America’s “Healthiest Beach” One Year Later – Celebrities on Tybee!

Lisa Wu and Ed Hartwell Pay a Visit…

Hosted by Oceanfront Cottages ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’ Lisa Wu Hartwell and her husband Ed visited Tybee in May, escaping their hectic schedules in Atlanta where they’re shooting season 3 of the Real Housewives, movies and Ed’s calendar project). While staying at one of Oceanfront Cottage Rentals homes, they found time to work out together, run on the beach and do some jet skiing. (On the Left)

Mughelli Pays a Visit to Tybee…

OVIE MUGHELLI Foundation,“Our Future is Green!”

Atlanta Falcons’ fullback Ovie Mughelli recently visited Tybee and vacationed at one of Oceanfront Cottage Rentals exclusive island homes.

Atlanta’s #1 Eco-Athlete and founder of the Ovie Mughelli Foundation says he had no idea there was so much beauty and tranquility off the Georgia Coast such a short drive from his home in Atlanta.

In May, Mughelli teamed up with Stacye Jarrell for an eco-conscious press conference to help raise awareness of the importance of preserving coastal areas like Tybee Island. Pictured above are Lannie and Stacye Jarrell, Ovie Mughelli and Tybee City Councilman, Paul Wolff.

The idea is to teach children and their parents about buying locally grown organic foods, recycling, reducing the use of gasoline-powered motorized vehicles and leaving less of a mark on the environment.

RUBY GETTINGER VISITS…

Left: Style Network Star and Emmy Nominee Ruby Gettinger poses with Sean and Ele Tran of Ele’s Fine Fusion Restaurant on Wilmington Island displaying a deliciously healthy dish prepared by “Chef Sean,” for a gathering at Stacye and Lannie Jarrell’s home on Tybee.

Gettinger appeared with her trainers Shazi & Drew Edmonds owners of Train Me 24/7 and Olympic Trainer Michael Banks star of Body by Banks.

“Tybee Throws a Fit“ was sponsored by zoelifestyle.com to pump up attendees on July 2nd at The Tybee Island Pier and the north beach side from 8:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m.

All Photos by Chris Hornaday at http://www.chrishornadayphotography.com

Trainer Michael Banks Featured…

Below right, Banks  joined Ruby Gettinger, Shazia and Drew Edmonds during the “Tybee Throws a Fit” event on July 2nd, 2010.

(More to come in the July edition)

Michael Banks: bodybybanks.com
Shazia & Drew Edmonds: trainme247.com
For more information visit: tybeethrowsafit.com

Who wants to kill a Millionaire Ends Three Year Run
By Renee DeRossett

Tom Coleman, the Director of the Savannah Community Theatre held auditions for the Who Wants to Kill A Millionaire show three years ago this past April.

I got the role of Lily Laplighter, and another Tybeeite Jeff Hall was the Detective Chase Taylor..  We have been performing the show every weekend at the world famous Pirates House for the past three years. We also do special corporate parties.

As you can imagine, With so many performances, there were double casts. Many local actors have played the various roles through the years. The success of the show is due to not only the witty writing and the hilarious characters, but there is a twist at the end of this show that has helped to make the show such an audience pleaser… not to mention the fabulous acting talents of so many…… I am proud to have played the part of the Millionaire Hostess Lily Laplighter since the very first show. It has been a wonderful run.

Audiences are thrown into the show by actually being a part of the action. It is written so as to include several audience members in the show, as well as the murderer. There are two murders during the show, and the audience has to deduce who the killer is. In the end, (unbeknownst to the rest of the audience, and in most cases the people at their own table) the killer  turns out that an audience member (who is given the script prior to the show). There have been riotous endings, where spouses are blown away that their own spouse stands up at the end as the murderer. Many a huge laugh and great time for all.

Last year the Travel Channel saw our ad on The SCT website and chose us as one of the stops on their show about Savannah. Samantha Brown even joined in and was the murderer at the end. It was a huge success and it has aired on the travel channel since January. I have it on tape. We are ending the run only because the writer of the play (Lee Adams from Minnesota?) has decided to take it on a national tour and is therefore not allowing other performances at the same time.

Therefore, we say goodbye to Lily Laplighter, Chase Taylor, Pooh and Nicky Whitney (played by Kim Trammell), Chu-Chu, Suki, and Kilo who would
all like to bid a final adieu and say a huge “thank you” to our many Savannah, Tybee, Bluffton and Hilton Head audiences through the years.

Goodbye to a wonderful run!

Visit: http://www.savannahcommunitytheatre.com

Maya’s Summer Reading Frustrations
by Maya Malins

So my dad called me from the bookstore one day and said, “what book do you want?” I said, “easy, no vampires.” It was a given that my dad wasn’t going to get me a book about love and dating, so I thought I would be safe with just saying, “no vampires”. So my dad came home empty handed and I asked him why. He said, “Sorry, pretty much every book in the teen section of the store is about vampires.” So I looked for myself, turns out, the guy’s right.

So has anyone else noticed that just about every book you see in bookstores lately is either about vampires, mushy gushy love stuff, or mushy gushy love stuff with vampires?? Mostly it’s the latter. You might as well call your bookstore “Vampires & Love Stories, Etc.”

What is there to learn about vampires that we don’t already know anyways? There was a time where vampires were scary, now they look like male models or guys in boy bands. Seriously authors, not every kid in the world is into vampires or love stories. Me? I have nothing against them (I have read the first 3 Twilight books.), but I do think that authors should write about something else every once in while. Honestly, you could write about anything. Anything. Like carpets. Why not, you know? You could write about carpet, a guy that makes carpet for a living, a magical carpet that can shoot lasers, etc. If you want your book to be noticed, don’t write about something that every other book is about, just a bit of advice. Yeah, and I know that’s what the kids are into these days, and as I’ve said before, not every kid.

So what about these kids that aren’t interested in vampires or love stories? Aren’t adults supposed to encourage children to read? Well, if these kids cant find a book he/she likes, how’s that going to work out, huh, not very well? I know there are probably plenty of books out there that aren’t about vampires or love, however you don’t see those books featured with special shelves at bookstores, do you? So here’s some advice to bookstores too, put some books out on special featured shelves that aren’t about vampires or love please. And there needs to be more books about ninjas too, ninjas with magic carpets that can shoot lasers. Perfect.

Authors? There’s a good idea up for grabs right there – ninjas with magic carpets. I would read it. No seriously, I probably would.

Wait, did I forget to mention that there’s too many books are about vampires, love, or both?

Maya Malins is 12 years old, resides on Tybee Island, and attends St. Andrew’s School.
She is an avid reader, enjoys traveling, and is a huge fan of Japanese pop culture.

“The Pinwheels of my Mind”

by Junie Merkle

by Junie Merkle

In 1994, post divorce, my first husband and I flew to California to visit his son and granddaughter.  Have chance, Will travel has always been my motto.  Thank goodness this platonic trip went better than the marriage.   Most of the specifics have faded from memory (probably a good thing) except for my first sighting of a field of wind turbines.  I still see them in my mind’s eye…they looked like giant pinwheels blowing in the wind…and it was magical.

If you’re not sure what a pinwheel is, you’re probably young, thin, without age spots, and I don’t want to stand next to you.  But I will educate you from a distance.  According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a pinwheel is a toy consisting of vanes of colored paper or plastic pinned to a stick so that they revolve when blown on by you or by the wind.

Fast Forward to 2010. A proposal to harness wind power in Memorial Park for City Hall is met with some skepticism.  I am math challenged so will recuse myself on the cost issues.  With my usual intuitive clarity (is intuitive clarity even possible?), I would like to address two of the more subjective concerns, realizing all may be resolved by the time this reaches print.

Is it just me … am I alone in thinking that that using green space in the park for the wind turbine seems to be a good use of green space?  Aware that my reasoning processes probably are not yours (my husband will be glad to discuss this with you because sometimes they are not his either), I just can’t shake this feeling.

As for unsightly, I’m envisioning a giant, painted wind turbine blowing high in the sky, and I’m liking it.  A work of art, if you will, by some SCAD students or local artists who are not afraid of heights.  I had this vision a few weeks ago on the Ferris Wheel. No one offered to accompany me, and I felt slightly ridiculous (a common feeling) digging out every bit of change from my purse for the, gasp, $5 ticket.  It was almost closing time and the operator (a man with a tired but kind face) told me he could not turn the Big Wheel unless he had two riders.  After about ten minutes, whether out of pity or just a wish for me to go away, he said, ‘Come on.”  And up I went, alone and invincible in the sky. I saw the ocean, the horizon, the roof tops, the lighthouse, the big water tower… and Tybee in the future with brightly colored wind turbines high and proud, freeing us up from air, water, and soil pollution.

So there you are. It just feels right.
I hope we do it.

Until next month,
Junie

By Maya Malins

Everywhere I look, particularly on the internet, I keep seeing the same examples of incorrect grammar written by adults that have gone to school and even finished college. Some of these people apparently have jobs and everything. I can tell because they must own a computer.

YOUR ≠ YOU’RE – These are completely different words with totally different meanings, people! They are not interchangeable. It is not all that difficult. Let’s discuss it. ‘Your’ signifies possession or relation. Example: “Your grammar is terrible.” ‘You’re’ is a contraction of ‘you are’. Example: “You’re a moron that can’t write.” It’s this simple, if you are trying to write a shorter version of ‘you are’ use ‘you’re,’ if not, use ‘your.’ It’s that easy!

Apostrophes – This one annoys me the most. Let’s get this straight once and for all. A quick basic rule of thumb is that apostrophes are mostly used to imply possession, but NOT used to make words plural. Example: “That man’s writing skills are terrible.” CORRECT. “That mans writing skill’s are terrible.” WRONG! WRONG!! WRONG!!! Where did you people learn this? You adults all seem to be putting apostrophes wherever you want. Stop it! It’s annoying. Furthermore, if you are one of those people who has to put your family’s name on your mailbox, avoid the all too common practice of putting The Green’s on there because you may as well just put a sign up in your yard that says, “The Dumbest Family In The Neighborhood Lives Here.” Seriously, I’m only 12 and I’ve figured this out – so can you.

Maya Malins is 12 years old, resides on Tybee Island, and attends St. Andrew’s School.
She is an avid reader, enjoys traveling, and is a huge fan of Japanese pop culture.

A Tribute to Tomkins

by Junie Merkle

by Junie Merkle

Sometimes something happens, and you just don’t know what to make of it.

Last fall, a stray kitten ended up in the animal shelter before he was 6 weeks old. He was black with white feet, long white whiskers and a white band around his neck with black bow tie markings. So cute, he didn’t look real.

My husband and I rescued him, and my friend gave him a home. She named him Tomkins. She took him to the vet for the sniffles he caught in the shelter. He got his kitty shots, and the Milton Project took care of that pesky reproduction issue. He thrived and was a delight.

Since Tomkins had lived his formative weeks outside, he loved the outdoors. When he was a little older, he got neighborhood privileges. Always timely for meals though. And ready to share the evening hours inside with my friend. As Robert Duvall remarked in Lonesome Dove, “he was a fine companion come supper time.”

The cold, rainy winter kept him indoors, so when spring finally came this year, he scampered and climbed trees and raced like the wind. We were all looking forward to seeing how big he was going to be when he grew up.

He was hit by a car on a beautiful, sunny afternoon and killed instantly. It was no one’s fault.

There’s no need to describe how my friend feels. Either you know or you don’t know. The others of us who delighted in hearing about his antics are just sick for her and for him.

Bad things happen in life. The over-used word of closure won’t really make it better. There’s nothing to do besides suck it up and move on. Like my big, black Bouvier Teddy, Tomkins was so dear and such a joyful presence, it seems impossible that he’s gone.

And maybe they’re not..

by Paul Wolff, Tybee City Council Member

Since announcing on Monday, April 26th that I’d gone solar, I’ve been deluged with questions, so I’m going to try to answer them all with one article and do follow-up reports on how my 5.52 kW Solar World (http://www.solarworld-usa.com/) photovoltaic array is functioning.  I’ve been researching this for years and decided to quit thinking about it and do it for several reasons: the 35% state tax credit (http://www.gefa.org/) is funded through 2012, but is limited to $2.5 million each calendar year (as of April 16th, there was $854,647 left for 2010, and when I called on April 28th to get an updated figure*, it was all gone; more on that later); the 30% federal credit was uncapped through 2016, so the savings are much greater for bigger systems; electric prices are going to go nowhere but up, especially after the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion goes on line; and finally, I want to help convince people that despite what Georgia Power says, solar is an excellent renewable resource for our state.
(*http://www.energy.gov/taxbreaks.htm)

During the first 5 days my system was operating, I generated 148 kWh (with one rainy and one cloudy day), used 37 kWh from the grid, and had a net surplus of 123 kWh to sell back to GP.  That seems like a pretty viable resource to me.  If you’d like to track my results, here’s the real-time link: http://siteapp.fatspaniel.net/siteapp/simpleView.jsf?&view=PV/standard/Simple&eid=506540.

Keith Freeman, with One World Sustainable installed my system and handled the technical sections of the tax credit applications.  Keith and I have known each other for several years: we’ve been in workshops and on panels together, and I respect his knowledge and integrity (aside from which, he’s a Savannah Boy).
We discussed numerous options, but his advice was that since I had plenty of roof space, it wouldn’t be cost-effective to buy a more efficient system, so SolarWorld seemed best.  He gave me bids on 3 systems: 2.76 kW, 4.6 kW, and 5.52 kW (Keith asked me not to quote my “brother-in-law” price, but said a good ball park number is $6.50/watt.).
I chose the largest array partly because it was the lowest price per watt, but mainly because I wanted to take the biggest bite out of my electric bill.  The disadvantage to that was that I was over the $10,500 limit on the state tax credit, but I figure I’ll make that up over time.  In case you’re doing the math, here’s the bottom line for the middle system, and it will work with any of the 3 options:

20 SolarWorld SW230watt PV modules, mounting system, inverter, all hardware, installation, sales tax, and permits $29,900.00

Fat Spaniel monitoring system (this may seem frivolous, but it could help identify problems. Besides, it IS fun!) $995.00

Up-front cost  $30,895.00
30% federal tax credit  $9,268.00
35% state tax credit
(actually $10,813, but the max is $10,500) $10,500.00

Net cost  $11,127.00

Georgia Power has two buy-back options: dual metering and single-directional, both of which have 5-year contracts.  The first is open to anyone:  GP replaces your existing meter with a digital one that separately registers what you use from the grid, and the surplus generation you put into the grid.  The electricity from your solar panels powers your own needs first, and anytime there’s a surplus, it goes into the grid and GP pays you 5.5 cents/kWh (about half what you pay for theirs).  The single-directional program is limited to 2500 kW state-wide; I was on the waiting list and got in just in time.  With this option, all the power my solar panels generate goes through a separate meter into the grid, and GP pays 17 cents/kWh for it.  Annie and I have some ethical issues about using their dirty power and selling them all our nice clean energy, but this helps expand their green power program, which is currently 90% landfill gas.  Now that you see why the timing was right for me, here’s some advice on how to proceed if you’re interested.

1.  Check your roof for southern exposure, and if it won’t last 25 years or more, replace it before you install solar (the panels are guaranteed 25 years).  There’s also a 30% federal tax credit on qualified roofing ($1500 maximum on materials only).  I put a standing-seam white metal roof on top of my 13-year-old shingles for three reasons:  I should save 10-20% on cooling costs due to the reflective surface, heat diminishes the efficiency of solar panels, and the panels can be clamped directly to the seams, eliminating the need to go through the roof to tie them to the rafters.

2.  Research available products and installers:  There’s a lot of information out there, and solar technology is improving rapidly, but you need to evaluate efficiency, cost, and availability.

3.  Timing is critical:  Since the state money for 2010 is gone, be ready to go first thing next year– have the roof done, sign a contract with Georgia Power for dual-metering and get on the waiting list for single-directional (you have 6 months after signing to install the system).  It wouldn’t hurt to give Tracy Williams at GEFA a call at 404-584-1037 to get details ahead of time, but you won’t qualify for the 35% state tax credit until your system is on the roof and tied to the grid.  Last year the $2.5 million was gone in July, this year in April, so the sooner you act, the better.

If you have any questions I haven’t addressed, feel free to email me at tybeeduo@bellsouth.net.

Let’s work together to make Tybee energy independent.

Paul Wolff
tybeeduo@bellsouth.net

TYBEE’S 2010 BEACH BUM ROYALTY READY FOR ACTION! by editor Cynthia Kinkel

Each year on the last local’s weekend in May, just before Memorial Day, Tybee Island celebrates a tradition started in 1987 when the original DeSoto Beach Bums played softball in the park. Known as the Beach Bum Parade, all generations have shared the spirit of community, camaraderie and youthful bliss it brings, and why not? No one’s too young or too old not to cherish those seasons in life when good times, good friends and good will reigns.

It’s what makes life worth living, this “bumstuff!” So come out and play!

Visit the “Tybee Island Parade of the Beach Bums” Facebook page and rsvp to the event!
Read the ‘real story’ about the DeSoto Beach Bums here.

(Photo portraits by Nancy Heffernan at nancyheffernanphotography.com)

The 2010 “Big Kahuna,” Tommy Solomon

This year’s Big Kahuna, Tommy Solomon, Sr. is a Tybeeite with deep native roots in the sandy dunes. “My family has been on Tybee for three generations. Tybee is all I know!” he says. “I like to tell people, I’ve been sentenced to life here -  I’ve served my term and I’m hoping to get off for good behavior.”

Tommy’s grandfather, A.P. Solomon ran Tybee’s first water system, and his great granddaddy bought the island’s very first fire engine as fire chief.

For years, Tommy has owned and operated a general contract, landscaping and tree service off Hwy. 80 East on Polk Street – Solomon’s Tree Service & Dock Work, LLC. Son Tommy. Jr. works with him.  You might notice a large billboard stands on the property that talks about the love of God, and Tommy’s proud to explain the reason for it. “My Momma always said that Tybee was God’s country, and she said that’s why the hurricanes have missed us – I agree with her.  I make lots of deals on Tybee, but the best one I ever made was the one I made with God – gives me a direct line with the ‘Big Guy’ – something everybody needs.”

Tommy says he’s honored to be named “Big Kahuna” this year, and says “good fun” is what it’s all about. “You see all ages out there grinning from ear to ear, and having a great time!”  But he’s also concerned with the safely of the parade participants due to the fact the crowd has grown to such large numbers. He says the best way to save the parade for future generations on Tybee is to get more control over it.  “Nobody wants to run over someone,” Tommy says, “but with all the activity and noise, it’s difficult for float drivers to always keep an eye out for everybody.”  Tommy adds he had a near miss, himself – just last year when suddenly a child appeared in front of his truck. “It really shook me up! Thank the Lord, I’d just stopped for something else, cause I’d have never seen that child.”

One suggestion Tommy has to make the sidelines more secure and still allow for plenty of fun, would be for the City to use the orange cones to create a ‘dedicated float lane’ just wide enough for parade vehicles to pass through it. “Folks behind the cones would still have access to shoot their “super soakers” and throw buckets of water, etc, but it might make it easier for Tybee law enforcement officers to ensure everyone’s safety.”

The Big Kahuna’s advice for this year’s beach bums? “Remember to have fun, but BE SAFE!  Parents, especially, WATCH YOUR CHILDREN in the parade, and we’ll have a bucket of water just for YOU!”

The 2010 “Beach Bum Queen,” Pam Smith

Our 2010 Beach Bum Queen, Pam Smith says she’s lived on Tybee,”virtually all my life. Up until I was fifteen, it was summers, only, but after that, year-round!” She’s been married to husband Tim Smith for nineteen years and has worked at world famous, Doc’s Bar on 16th Street (Tybrisa) for almost that long – 18 1/2 years.  Smith has two daughters, Beth and Stephanie – two grandsons, Stephanie’s boys, Boogie and Camryn, and three brothers, T.O. (Bill) Wilson, John Wilson and last year’s Big Kahuna, “Catfish” (Michael) Wilson.  Pam’s mother Helen grew up on Tybee, attended school on the island in her childhood days. She still lives here as do brothers, Bill and Michael.

Known for her big smile and friendliness, Pam’s job has allowed her to get to know many of the colorful characters from Tybee’s DeSoto “beach bum” days – sad to say many also who are now gone. In fact, she bartended at the Old DeSoto’s Ship Watch Lounge before she started at Doc’s, and also knows many of the musicians who played on that stage, and later at Doc’s – Ron Denning, Savannah Steve, Randy “Hatman” Smith and Charlie Sherrill, and of course, “Miss Sylvia” Gott who continues to play at Doc’s with Roy Swindelle and the Circuit Breakers, using the same tambourine that Charlie Sherrill handed her in 1998.

But Pam says her fondest and most vivid memories of Tybee are of crabbing on North Beach around the old steel gurters with a scoop net, and walking to South End via the Butler Avenue median to go to the old pavilion and the amusement park.  She also recalls riding the ‘Nancy Hanks, Jr.’ to the Tybee museum and all around the island. “In the winter,” she adds, “We used to walk down Butler Avenue with friends to go to ‘The Triangle,’ and for six blocks we’d never have a car pass us – of course, at that time there were less than a thousand year-round residents here!”

This year’s Beach Bum Queen says one of the nicest things about living on Tybee is that she’s always felt so safe, and appreciates everyone keeping that “safe” feeling alive. “We need to work together and be responsible,” she smiles. “Having said that – about the parade, I hope people have a good time and enjoy themselves, but remember to watch out for the other guy, and for those in your group!  Also, not everyone knows what’s going on, so don’t shoot water at people who don’t want to participate, or aren’t dressed for the occasion, or those in uniform.  Especially police officers!  Believe me,” she laughs. “That can get you into a whole lotta trouble!”

The 2010 “Parade Grand Marshal,” Burke Day

This year’s Parade Grand Marshal, Georgia State Representative Burke Day just arrived back on Tybee after a very long and exhausting congressional session…  also his very last…

After nearly 16 years of public service to our district, Day seems ready to kick back, and relax. Nice timing for a guy just chosen to be beach bum Grand Marshal!  Burke says he’s glad to be home and the evening these photos were taken it was evident his playful spirit thrives in the Tybee’s salty air.

We met at photographer Nancy Heffernan’s house and moved out to the beach for shoreline shots. The sun was sinking low and our figures were bathed in gold. I watched as the honorees posed for Nancy’s camera perched on the wooden crossover bench beside the dunes, as did Sally Day, Burke’s wife of many years, and high school sweetheart. Though the couple had just returned from Atlanta, and Sally was tired from driving and unpacking, she was at his side and seemed to enjoy the moment.

Tommy Solomon remarked to Burke how the Stephens-Day bill had brought such welcome tax relief for Tybee residents years ago. He said it had saved his home and how grateful he was. Burke says the reason he left Tybee to go into politics at the state house was to help fight corruption, and to make the island, indeed the state, more secure -  it’s also the reason he worked with the Homeland Security team after the September 11th disaster. Coming home to Tybee means a lot to Burke Day – and that’s another story.  Right now, just bring on the super soakers and the water buckets – this bum’s ready!

After we went our separate ways that night, I was again reminded why people who’ve lived on Tybee most of their lives have something very special to share. Not to take away from other unique and enriching perspectives that come to us from beyond the Lazaretto, but those who’ve been here a while know “home, sweet home” is more than a phrase on a wall placard, it’s getting to live where your heart is – a real blessing and something to protect.

This year’s Bum’s Coronation takes place on May 12th at Marlin Monroe’s to honor the Big Kahuna, Queen and Grand Marshal. There’ll be a few other surprises, too! Parade assembles at 6:15pm at North Beach on May 21st, so get your applications in to Jiggs Watson, and get ready for the fun!

Get Comfortable Using Your Wireless Computer

by Michael Bodine

Lots of people are falling under the spell of Windows 7 these days, and contributing to our economic recovery by buying a new PC. There are some super fast processors in the new computers, and Windows 7 looks like a real winner with convenient features and a lot fewer problems than have plagued most versions of Windows to date. Even desktop computers now are coming with wireless set-ups so you can install them without wired connections and use the new wireless printers. Sorry, there’s just no escape!

If you bought a new laptop, all the better, because you can use everyone else’s wireless connections, printers, listen to music, and browse the internet in more and more places. Last month, we talked about what you need to take care of to get your internet connection at home. If you just plug your internet cable in, you’re all set to go at your desk at home. When you’re away from home, that’s another story.

While there are some public WiFi access points that are operated by companies which charge you for use, many coffee houses and restaurants, as well as hotels and airline lounges, provide WiFi access for free. You just need to know where to look!

First of all, unless you have changed your screen preferences, if you look in the lower right corner of your screen, you will see an area with a bunch of small icons showing. If you move your mouse so as to position your cursor over each icon, a name or short explanatory message will pop up to tell you what each icon represents. The icon for the wireless is usually a representation of a computer screen or a radio tower that shows concentric half-circles, or waves, radiating out from the tower – WiFi is a radio technology, so this little icon is supposed to represent the radio signals.

The pop up message, unfortunately, is different for every version of Windows and every program that controls your WiFi connection, but it will say something like “Wireless Connection”, “View Wireless Networks”, or something with the word “wireless” in it. It may also read, “Network Sharing and Connections Center.” This is where you want to hold your cursor over the picture and click the RIGHT-SIDE mouse button. (Whenever anyone tells you to “CLICK” your mouse, click the left-side button. Only click the right-side button if they tell you to “right-click”.) When you right click, you will be presented with choices that may include: “View available networks” or “Network Sharing and Connection Center”. Click this selection.

You’ll then see a list of wireless networks that are nearby. If a network is labeled as open or
unsecured, you can connect to this network by clicking the network name, and then clicking “Connect.” If a network is labeled secure, or WEP, WPA, WPA2 or some slight variants – these are all security methods. If you are trying to connect to a secure network, someone will need to tell you what the security access code is, and you simply type it in when prompted after clicking “Connect.” In an open network, or after keying in the correct access code, you will then be connected to the wireless network. In Windows XP, you can immediately open your browser and start using the net. For Vista or Windows 7, you will need to inform the operating system whether the network you’ve connected to is a private, or home, network, which means you know you are secure inside a firewall or router, or that it is an open, unsecured network. After another warning, you can then connect to the internet there.

Be warned – while surfing the net on a public network, whether secured or unsecured, what you type can potentially be seen by other people on that same network. Make it a habit never to key in confidential information like your bank accounts, credit card numbers, sensitive passwords, or other private data while on a public network.

Okay, you knew how to buy network access from your ISP. Now you know how to get connected to an existing WiFi network.

Next time, we’ll set up a WiFi network at home!

Michael

Michael spends his nights and weekends running around on Tybee helping folks get the most out of their computers, whether that’s fixing a problem, getting a new computer, or just learning how to use what you’ve got! Call him at 912-655-4361, or email to serendip80@rammb.com.

Reprinted with permission from The South Magazine, Apr/May 2006 Issue: “The Tybee Beach Bums,” by Cynthia Kinkel

(Photos courtesy of Tybee Beach Bum archives)

“EVERYONE GETS TO PLAY!
How a Tybee Team Turned Their Wacky Baseball Season into a Tybee Tradition!”

By Editor Cynthia Kinkel

In recent years Tybee Island, Georgia has become the scene of a peculiar “native” ritual. Before the onslaught of the tourist season, this small Southern town by the sea designates one evening in May to allow its citizens to arm themselves with squirt guns, and buckets, and take to the streets. The afternoon sun sinks low as curious newcomers and thrill-seeking locals line the streets with eager anticipation. Then the Parade of the Beach Bums comes sloshing down the main drag, and friends, neighbors, even perfect strangers, are all gleefully baptized into the first rites of summer.

That evening, no one outside (except maybe the police) is safe from the blast of the Super Soakers, as island residents engage in a community-wide water fight, but according to the folks who remember the very first parade, it didn’t start out that way and with recent water shortages, restrictions and rising prices some of this year’s parade participants are considering arming themselves with “rain barrels.

The original event was actually staged, high and dry, as a mock Homecoming parade for a team of softball “losers.” The story behind it is a tribute to some of Tybee’s best-known characters, and to the last days of one of the island’s most celebrated landmarks, the Old DeSoto Hotel. It was there, at the Ship Watch Lounge in early spring of 1987, that a group of drinking buddies decided that they wanted to play softball.

In those days, Tybee had eight teams in the City of Savannah’s Softball League, but most of the guys in the Happy Hour crowd at the Ship Watch were in their late thirties and early forties, and were considered too old to be picked by one of the existing teams. “None of us were any good,” islander Jack Boylston admits. “Players in the City [of Savannah] League took the game very seriously, and guys like us had a real hard time playing with them.” The “guys” to whom Boylston refers were Lloyd “Jiggs” Watson, a Savannah native, currently retired and living on Tybee; John O’Neill, also from Savannah, a local television and radio personality, and Tommy Clark, a native of Statesboro, who was just getting started as a realtor on Tybee.

One Sunday afternoon during “Happy Hour,” Boylston recalls sitting around in the bar listening to everyone bemoan the fact that they weren’t out playing softball, when John O’Neill remarked, “You know, they all think we’re just a bunch of old ‘beach bums’ over here.” Boylston remembers hearing Jiggs mumble, “Whatever would make them think that?” and everyone at the table laughed. But Boylston says that he’d been thinking about something for a while, and decided it was time to bring it up.

“Hey, if we really want to play, I don’t think they would stop us.” The guys stared back at him. “I mean, if we really want to play, couldn’t we just form our own team, and go over there – you know, just for fun, like Little League, or something?” Boylston emphasized, “Let’s say everyone gets to play!”

He recalls that O’Neill rolled his eyes, “Yeah, sure, and we’ll win every game, right?” O’Neill admits, “At first I thought he was just kidding. All of us did. Then I realized he was dead serious when he started laying it out in front of us.” Boylston acknowledged that they didn’t stand much of a chance winning games, “We won’t be trying to win – we’ll just have some fun, that’s all.” O’Neill recalls that Jiggs Watson was grinning ear to ear when Tommy Clark playfully raised his beer mug and chimed out, “We can be the ‘beach bum’ team!” grabbing the attention of the bystanders. Boylston recalls Bob Davenport, owner of the Old Desoto, saying from across the bar, “And I’ll be the sponsor!”

From that point on, Boylston says that he could feel the enthusiasm start to build. The group at the Ship Watch decided to call themselves the Desoto “Beach Bums.” Some of the guys were capable ballplayers, while others had never played before. No one had the time or the desire to practice, however John O’Neill says that they finally decided to at least have a “rehearsal” to catch up on the rules and regulations. Boylston sorted out the League details and the recruitment began.

Of course, not everyone immediately liked with the idea. Boylston said that when he got home that night, he made a recruiting call to Colonel Jamie Hendrix, a retired Vietnam veteran and a Ship Watch regular. At first, the Colonel wasn’t impressed. Boylston admits he wasn’t sure that Hendrix would join, but the former Green Beret would later tell him that it was one of the best things he ever did. Hendrix, and Chatham County Sheriff, Walter Mitchell were two of the team’s first pitchers.

The Ship Watch Lounge crowd was like an extended family, and in no time, at least 30 “Bums” had signed up. Then their wives and girlfriends wanted in on the act. Judy O’Neill, Nancy Buckley (Boylston), Carey Traeger (Watson), Nedra Hendrix, Francis Clark, Joan Sack Anderson, and others decided to be cheerleaders, and call themselves the Desoto “Bummettes.”

Soon it was off to Jaycee Park at the north end in Fort Screven for Sunday afternoon games, with the babes in their Bummette regalia, and the beer in the cooler. Boylston says, “When we showed up on the field, the real ball players immediately had their suspicions this wasn’t going to be a regular season by any stretch of the imagination.” The Bums adopted the slogan, “We want to play real bad… and we do!”

Boylston explains, “Right off the bat, we realized if we were going to survive the season we had to have as much fun with it as possible. The only way for our thirty players to even get to play was to rotate ten players on the field every inning, and try to last at least three. (He says they never really lost a game – they just ran out of innings!) John O’Neill laughs, “We staged fake fire drills, and set off smoke bombs in the middle of games.

One Sunday the whole team dressed in drag. Guys wore flips flops and sandals, and sometimes we’d just lay around on the field, drink beer and watch the fly balls fly.” Speaking of beer, there was always a lot at the games. According to Boylston, if the good players started drinking, they didn’t play as well. “Since we didn’t have any good players, it worked to level the field for us,” Jack laughs. “We might have even scored a run or two, just because the other guys “got wasted” and made mistakes!”

The Bummettes also did their part and took full advantage of the fact that the other teams didn’t have any cheerleaders. Nancy Boylston recalls that they would make up silly cheers to entertain the players and fans in the stands. One of her favorites went something like “U-G-L-Y, Yo mamma says you ugly! You got no alibi. You ugly, you ugly, and that’s no lie! Yo mamma says you ugly. You got no alibi!” Nancy says, “Sometimes batters would laugh so hard they’d have to walk away from the plate.”

Teammate Dr. Michael Milford became the Bum’s TV sports announcer, videotaping the games, complete with pre and post game interviews. The Bums would take the tapes back to the Ship Watch and screen them while the house band, which included teammate Ron Denning, would introduce the replay on the big screen with a chorus of “Take Me Out To The Bum’s Game.” After the show, the team would give an award for the “Most Obvious Bum of the Week” to the player who made the most mistakes on the field.

Boylston says he began writing a popular newsletter called “Bum Stuff,” and distributed it to the bars on the island – all of the teams read it. Boylston admits that some of the Bums were shameless hams. “We knew that a few of the fellows on the other teams thought we were mocking the sport. They thought we were crazy, and sometimes they would get really upset,” he relates, “Most of them were nice guys though, and good sports about it all. Besides, they were winning all the games!”

To be sure, a week before playoff time that first year, the Bums hadn’t won a single game and agreed they needed to get at least one ‘W.’ The final opportunity was going to be a face-off between the Bums and the second-worst team in the league, the “Awfshow” Offshore Lounge. To generate enthusiasm the Bums decided to stage their own “Homecoming Parade,” with a dance to follow at the Old Desoto, on the “Last Local’s Weekend,” before the tourist season began on Memorial Day weekend.

The parade consisted of about 20 people. They met at the South Beach Parking Lot, with hand-drawn signs, a few cold brews and swaggered up 16th Street (now Tybrisa), where they turned right onto Butler Avenue, and walked northward, all the way up to the Old Desoto Hotel. This was the very first “Beach Bum Parade.” It was May of 1987.

Inside the Ship Watch Lounge, Ron Denning, Sam Gill and Dan Arno entertained the crowd. John O’Neill says, “We crowned Jack Boylston ‘King of the Bums,’ and his future wife and Bummette, Nancy Buckley, ‘Homecoming Queen.’ Sally Pierce was our first ‘Queen of the Parade,’ and Bob Davenport and his wife Betty Ann shared the title of first Grand Marshall. After that, we just partied ’til we dropped.”

The following Sunday afternoon, this team of self-proclaimed losers actually managed to win their final game with the “Awfshow’s,” 19-18. Rumor has it that the Bums brought an extra keg of beer and shared it with the other team right before the game. According to Boylston, it was the only game the original team of Bums ever won.

After softball season ended that year, most islanders forgot about the Beach Bums, but they remained a favorite topic of conversation at the Ship Watch. When the next season rolled around, the Bums were back on the field. They still couldn’t manage to win a game, but interest in the parade was starting to build. Instead of a Homecoming Parade, they had a Royalty Coronation.

That year an island personality by the name of “Big Larry” Philpott was bartending on Tybrisa at the Anchor Bar (now The Wind Rose Cafe). Jack Boylston recalls, “He was a big guy, a former college football player and quite a character. Most of us knew him, and so did the players on all of the other teams including the guys from ‘Pier 15,’ a south-end team sponsored by the Black Lace Lounge.”

The parade was on Saturday and everyone showed up at the South Beach Parking Lot and fell in line, “Tybee-style” (first one there is the first one out of the gate). Boylston recalls a “pots and pans jug band” with a Bummette kazoo section, and one “float,” which was the island’s trash buggy, loaned to the Beach Bums by the city. “We all piled onto it,” he says, “and started up [Tybrisa].”

At this point, he hesitates as if to re-create the moment. “Just as we passed Doc’s Bar on the right, and neared the front of the Anchor Bar on the left, a bunch of players from Pier 15 standing next to the Anchor Bar, waved and smiled, then opened fire on us – Big Larry had organized an assault! They had a barrel full of water balloons, and started hurling them at us from every direction!” Boylston says the parade wagon was completely taken by surprise. “We all got mercilessly drenched. We had no idea that they were going to hit us like that.”

Big Larry’s gangbusters would soon be known as the notorious “16th Street Gang.” The following year, 1989, the first “Big Kahuna” arrived, bestowed on a Bum, Gordon “Batman” Varnadoe, in honor of his fiftieth birthday. The parade jug band was back with the kazoo players, in addition to a growing number of festive islanders who marched. “We still had only one ‘float’—the Bums on the trash buggy, again,” Nancy Boylston beams, “but we were armed and ready!”

As the procession neared the Anchor Bar, and the “16th Street Gang” appeared, she says the Bums and Bummettes grabbed their own water balloons and “started tossing those suckers as fast as they could throw them.” Soon everyone was in retaliation mode. Water balloons filled with everything from sand and ice water, to food coloring and beer sailed back and forth. Up and down the parade route, attackers came from all sides.

Judy O’Neill says everyone got quite a pelting from the water balloons those first few years, and that escalated until, she says “someone also shot them with a pressure washer.” The City of Tybee soon outlawed water balloons and pressure hoses. They began requiring a parade permit to control the “festivities,” and provided a police escort for future parades, but the water war was on, and started taking on a life of its own. Jack admits, he and Jiggs Watson found that they were spending a great deal of time and money organizing the event. Eventually, they started collecting a small fee from participants, to cover the costs of the permit, advertising, and the Royal Coronation Ceremony. Watson, who now handles the organization of the parade, says anything over and above these costs is donated to local charities.

Originally, the “Big Kahuna” was to come every three years but the Bums started bestowing the title every year beginning in 1995 because, Boylston says, “It finally dawned on us that many individuals deserved the honor, and some of them were running out of years.”

By 1992 most of the original Bums were no longer playing in the City League. Stories of the parade and the water war it spawned would soon replace tales of the softball team that once shared the “good old days” and truly earned their title as “The Desoto Beach Bums.” Now, the Beach Bum Parade is Tybee’s favorite showcase for wackiness. The rule has always been almost anything goes as long as it’s safe and legal. Judy O’Neill says, “We used to have a lady riding a horse, bareback.” Nancy Boylston claims that there’s been everything from marching dogs, to a lofty Uncle Sam walking around on stilts. Like Mardi Gras in a downpour, Tybee’s characters strut their stuff and get really wet in the process.

They’ve been the focus of national coverage in USA Today, CNN, The Atlanta Journal, and receive annual attention from local media. Regional dignitaries are out there, too, although most now ride in vehicles with the windows rolled up. “Sometimes things can get a little raucous!” Nancy Boylston admits. “Barrels of water” have been known to pour down on spectators and floats from the second floor of what used to be the Super 8 Motel next to Doc’s Bar. The deal is, if you don’t want to get wet, stay inside.

Residents aren’t safe running or bicycling out to get groceries either, as squirting has also been witnessed in the aisles of the IGA Market on Butler Avenue. There have been some complaints in recent years, Boylston admits. Some people fear that it’s becoming just another Tybee “drinking fest.” However, he and Watson are quick to point out that the parade itself is still “clean” family fun – an event that both the young and the old can enjoy.

Twenty some odd years later, a losing softball season is still an inspiration, and the Beach Bums hope it will be that way for years to come. Jack Boylston smiles when he says, “the same spirit of excitement that was there with us in the beginning continues to surface year after year.” Obviously, these Bums still know how to play.

Despite the onslaught of curious island visitors that arrive each year anxious to participate in the fun, the parade is still limited to a certain number of floats and is still held traditionally on the “last locals weekend” – it’s a Tybee thing, you know…

Check out this year’s official DeSoto Beach Bums Facebook fan page, and RSVP to the event.

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