogging the past 10 days or so, sometimes life just gets in the way! Mom's wonderful visit had come to an end on Tybee and I needed to take her back home. On the first leg of the road trip North, I tripped on an un even sidewalk and fell. All the things in my arms flew everywhere and I literally was on the sidewalk howling in pain. The funniest part of this- a man went jogging by and yells out " Good morning!". I looked at him with a crazy look on my face and he just smiled and kept running! Oh well.

Long story short, the trip made a sidebar visit to North Carolina to see a doctor ( thank you Lynda for all your help!) then two days later made it to Delaware to take mom home. Then just with trying to keep up with all the many wonderful inquiries and just handling the business long distance, blogging has not been my number one goal.

However , the Mermaid sightings are rolling in! Thank you to Margo and Melissa for your pictures! Keep sending all the unique and specials ladies you all keep finding around the country.