…Happy New Year Jimmy Brown and in your Firehouse garage, a brand new pumper that features an aluminum steel ladder reaching an un-heard elevation of 75-feet and the capability of displacing 15-hundred gallons of water a minute. Jimmy calls the rig "great for Tybee," and adds it is a demo used in display bought and paid for at $310,000. even comes equipped with a generator on it…quite the deluxe model. City Hall is giddy over the height advantage in getting over the top of fires for quicker extinction and plans on an open house the first Sunday in February for all of us to see it!

...and pumped-up for a grand launch January 3rd, Alan&Jackie Burns. their A-J’s Dockside Restaurant replaces the Marlin Marina on the back river with a Cajun taste added to the menu, a private dock with 25 slips, an en-closed porch area for winter dining, and a re-do on the old tackle shop for t-v sports and weather viewing behind the bar off the dining room. the couple used to berth their Jolly Man Dolphin Tour boat on the site where year round memberships are available and boaters can use A-J’s for food…space reserved. look for local musicians there against a backdrop of brightly colored walls restored by the Tybee couple in the last 90 days. Godspeed…

…Ron Boyette is ready to stage the Memorial Health Tybee Marathon February 1st with hopes of attracting 3,000 runners in the 5K, Half Marathon, and the 26.2 mile Big Event. Ron is a past president of the Savannah Striders and asks us all to be aware of the runners—safety first, and come out to support them with some contestants from Japan, Canada, and Hawaii already pre-registered.

…the 2003 budget is the first one for this sitting Council and Walter Crawford says they don’t feel they are limited now to a lower budget without eliminating personnel or cutting down services. drainage and water sewer improvements is the buzz while raising the maintenance goals…include sealing manhole covers.

…our Tybee community is rallying behind young Desi Sharp as he is left to care and raise his 6-month old child. Belinda Howard, the mother, died recently after years suffering heart problems. Enter Bobby Chu. Desi has been a sub-contractor for him. Bobby provided Desi with funds through December along with taking care of funeral costs. He says all his Tybee Convenience Store locations are accepting donations for Desi and the baby. So is Nell Klein at the Wind Rose Cafe. Donna Howard, Belinda’s mom, says the money collected at Benny’s so far has been used to buy the baby clothing. Desi is described as a hard worker, a good guy, and always there for his son, Phillip. help out if you can.

...Mayor Walter Parker says there are no lawsuits to date filed against the Park of the Seven Flags as rumored. he says the Park being shortened some to aid traffic flow may settle all the noise. at the same time, both Charley Waggoner and Henry Levy want a boycott of Arby’s for their negativity on the approved 5 year project they designed and wrote grants for construction funds. Mayor Parker and City Manager Bob Thomson recently attended a 5 day National League of Cities conference in Salt Lake City where problems of smaller towns were discussed. Parker says the headaches are all about the same…

…Bert Hubbard celebrated the Holidays at his Rascals joint with 3 parties in December including his 67th birthday bash and a night dedicated to remembering the people and the times of the De Soto…especially what happened in the Shipwatch Lounge. Bert is bidding for a Pier location to build a new bar/eatery and may find out by mid January if his offer is accepted by Chatham County. he thanks everyone for supporting Rascals for more than 3 years.

…it was 11 to 8 Bums when superstar David Ring pulled a muscle legging it to 3rd base against the Pigs. Diane Cornelius called it a perfect day for it—cool enough the softball players didn’t have to sweat. August Breton sat back in the stands and called it, "well, interesting!"…and all that was before the Bums really stole the game and handcuffed Tybee’s Finest, 27 something to 15 or 16, depending on who was scoring. perhaps Paul Mazo’s musical computer sounds were the biggest play of this November day with cool effects to fit every move on the field…thanks to the Savannah Sand Gnats. and just across Jaycee Park, the 3rd annual Mutt Strut with a collection of dogs from Australian Shepherds to Wheaten Terriers. there were photo sessions, lure training, nail clipping and beauty contests. the contests winning the most attention were best dressed mutt and the pooch looking most like mother or daddy.

…hard to believe folks…there at Doc’s Bar was David Reese playing Bongo rhythm with his right hand and Vicki Graves playing melody on another set! the Man is back after suffering the loss of three fingers to the knuckles on his left hand. he tells me thousands of dollars was raised at a Fannie’s Benefit and that money will be enough to pay his medical expenses. he thanks everyone for their kindness. the Conga King returns…

…still can’t figure out how these things are possible...yet Curtis Hanks 18th street home is lifted and moved 20 feet to make room for another house lot. big house. folks across the street are excited with now being able to see the ocean with the move.

…and finally, words of wisdom from Tybee’s Andrew Jackson to share. Andrew found out he was the character Archie in the new Tybee book, The Republic of Love. the author, Marlyce Kling he says, told him. Andrew/Archie says she even bought him a drink to thank him.

Andrew, a High Priest of Painting here on Tybee and a moxie, blues harp master has not read the book yet and has his own thoughts on all this attention.

" I was here long before I became a character and you only see character after people recognize what you are, " he says. " I was a character before the book so it doesn’t much bother me now." Andrew is concerned that anybody can take a part of somebody and make him one whole thing. more from Andrew after he reads the book!

…Probably will see ya’ll soon….
Just Shootin’ the Breeze…