Tybee Vacation Rentals Concierge and Tybee Information Site

The prestigious Savannah Music Festival has now announced their lineup. The festival takes place March 24th to April 9th, 2011 at different venues in and around Savannah, GA. The Festival features all kinds of music from blues, to R&B, to jazz, to bluegrass, to classical, alternative music, and more–literally there is something for everyone.

For the complete lineup, visit www.savannahmusicfestival.com .

Come for the great music, and stay at the beach–getting the best of both worlds. Savannah is only 20 minutes away from Tybee Island, so call Tybee Vacation Rentals today to get your accommodations. 912.786.5853.

On Saturday, December 4th Enmark will sponsor the Savannah River Bridge Run, a 10K, 5K, and 1/4 Mile Kid run.

The 5K, presented by Georgia Emergency Associates, will start on Hutchinson Island near the International Trade and Convention Center at 8:15 am. All participants will head west and go over the Talmadge Memorial Bridge, and finish in the Historic District near the Civic Center.  There will also be a 10K race starting in front of the Chatham County Courthouse on Montgomery St. at 9 am, taking participants through the Historic District and across the Bridge TWICE, also ending at the Civic Center.

For the hearty, there will be a Double Pump to combine the 5 and 10K races. The race will start on Hutchinson Island at 8:15 am with the 5K. At the end of the 5K, participants will head over to the 10K starting line by 9 am.

There are Team Challenge categories. Teams of five (5) can compete, with the time from all five competitors being used to award an overall team champion. Team divisions include: Men’s Team, Women’s Team, Men’s Masters, Women’s Masters, Military, Army Ranger Challenge, Military Spouses, and Family & Police/EMS/Fire Dept/DHS Teams.

Awards will be given to the top three males and females in each age category which are:

9 and under; 10-14; 15-19; 20-24; 25-29; 30-34; 35-39; 40-44; 45-49; 50-54; 55-59; 60-64; 65-59; 70-74; and 80+.

There will also be a costume contest with awards for most creative person or persons who give their all for art and running. Costume contest prizes include $400 for 1st place; $200 for 2nd place and $100 for 3rd place.

HostSouth will present a Michelob Ultra Post Race party at the finish line which will take place until 11:30 am.

For information on registration and information call 912.355.3527 or visit www.SavannahRiverBridgeRun.com or  e-mail at  robert@fleetfeetsavannah.com .

Charcuterie refers to artisanally cured, smoked and dried specialty meats such as salamis and prosciutto cuts. Quite elegant, these unique delicacies are perfect for holiday or special occasions.

Thrive Cafe, an upscale, and certified “green” cafe, offers party and family serving sizes of local charcuterie with classical accompaniments of fruit, grain mustard, cornichons and baguette toasts.

rer example, they offer Benton’s smoky mountain country hams sliced paper-thin and wrapped around seasonal fruit; or Olli Salumeria Americana, an Italian style charcuterie from Virginia which is a special pork from renowned farms such as Ecofriendly and Caw Caw Creek-salamis from the Niman Ranch, a family-run, top-of-the-line sustainable farm. These items are not only healthy, but they are wonderful conversation pieces for your special events.

For more information call Thrive Cafe at 912-898-2131, or visit www.thriveacarryoutcafe.com .

I go shopping at a grocery store every week as many of us do, and it never fails to amaze me. They are wondrous things. Think of all of the choices we have, all of the food items and other things.

For instance, I found 5 different kinds of potatoes; 10 different kinds of rice; 55 different kinds of deli meats and cheeses; fat-free, low-fat, vanilla flavored, hazelnut, creme brulee Coffee Mate; hundreds of wines; 40 different coffees; and cat food out the wazoo. We are blessed to have so many choices.

Once I visited Ireland and went to a small village grocery store. Wow! They had very little in the way of choices. You had to buy the local bread whether you wanted it or not, and if you had a gluten allergy, tough–you couldn’t get gluten free bread. Everything came in cans or tins and orders were few and far between. I remember that there were only two choices for washing powder, two for face soap, and two for shampoo. Think of all of the choices we have for just these three categories.

My Irish friend comes to America quite often. His favorite thing to do? Go to Wal Mart. He is blown away by the miles and miles of choices, of products, of stuff. “Ye don’t know how lucky ye are,” he says in his Irish brogh. I think of that statement often when I’m in the grocery store.

I took Psychology in college and remember the Professor talking about how important grocery shopping is, especially to those grieving. It seems that doing something as mundane as grocery shopping helps us know that life will go on. It brings some comfort doing something one does so often, brings us back to routine and brings a sense of “it will be OK.”

Next time you are in the grocery store just stop and marvel at all of the choices. Just think of how blessed we are; think of a woman shopping in an African village. What choices will she have? Think of a village in Ireland or Germany. Those are considered modern countries, but most of their stores don’t have even half of the choices we have. You need pickled alligator tongue for a special recipe? Chances are they’ll have it, and isn’t that just a miracle!

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and it’s time for some reflection on how lucky we are to be living here. I have friends who would kill to be this close to an ocean, to have these temperatures, and this lifestyle. I have a wonderful home on the marsh with a deck and lots of windows. I don’t have any curtains except for some sheers at my bedroom windows–I’m old enough to be able to do this. With age comes a certain right to do whatever the heck you like with your house.

I have great friends from all walks of life. I’m in a wine club, a book club and I personally know the Mayor. I can walk to the grocery store, to the pharmacy, to a shop for a quick birthday card or gift, to the post office, and to a myriad of great restaurants. Walk out my door in any direction, and I can be at the ocean in 4 minutes.

I have a great part-time job as a Concierge forTybee Vacation Rentals, the best rental company on the island. I also am a tour guide for Linda Odom’s Tales of the South, a first-class destination management company, and I do the music for Ms. Margery who owns the pre-school Discovery. 

My Mother needs 24-hour care and she is in Oceanside Nursing home, 5 min. from my house. It’s old and has some creaks here and there, but the care is great and my Mom is safe and secure with someone there all the time. I know them all by their first names and they know me. A local preacher, Mr. Laughner, whom I didn’t know well, was glad to come to the home to give my Mother and her roommate communion–something that comforted my Mother greatly. 

When I drive the Tybee Road I see all kinds of beautiful sea birds, my favorite being the Egrets. These white beauties dot the marsh grass like ornaments and they never fail to make me smile. The marsh itself is an oasis of peace and tranquillity, pulling me in to enjoy its beauty.

I take a painting class. I NEVER did well in art–C’s were my grades for that subject. But on a whim I joined the Arts Association and attended the first class taught by Denise Vernon. She had me hooked from “pick up your brush, dab it in some paint and go.” I have progressively gotten better and now paint my own Christmas cards and those for my husband’s business. (He’s the Tybee Handyman, Stephen Street.) I have sold several original paintings and I cannot believe it.

My husband’s business is full and productive. He’s respected, shows up on time, does the job and does it well, and doesn’t charge an arm and a leg. He’ll spend an hour on-line finding a part for a broken item rather than throwing that item away and buying a new one. This has saved his clients hundreds of dollars. A $3.00 part plus shipping takes the place of a $300 chair. His clients love him and he has found something useful to do as well as a niche here on Tybee.

This is our life and we are so blessed. Reflect, my friends, on what you have. Look around you and be thankful.