...call this life
in the walking lane because just about everybody has something to say
about the new crosswalks that magically appeared in May surprising Tybee
Police, City Hall and Butler Avenue merchants. seems the D O T had the
date and no one knew for sure when they were to be constructed! Our Lt.
Chris Case points out that Georgia State Law calls for motorists to stop
when folks are in the walking lane or face penalties. Lt. Case also
reports there is no parking allowed twenty feet either side of the
crosswalks.
the installation changed Jodee Sadowsky's day at his Breakfast Club and
he still has a beef with how workers left a dip in his foundation as
well as the planned dip in the sidewalk facing Butler Avenue. that was
planned. his building getting whacked was not. this after he fed and
watered the crew, and as Jodee says, was a nice guy about the whole
thing. Jodee also lost four customer parking meters. not a banner day
for him. he says he fixed the foundation at his own expense right away
to stop any further damage.
for the record, the crosswalks were planned during the Tom Cannon days
as City Manager to serve as safety measures for tourists and local
pedestrians.
and that begs the question about pedestrian alerts outside the
crosswalks. Romey Janelle and his lovely bride Miriam ask why they have
trouble crossing Butler Avenue on Sunday for 11am Mass at St.Michael's.
Romey asks why there is no police officer to slow down traffic in front
of the three churches between 9:30am and 1pm as a courtesy for church
goers. Romey and Tybee's Jerry Warren suggest a Yield To Pedestrian sign
placed fifty yards ahead of the churches to also alert drivers to slow
down.
makes sense folks. as Romey puts it, " there are more signs for sea
turtles than pedestrians on Tybee."
...walk your way to #12 18th street and see what muralist Mark Jones did
brilliantly with a chisel, chainsaw, and sander to sculpt Tybee's first
Tiki Totem! it all started with a palm tree dying in the yard of owners
Jim&Roxanne Stone. what evolved is a tribute of homage to surfers to
bring good waves. totems are representative of spirits. tikis are meant
to scare off strangers. Mark Jones sealed the dead palm and finished in
two and a half days. Tiki Dolls from Hawaii were used as models...as
well as the actual Totems used by specific Indian Tribes of America's
Northwest. Mark is set to do another Tiki Totem soon on Butler Avenue.
here is an idea that brings smiles to the faces of both tree huggers and
sand bubbas. imagine! want to be a part of environmental art, call Mr.
Jones at 7 8 6-MARK. as a surfer, he finds his palm tree art " extremely
satisfying." give him a call.
...and whatever you do for entertainment, go shoot the breeze with Jan
Spillane, the blues vocalist who grew up in a house behind Mike Hosti's
Tybee Market. she is singing in town as well as Nashville, TN, and you
can hear her on the Q, WRHQ classic rock. Jan says her newest CD, 2nd
Nature, is selling well at Barnes and Noble and other outlets. Ms.
Spillane is passionate about her writing and composing and says..."blues
writing is not set in patterns, " and that is what excites her. her
voice is kinetic, flowing, and so sweet in range and composition. you
don't turn this lady off . she also writes Christmas songs and tells
Breeze Readers to look for her new CD appropriately named Jack Frost
this December. she is playing gigs at Hucapoos and at The Pier. And the
lass has a website, JanSpillane.com. wanna be a hero? schedule her for
your next event and have your guests talking for weeks...
...can you tell me the name of the entertainer at Rascals on Tybrisa who
accompanied Coastal Empire Legend, Emma Kelly, on his guitar? folks,
he's Tybee's Bigger Than Life D J, Marty Corley who loves to play the
beach, as he says, " with people I know here...an exclusive community
where people care about each other." Marty sings country like a man who
knows his path through pain and pleasure and lives to keep the story
alive. he worked Savannah radio in the 60's and has lived on our Island
in his musical career that has included tours between Alabama and
Washington, DC. Marty keeps your music movin' and gets a ton of requests
for Boz Scaggs, Van Morrison, and Jimmy Buffet.. Marty is there from
Sunday through Thursday and is a magician at matching the kind of music
to the the kinds of crowds that happen at Rascals. Parties, promotions,
clubs, and sales events...you can find him, and that is one big man to
find folks, at 667-7640. Ask for the Music Doctor or the Male
Aphrodite...he says he answers to both!
... Tybee's Vicki Graves is taking the world of Learning Media to a
never been done before level of excellence at Savannah Technical
College. She created a virtual college computer "classroom" by combining
teleconferencing and online to create a one on one student/instructor
relationship with Savannah and Hinesville so her English classes and
student papers, and class assignments all gel. quite an accomplishment
in the area of technical adult education. Vicki is Tybee's favorite
Professor and the driving force to spearhead this new tech/content
marriage. it is all under a Governor Barnes challenge called GSAMS to
improve on-line adult-ed, increase retention rates, and bridge the
psychological gap in student confidence to do all this totally on line.
the number of students has doubled since last year...and now with Ms.
Graves ' new articulation agreements, her upper level English courses
are the same as what UGA offers...all part of the Governor's seamless
education strategy. A big way to go Ms. Graves from all of us at the
Breeze.
...Charlie Waggoner is putting out the word that the proposed Park of
the Seven Flags is close to reality. both Henry Levy and Charlie are
looking for bench and flag pole contributions with a bench going for
$500 and a flag pole at $3,000. you can email Charlie at ccwccj@aol.com
for more information or to make a suggestion.
...we are all fortunate
to have Nancy Heffernan's photos and words about post 9/11 feelings
appear in our July pages. her motto for both journalism and fashion
photography is ..." you have to be courageous and have a good eye or it
doesn't count." catching up with Tybee's freelance "shooter " is a job
in itself. Nancy recently got the shot of the female baggage clerk who
claimed Hollywood's Gary Busey roughed her up going through the security
check-in at Savannah's International Airport for the National Enquirer.
not bad. and she was called to "shoot " a Statesboro foundry that bought
500 tons of WTC gridiron steel from Ground Zero to melt down into
medallions given to each victim's family along with ten percent of
profit from the overall sales. she spent 15 years on the staff of the
Savannah Morning News and you might remember the fashion photos she did
for a dress shop in Savannah called Lady Jane. her work is inspired in
any venue she works.
. .."Shampoo" is the nickname for Ms. Lee Hicks who is quickly becoming
Tybrisa Street's new hot hair stylist at the refurbished 16th Street
Salon. Lee is putting the word out to locals and tourists that she does
razor cuts, loves to do hair, and is trying to understand her boss, the
gadfly realtor John O'Neil. what a job that is. good luck Lee!
...always happy to shoot the breeze with Doc's Bar Manager, Ms. Pam
Smith. Pam is thanking all the readers of Connect magazine for voting
Doc's the best Tybee Bar for the second year in a row. that has a whole
lot to do with how Pam handles people and business from behind the bar.
she is quite the pro and now a new grandmother to boot! congratulations,
Pammie.
...and always a pleasure to have the company of Ms.Boo Pezan as she
works the unpredictable fun crowd behind the bar at The Grill. Boo keeps
'em in line with humor, heart, and the accomplished moves that come with
knowing her turf. got that bossman Cliff Meads! Boo has been working on
a secret Georgia plan to catch Bin Laden and is ready to share her
thinking with us as well as the State Department.
Boo says the deed can be done by dropping a bunch of Jack Russells in
the Afghanistan caves or wherever Bin Laden is hanging out lately.And
she says if we really want to do something...to really get it done, see
her about getting ole Georgia Blue Tick Hounds for the job. Thanks Boo.
...been a tough 9 months for all us since 9/11. sure that we'll all
savor the 4th and celebrate America, reflect, and be part of building a
new country awareness. God Bless The USA!
probably will see ya'll soon......
..... just shootin’ the breeze!
