April 2010

what’s happening in my Tybee World

Leave a Comment / Uncategorized / Diane Kaufman

I”ve found that now that we are in season , I am very busy just handling the day to day business of working with our potential guests and our existing guests making sure they are all set and going to have the best possible Mermaid Cottage Experience they can. We have a great team, but this still is my business and each and every one of my guests are indeed just that- guests to my homes. Doesn’t matter if the homes have different owners, you all are coming to MY homes in my mind! Crazy I know, but it’s how I think. Example- we have the most delightful repeat guests flying over from Ireland to visit their son, grandkids and one of their 6 Daughters who are in the States. We all know what happened in Iceland ( though I truly hadn’t turned TV on since last Thursday and was shocked when someone said at the Savannah Breast Cancer walk on Saturday about the Volcano!) and this has of course affected travel.

Mr. Coogan picks up the phone and calls me regularly from Ireland ( doesn’t that just fascinate you! Your cell phone rings and it’s someone calling you from half a world away!) with updates- seems the volcano is still so un predictable they don’t know when they will be arriving! Good thing his daughter is here from Boston and enjoying Tybee Daze! We’re keeping our fingers crossed they’ll be here on Tybee safe and sound soon.

My long winded point to this is that I am so busy right now I’m not able to Blog on a daily basis like I so enjoy. However I have found a work around! If you notice on the right side of the blog- there is my Twitter updates. Twitter must have been custom made for ADD Adults like me that love the 140 character limit so you can get your thoughts out short and sweet. I am “tweeting” at least once a day on quick updates on Tybee, what’s happening- using this for all sorts of reasons. So even if the Blog has a week old post- I still have a tweet that is brand new and current.

Another way to stay in touch with us is via our Mermaid Cottages Facebook page. If you’re on Facebook you can go to Mermaid Cottages and “friend” Mermaid Cottages. Unlike other businesses on Facebook, I have “friends” not “fans”. Friends seem so much friendlier!

I’ll keep on Blogging but if you need your daily Tybee Fix, please read the tweets on my blog ( or follow me on Twitter under Mermaid Cottages ) and visit us on Facebook.

Enjoy these beautiful pictures- I took these with my little blackberry camera in my phone- this is the front of Mermaid Manor. Aren’t these flowers just wonderful!

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Tybee’s Amazing AJ’s Dockside Restaurant

5 Comments / General / Diane Kaufman

Like all coastal communities, restaurants come and go. Tybee is no exception. However, really good restaurants that serve excellent food, have friendly and good wait staff and most of all have owners that really care survive slow winters and even worse- really busy spring and summer season. AJ’s here on Tybee is in the later category.

The two owners- Alan and Jackie Burns live “above the store” and this is what they do. Run a really good operation. The location has something to do with their sucess, it sits on Chatham Ave and 14th street directly on the Back River so the sunset watching is just like Mallory Square in Key West, but with better food and not all the street performers. The sunset is the same show and just as good. AJ’s also sits in the middle of the neighborhood which I personally love. If I lived right next door, I may not love it so much, but I think part of the sucess is that it’s sorta tucked away and so many people can walk there. Which is a good thing because last night parking was truly at a premimum. Cars were parked everywhere and the wait was at least 2 hours last night. No one really seemed to care and the mood was good natured all around. I guess it’s because people know the food is so good it’s worth the wait. That crispy scored flounder alone is worth it!

I know all this because while out walking Danny I saw two of my favorite local couples coming to eat dinner there- Nancy and Tony and Chris and Pat. I was especially happy to see Tony and Nancy because our guide dog puppy prior to Berkeley that we sponsor was names Tony to honor their son they lost two years ago. I had an update on Tony- he’s finished his inital work with his puppy raiser and has gone back to Guide Dog training at the Southeastern Guide Dog School. Tony commented on what a big strong dog he’d become and I said- of course- he’s a Petrea! Both Big Tony and Little Tony are/ were big guys and it makes sense that the puppy Tony would grow up the same way!

Tony and Nancy had some great news to share- their son Mason is engaged to be married. Many of you know Mason – he works with Tybee Island Plumbing and since many of our cottages are older cottages, they tend to receive visits from TI Plumbing! Tony told me she is not from here. I said- Tony- you mean you’re letting Mason marry a Yankee?? Tony looked at me and said- no, we say she’s a Midwestener. Sounds so much better! I laughed and agreed!

Congrats to the whole family and I’ll keep everyone updated when Tony graduates from Guide Dog School. Tony and Nancy both would like to attend the graduation so we’ll share all this joyous news when it happens

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The Carnival has come to town this weekend!

1 Comment / General / Diane Kaufman

Spring has truly sprung on Tybee. The flowers are in full bloom, azaleas everywhere are pinks and reds and whites. The lilacs are purple everywhere you look hanging from the trees. I even saw a couple of pairs of Green Herons looking for places to nest. Sadly, the pair from last year has not nested in my palm trees, but I’m still hoping they’ll return. At least I know what they look like!

Best of all- the carnival has come to town. No,, not the usual Tybee Circus of daily quirky characters living their lives, but a real carnival just like they created last summer for The Last Song. This picture is from the movie, but we still have in the parking lot of the Ocean Plaza Hotel a carnival with rides and games and family fun. I rode down last night to check it out and it really was quite special. The lights, the music, the happy kids. I’m planning to ride the ferris wheel myself tommorrow!

In keeping with The Last Song events, some local Tybee restaurants have also put together a seafood festival on the pier on Saturday. The weather is perfect- still having blue skies and sunshine and NO HUMIDITY! Visit their website to learn more about the “1st Annual 37th Tybee Seafood Festival” The locals are planning to show off how great Tybee Seafood is to our full house of visitors. We have more guests here from all over the country then ever before and the island is smiling at all of them. Enjoy!

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Where the Beach Bum Biscuits Will Be Available!

1 Comment / Uncategorized / Diane Kaufman

I will post a legend here shortly of where the biscuits will be available! Please stay tuned!

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Beach Bum Biscuits Will Help Sponsor Service and Guide Dogs!

Leave a Comment / Service Dogs (Beach Bum Biscuits) / Diane Kaufman

Please stay tuned to our Beach Bum Biscuits Blog– we will soon be announcing where these awesome bakery-made dog biscuits will be available in a beach town near you.

Proceeds from the sale of our biscuits go to support service and guide dogs!

Mermaid Cottages has always sponsored Guide Dogs like Clarke, Berkeley, Erik and Tony (pictured here, Left to Right) and this is just another way we can continue these awesome programs of service into the future!