March/April 2009

Come explore Coastal Georgia the way it should be...

... Peaceful, Quiet, Private

3 Bedroom Luxury Condominium Villas Community

• Fully Equipped Clubhouse • Gated Private Community • Beautiful Marshfront Setting • Heated Swimming Pool w/relaxing waterfall • Lush Landscaping With Running Brook • Convenient Island Location • Walk To Shops & Restaurants

LAST CHANCE TO OWN!!

Villas

• Luxury Single - Floor Villas • Large Windows, Bright Interiors • Large Master Suite With Luxury Bathroom • Full Size Elevator To Your Door • 9 Feet High Ceilings • Screened Porch • Granite Kitchen Countertops • Gas Fireplace

Construction*

• Quality Construction Throughout • Extensive Soundproofing Between Floors • Low-Maintenanace Exterior *Ask Us About These Construction Features

Island Development Company 2481 Demere Rd. Suite 101 St. Simons Island, GA 31522

(800) 900-1021 • (912) 638-1021 Take Our Virtual Tour At http://www.century21coastalga.com/

To Request Additional Information Please E-mail brokerc21idc@birch.net

You’ve earned your place in the sun.

Your legs shouldn’t look it.

Even if you act your age, you don’t have to look it.

Our revolutionary varicose and spider vein laser technology is the modern choice for healthy, active adults.

Like you.

We can help your legs look as young as you feel.

You can even resume your active life right away, with no hospitalization!

Don’t wait...call now to learn how affordable, safe and pain-free pretty legs can be.

Coastal Georgia Vein Center (912) 267-9550 www.CoastalVeins.net Brunswick, Georgia

Greg Martin, MD, FACS In-Office Procedures Latest Laser Technology Insurance Accepted for Most Procedures

March/April 2009

26

The House that Wood Built

Photo by Yvonne Buss

Features

32 Victorian Jewel A facet of owner’s personality

35

Reinventing History New home blends in Old Town

39

Tour De France Tour highlights French decor

48

Photo Essay Benjamin Galland looks at porches

54

Reynolds’ Right-hand man The late James Banks of Sapelo Island

44 OntheCover A Walk Through the Garden Cassina Garden Club’s Annual Tour Photo by Harlan Hambright

2 Golden Isles Magazine

We did it right then.. We do it right now.

The new look of Moore Stephens Tiller • Accounting and assurance services • Business, individual and estate tax services • Business advisory practices • Personal financial services • Retirement plan administration

Brunswick • 1612 Newcastle St., Ste. 200 • 912 265-1750 Bru St. Simons Island • 641 Ocean Blvd. • 912 638-7439 S March/April 2009 3

Departments 8

Editor’s NotE

10

The Flo on FooD

by Florence Packard Anderson

12

par for the course

by Thomas Brinson

18

Inside Seeing the same old house in a new light

22

outside Remaking a garden

60

money The new landscape of real estate

64

pairings Wine enthusiasts celebrate the fruit of the vine

70

out & about Thank goodness it’s Monday

74

profile The life of Mary Garrison

77

Special Bridal Section

90

Bullbat Time

Who were those masked men?

92

Best of Coastal Illustrated

4 Golden Isles Magazine

14

SSI Local

Mike Parmelee is a great neighbor

GoldenIsles magazine

Celebrating the enchanting beauty, charming personalities, sophisticated lifestyles and rich history of the Georgia coast.

Contact us: 247 Edwards Plaza St. Simons Island, GA 31520 (912) 634-8466 Publisher C.H. Leavy IV Advertising Director Heath Slapikas Retail Sales Manager Burt Bray Advertising Representative Stephanie Trent

When you’re facing surgery, it’s nice to know you DO have a Choice…

Circulation Director Frank Lane Editor Amy H. Carter Design/Art Director Bob Swinehart Design Assistant Stacey Willis

We have OVER 40 SURGEONS operating at our facility in the following specialties: • Bariatric Surgery • General Surgery • Gynecology • Neurosurgery • Laser Surgery • Ophthalmology

• Orthopedic Surgery • Pain Management • Plastic Surgery • Podiatry • Urology

Quality Healthcare with a Personal Touch Please call 912-264-9029 for information 3215 Shrine Road #8 • Brunswick, GA 31520

www.premiersurgeryctr.com 6 Golden Isles Magazine

Contributing Photographers Tracy Adams Alexandra Brinson Tim Brown Yvonne Buss Benjamin Galland Rachel Green Harlan Hambright Nancy J. Reynolds Bob Swinehart Eliot VanOtteren Golden Isles Magazine is published six times per year by The Brunswick News Publishing Co. Postmaster: Send change of address to The Brunswick News Publishing Co., P.O. Box 1557, Brunswick, GA 31521-1557. Periodicals postage paid at Brunswick, Ga. USPS-068180.

Submissions: Golden Isles Magazine is always in search of talented contributors. Unsolicited queries and submissions of art and stories are welcome. Please include an email address and telephone number.

Submit by email to the Editor, Amy Carter, at acarter@goldenislesmagazine.com or by regular mail to Golden Isles Magazine, 247 Edwards Plaza, St. Simons Island, GA 31522. Only work accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope will be returned.

Advertising: Information regarding advertising and rates is available by contacting Stephanie Trent by phone at (912) 634-8466 or by email at strent@goldenislesmagazine.com.

Contributors Julie Custer Altman grew up in southwest Georgia amid farmlands, tall tales and pecan groves.

After graduating from Agnes Scott College and backpacking through Europe, her wanderlust took her to Colombia, Mexico, and finally to that mecca for youth – Atlanta.

Having fulfilled her need for competitive racing on I-285 and Spaghetti Junction, she was drawn to Coastal Georgia and the Golden Isles. Here, she met her husband, local boy Stuart Altman. They live in the Golden Isles with their two children, two cats, an African water frog and a bearded dragon lizard.

Altman

Flo Anderson took her first restaurant job at the King and Prince Hotel in 1971. She’s been cooking ever since. Her venues have included the Holiday Inn on Jekyll Island, The Flight Plan Café at the McKinnon-St. Simons Airport, and the Emmeline and Hessie. Her final restaurant, The 4th of May Café, endures in the Village.

Flo is mother to three and grandmother to seven, all of whom live on St. Simons Island.

Anderson

Thomas D. Brinson , PGA, is the head golf professional at Brunswick Country Club. He brings more than 12 years of experience to the Golden Isles from some of the South’s top clubs, including Charlotte Country Club, Atlanta Athletic Club and Atlanta National Golf Club.

A graduate of Florida State University, he is only the 26th PGA Professional to obtain all six certifications from the PGA’s Certified Professional Program. Thomas resides on St. Simons Island with his wife, Alexandra, and their retriever, Bogey.

Brinson

Rachel Green lives in a small town on the outskirts of the Golden Isles. When Rachel is not watching her boys play football, baseball or golf, she enjoys expressing her creativity through writing and her favorite hobby, photography. Rachel enjoys taking pictures because she says it allows her to be part of people’s lives when they are happy.

Green

Lacey

Photo by JESSIE LACEY

J.M. Lacey is a professional freelance writer, and writes fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

She has worked as a journalist and reporter for a weekly newspaper.

She has written feature articles that focused on human interest, social and educational developments.

She has over 14 years of experience working in business and has a background in marketing and public relations. J.M. Lacey resides in Brunswick and is currently working on a novel.

Mike Morrison has been a reporter and freelance writer in and around the Golden Isles for 25 years. Over the years his pieces have appeared in The Brunswick News, The Georgia Times-Union, The Islander, and Golden Isles Magazine. A winner of more than 65 writing awards from state journalism organizations, he spends his free time contemplating re-hiking the Appalachian Trail or taking another extended backpacking trip around Europe.

Morrison

PERIODS A PROBLEM?

Take Back Your Life!

Mary Helen Moses , a native of Atlanta, returned to Georgia 10 years ago after a legal career, as a law professor and practicing lawyer, that took her to North Carolina, Washington, D.C., and Albany, New York. Mary Helen now has a solo practice in Redfern Village on St. Simons Island.

She lives on Sea Island with her son, Andrew Ruberti, a student at the University of Alabama.

Moses

Brooke Roberts Brooke grew up in northeast Tennessee.

She caught the travel bug after graduating high school and was selected to travel with the international exchange program “Up With People” before moving overseas to study Art and Design at the University of Wolverhampton in England and the Technikon of Natal in South Africa. She met husband Paul in England and they moved to the United States in 2002. They settled in the Golden Isles in 2005. Brooke Roberts Photography was opened two years ago and moved to a new studio two months ago. Brooke and Paul have been married 10 years and are expecting their first child at the end of March.

Roberts

“I was back home in an hour and back to my normal activities the very next day.”

GET THE FACTS ABOUT M.E.A.

Cameron Wicker Cameron is a native of North Carolina, but has lived all over the South. Prior to relocating to Georgia, she spent 10 years in Seattle working in advertising and exploring the Pacific Northwest. Cameron is the vice president of marketing at Island Design & Architectural Center and is a volunteer board member for the Humane Society of South Coastal Georgia. In her spare time, she travels and studies feng shui with a Chinese master.

MEA is quick, convenient and effective Done in the office 75% have no menses at one year No change in hormones/ weight gain/ sex drive Covered by most insurers

Kathi Williams is currently the Assistant Editor of Coastal Illustrated. She moved to Coastal Georgia in 2006 by way of New Jersey, Illinois, Michigan and Massachusetts and immediately fell in love with the beauty and special community of St. Simons Island.

Kathi is pleased to call the island her home now, and you can often find roaming the Village with pen and camera in hand and son, Declan, in tow.

MEA has the highest success rate of any ablation technique. MEA is even approved for use with Fibroid tumors.

Wicker

Williams

Dooley Worth Named after a family of Irish acrobats and a Norman family that accompanied William into England, Dooley Worth’s education began in the forests of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where her father – woodsman and writer – guided her through Longfellow and Homer before sending her to study philosophy at the University of Vienna. Further travels, here and abroad, have inspired her to write about everything from 18th Century jewelry to garden hydraulics.

Worth

For detailed information, please visit. www.microsulis.com.

Call today to schedule an appointment

Carl W. Dohn, Jr. M.D. 2320 Heron Street, Brunswick

262-9799

March/April 2009 7

Editor's Note Two of my favorite things come together in this, our first ever official Home & Garden issue – home and wine. You thought I was going to say gardens, didn’t you? Ha. I had my fill of gardening last spring when I transplanted about 5 million ferns from my dad’s yard, where they seemed so happy and carefree, to my own, where they still seem a bit tentative. I planted them all around two of the huge old oak trees that grace our yard.

Took me about 15,000 weekends to do it. And then we decided to have the trees pruned. I’m down to about five ferns now, but I’m hopeful they’ll be fruitful and multiply.

That’s also what I thought would happen to our grass now that there aren’t so many bushy oak limbs hanging overhead. We do have more weeds, and this time of year they’re really quite pretty, sprouting little purple flowers.

I’ve now decided that all plants started as weeds and if I care for my yard full of weeds diligently enough, one day the garden club ladies will declare my plants to be the real deal and crown me the Queen of Green. The greatest of these is hope, right?

I may not know my way around a garden, but I think

I’ve tapped into some pretty awesome talent to bring you some great stories about beautiful homes and gardens of the Golden Isles. Harlan Hambright’s photographs of wine cellars of the Golden Isles aren’t to be missed, and neither is Ben Galland’s gorgeous photo essay on porches. Makes you want to grab a tall glass of lemonade (oh, OK, chardonnay) and head for the porch swing.

In fact, that’ll be a great place to sit and read an entertaining profile of Mary Garrison, written by Mary Helen Moses, and Cameron Wicker’s sweet tribute to her good neighbor, Mike Parmelee. It’s also a nice place to get acquainted with our two newest contributors, Flo Packard Anderson and Thomas Brinson, who share their expert opinions on two of life’s greatest pastimes, cooking and golfing. I do hope you’ll enjoy the time you spend wandering through these pages, and y’all come back to see us any time, you hear?

Amy H. Carter Editor

Your Luxury

Sea Island

Homebuilder

Specializing In New Construction, Complete Remodeling, Comple om Renovation of Re Ren Existing Existin Living Space

Scott Norton Construction Co.

Let Us Meet Your Needs & Increase The Value Of Your Home Call: 912.266.5693 For More Information

“Building Your Dreams of Tomorrow, Today”

Licensed & Insured Since 1992 #RBI002985

8 Golden Isles Magazine

casual...

featured in Southern Living, Business Week & Woman’s Day Magazines

...yet charming (one of Jekyll Island’s best kept secrets)

Home of Coastal Georgia’s Legendary

“LOW COUNTRY BOIL” Buffet

Rehearsal Dinners • Receptions Tented Parties Overlooking the Jekyll River & Our Marina or Your Choice of Locations Fine Foods, Fun & Spirits (912) 635-3200 www.seajays.com seajays@bellsouth.net

March/April 2009 9

the

FloonFood

by Florence Packard Anderson

“Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can. It’s often found in women and seldom in a man.”

My mother used to tell me this all the time and I’ve found it to be true. I think some of the most patient people in the world are teachers, and I believe there are more women teaching than men. The exception was my dad. His mother was a teacher and she must have passed that talent along, because he was a great teacher.

He was an auto mechanic, salesman, machinist and inventor. He was always teaching, but never in the traditional classroom. I think I take after him. I love to teach cooking skills and nowhere was this put to the test more than during my days at the Emmeline and Hessie Restaurant.

I was hired as the head cook (chefs work too hard for the title; I am a cook) in 1977, while the E & H was still under construction at the Golden Isles Marina Village, overlooking the Frederica River. The three owners had been eating my food in other establishments and approached me about helping them design a menu for their new seafood restaurant. They had the requisite fried offerings but really had no other ideas. When I asked who else they planned on having in the kitchen, they told me

10 Golden Isles Magazine

they could probably hire some high school kids, housewives and some fellows from the pulp mill who wanted some extra money. You see, back in the day, we didn’t have a bunch of culinary school graduates to call upon; we had to teach the culinary skills to anyone who showed up and was willing to learn.

With those parameters in mind I came up with many of the recipes that have gone on to become favorites in our current restaurant, The Fourth of May. The most popular item on the Emmeline menu, after the fried seafood of course, was our famous Shrimp and Green Noodles. This was so popular, we ended up buying a big pasta machine and making our own spinach noodles, but that’s a story for another day.

Shrimp and Green Noodles is still one of the best company dishes you will ever prepare.

It is extremely easy (remember, I was teaching high school kids how to “cook”) and you don’t even have to make your own spinach noodles.

They can be found at most grocery stores. Also, you don’t have to use spinach noodles. You can substitute any kind, but for looks, spinach is the best. n

Flo’s Shrimp and Green Noodles

Purple Sage Catering

Exceptional Cuisine. Professional, Courteous Service.

Ingredients: • 8 oz. package of spinach noodles, prepared according to directions • 3 lbs. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined • 1 can cream of mushroom soup • 1 can sour cream (using the soup can as a measure) • 1 can Hellmann’s Mayonnaise (using soup can; don’t substitute brands) • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard • 4 T. dry sherry • 1 T. chopped chives • 1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

1. Spray a 2 qt. Pyrex casserole dish with cooking spray (this will help with the clean-up).

Cook an 8-oz. package of spinach noodles as directed on the package. Drain and arrange in the casserole, forming a shallow nest.

2. In a large skillet, sautÊ shrimp until they are just cooked. I never use any liquid when I sautÊ shrimp because they make enough of their own. I will season them with a little Mrs. Dash and a very little Lawry’s Seasoned Salt. The sauce we will use is very salty, so go easy seasoning the shrimp. Drain the shrimp and spoon them into your nest of noodles.

3. In a bowl you will mix together mushroom soup, sour cream and mayonnaise. Stir and add Dijon mustard, dry sherry and chopped chives. Spoon this sauce over shrimp and noodles. Sprinkle cheese on top. At this point, you can refrigerate this dish for up to two days, so it’s great for entertaining.

4. When you are ready to bake the casserole, place it in a 350° oven for 30 to 40 minutes until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown. If you have refrigerated the casserole, let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes before you bake it.

Serve with a nice salad and some crusty rolls and you will be serenaded with compliments. If shrimp is too pricey, try chicken. I have also made this with left over Thanksgiving turkey and vegetables. Honestly, this “secret sauce� could make old shoe soles taste good, so feel free to experiment.

E-mail your questions to Flo at flosgalley@comcast.net, and until next time, go teach a kid to cook!

David Ouimet, Chef/Owner

DAVID CATERINGPURPLESAGE COM s WWW CATERINGPURPLESAGE COM

Wedding Receptions, Rehearsal Dinners, Bridal Brunches

3527-D Community Road / 912-267-9940

The Appraisal Center www.theappraisalcenterinc.com

The Professional Choice (Ask your banker or mortgage company)

Leading real estate appraisers, consultants, and environmentalist in SE Georgia for 20 years Jeffrey E. Bennett, Chief Appraiser, Ext. 12, jbssi@bellsouth.net Amy L. Callaway, Senior Staff Appraiser, Ext.22, alcallaway@hotmail.com Ken Brady, Senior Staff Appraiser, Ext.19, getappraisalnow@yahoo.com Nicole Hamilton, Office Mgr./Staff Appraiser, Ext. 17, nicolefletcher@bellsouth.net Cassandra Nowak, Coord./SA, Ext. 10,cassandranowak@hotmail.com Paul H. Sanders, CEO, Ext.13, petesanders@bellsouth.net Dan Bailey, Staff Appraiser, Ext. 20, dlbandm@bellsouth.net Demond Graham, Staff Appraiser, Ext. 21, ytresvant@bellsouth.net Crystal Beatty, Florida Staff Appraiser, cjbeatty@hotmail.com

Amy L. Callaway

Jeffrey E. Bennett

Ken Brady

Nicole Hamilton

5 Retreat Place, St. Simons Island, Georgia 31522 Office 638-6385 Fax 634-0237 Wats 800-868-0678 appraisalcenter@bellsouth.net

March/April 2009 11

Par for the Course by

12 Golden Isles Magazine

Thomas D. Brinson

Today’s Tip... Putting

Everyone who has ever taken a putting lesson has heard in one phrase or another that they need to keep their wrist quiet. As soon as you break your wrist in the putting stroke, the putter head will accelerate. Once the putter head accelerates, it becomes difficult to control the distance and direction of a putt. A proper putting motion is simply a rocking of the shoulders. The rocking of your shoulders will create the pendulum motion

that is so important for a consistent putting stroke.

In order to train your body to putt with a steady pendulum motion, practice 10- or 15-foot putts while holding a club shaft between your arms and your chest as pictured. You will quickly feel how your shoulders have to take over the putting stroke and force your wrist and elbow to remain passive throughout the stroke. This should lead to a more consistent strike of the ball and more putts holed.

Email questions or suggestions for future columns to

thomasbrinson@brunswickcountryclub.com.

March/April 2009 13

Native Heart

By Cameron Wicker Photos by Benjamin Galland

Cameron Wicker and Mike Parmelee 14 Golden Isles Magazine

SSI local

Mike Parmelee, or “Mikey” as he prefers to be

called, is a third generation St. Simons Island native. He can tell you all the landmarks that no longer exist, tell you about life on the island when he was growing up, and take you to a no-fail fishing hole. When I first met Mikey, it was because I needed an electrician to inspect the house I was planning to buy. I called Parmelee Electric and it turns out, the house was in Mikey’s neighborhood and our friendship began. Little did I know, I had stumbled into the greatest neighborhood you can imagine. I quickly learned from Mikey the generosity of a neighbor and the heart of a native.

It is not uncommon for those who know Mikey to describe him as the “most generous person I’ve ever met.” He is an avid fisherman who has been navigating these waters his entire life. “I don’t like to fish,” he says. “I like to catch.” His neighbors and friends are the beneficiaries of his expertise. After a productive day on the water, Mikey begins delivering clean, fresh fish filets. “He’s always showing up with a big bag of fish,” says Mary Bryan Peyer, who loves the offering.

March/April 2009 15

In a time when many people don’t even know their neighbors, Mikey is an extraordinary exception.

After a strong wind and rain storm, he collected and removed the debris from an elderly neighbor’s yard until there was not a twig or speck of moss remaining. After getting to know my mother during her visits to the neighborhood, Mikey has extended his generosity to her. “I have asked him to help with a few things, but mostly, he volunteers,” Judy Wicker says.

Mikey once told me a story about his grandparents, Felton and Mary Andrews, who owned what was for a long time the only grocery store on the island, Andrews Grocery Store. One afternoon, Mikey was sitting on the store’s front porch with his grandmother sharing a Coca-Cola when a big sedan pulled up. The gentleman who got out of the car was clearly not from around here and asked if he could buy one of the lush ferns hanging from the porch eaves.

“I’m sorry, those aren’t for sale,” Mikey’s grandmother said, “but sit down and have a Coke with us.” The gentleman was a bit surprised, but sat down and socialized for a few minutes.

During the conversation, he again asked to buy the fern and was again told it was not for sale.

When it was time to go, the gentleman was saying goodbye and had one hand on the door handle when Mary Andrews said, “Sir, you’re forgetting your ferns.”

“I thought they weren’t for sale,” the man replied.

16 Golden Isles Magazine

“That’s right,” Mary Andrews answered, “they’re not for sale, but I never said I wouldn’t give ‘em to you.”

Mikey was obviously raised on a steady diet of generosity, but there is one event in particular he can point to that, as much as any other, explains his giving nature. When Mikey was a teenager, he and a friend drove down to a Florida beach for a day of surfing. On the way home, their car ran off the road and both boys were badly hurt, lying on the side of a road where a car may not pass for hours. Luckily, a woman happened to come by shortly after the accident and was able to help. Mikey woke up in a hospital knowing that a stranger saved his life, but he was unable to thank her — she didn’t leave her name.

When he told me that story, I said, “I bet that’s why you’re so generous.”

Mikey said, “Yes,” and after a moment of thought said, “but Cameron, you gotta understand, that’s just what neighbors do.”

Mary Bryan Peyer is constantly impressed by the way Mikey takes the initiative to lend a helping hand. She rarely asks for a thing. She recalls a time when she was very upset and in tears. “Mikey came over and listened to me cry, then he pressure washed my entire house! He’s always looking out for my family’s well being.

That’s what makes him such a good friend.”

In a time when many people don’t even know their

Judy Wicker, Mike Parmelee and Art Harper

“He is always concerned for the people around him,” Judy Wicker says.

neighbors, Mikey is an extraordinary exception.

“He is always concerned for the people around him,” Judy Wicker says. “He is always looking to make things easier for his friends and loved ones,” Mary Bryan adds. Those who know him are often blown away by his selflessness, and even more surprised by his humility. His attitude

has permeated through the neighborhood as we all try to “pay it forward” in our own way.

Mikey’s friends and neighbors have all learned a great deal from him about what it truly means to be a good neighbor. After knowing Mikey, we all strive to live by his golden rule: “That’s just what neighbors do.” n

March/April 2009 17

InsideJob

Katelyn Rikansrud

18 Golden Isles Magazine

Seeing the same old house in a new light Story by

Karen Lane

Photos by Tracy Adams

H

Home is our haven, an escape from the outside world. It is where we bare our souls, invite our friends and unwind when the day is done. And it is surely the place where we should feel most relaxed.

More than ever, we want our abodes to be that safe haven from the recent storm of economic decline.

In truth, staying home is more of an economic necessity than a choice these days, but spending more time at home can also draw our attention to the need for updating and redecorating. How to do that when money is tight? Consider a redesign project.

Katelyn Rikansrud, owner of Room Remedies, a St. Simons Islandbased redesign company, says it isn’t necessary to spend thousands of dollars remodeling a home when it can be

“reinvented” using existing furniture and accessories.

“It’s high-end design using the client’s accessories. There’s so much you can do with small accessories,” she says, “like using souvenirs from the places you’ve traveled. I also love to work with natural things – sea shells, twigs, rocks, plants and anything that’s real, living.”

Rikansrud’s interest in redesign developed as a result of working alongside an interior decorator in Minneapolis. She saw clients paying huge sums of money to completely redecorate spaces that could have easily been rearranged for function and flow without costing a penny in new purchases. Often, too, the redo was more reflective of the decorator’s tastes than of the homeowner’s.

For that reason, Rikansrud makes it her first priority to get to know the client and how they use the space she’s working in before beginning any redesign project.

“I have clients ask me, ‘What do you think?’ about a room,” she says. “I tell them that it’s not about me. I don’t come home to this every day. You have to be excited about going home. The elements have to be a reflection of who you are.”

Once she is familiar with the client’s tastes, Rikansrud begins using her skills to rearrange furniture and accessories to create focal points and a comfortable flow to the space. Together, she works with the client to discuss small, inexpensive improvements that make a huge impact on the room’s appearance, such as adding lighting and color with paint, pillows or area rugs.

March/April 2009 19

Marcia Stuart and her husband relocated to the Golden Isles from Colorado last year and downsized in the move. She found Rikansrud through the Glynn County Board of Realtors and enlisted her to assist in the arranging as they settle into their new home.

“It’s a work in progress,” Stuart says. “We’ve been unpacking a little at a time. We lost a bedroom, an office and a basement in the move.”

To help achieve a comfortable flow, Stuart had Rikansrud go room-to-room with her to help with some very basic changes. Thus far in the process, they have added color to the breakfast nook and the dining room walls, rearranged items on living room shelves, and changed a major focal point in the living room. These small modifications have created dramatic improvements.

“I didn’t realize that the burnt peanut red paint in the dining room was clashing with my cherry wood furniture,” Stuart says.

By changing the color of the lower portion of the wall in the dining room to white, the beautiful furniture stands out more.

According to Rikansrud, one of the more common mistakes homeowners make is purchasing “trendy” furniture for a room.

“It’s much better to go with neutral colors for the furniture in any room,” she says. “If you want a trendy look, buy toss pillows and throws to add fun flavor to the room. Furniture is such a big investment. This way you can afford to change the accessories seasonally if you like.”

When a piece simply won’t work with the redesign, especially anchoring pieces such as tables or sofas, it’s a smart shopper’s market.

“Everyone is looking for deals and bargains right now and if you want to try a different look, (buying used furniture and accessories) gives people the opportunity without having to invest a lot of money,” says Liz Slapikas, owner of Take Too, a home furnishings consignment store in downtown Brunswick.

Slapikas says she’s seen an increase in the number of people shopping for gently used accessories and furniture to make changes in their décor.

“A lot of people who come in want a different look,” she says. “It can make a big difference if you can change one or two pieces in a room.” n

20 Golden Isles Magazine

Katelyn Rikansrud,

owner of Room Remedies, a home redesign service, offers some basic “dos” and “don’ts” for anyone who wants to try and improve a space or room in their own home:

• Don’t make the mistake of hanging art too high on the walls. It should be eye level.

• Don’t feel that the furniture must be lined up against the walls in a room. Try arrangements with the furniture angled and/or out into the room.

• Do take a look at the lighting in the room. Most people don’t have enough light. Try lamps, recessed lighting, uplights and even candles.

• Do add some black in a room.

Black accessories can make a room “pop.”

• Don’t split up paired objects and don’t scatter collections around the house.

• Do use area rugs to add softness and color to hard spaces and conversation areas.

• Do play up beautiful architectural features such as fireplaces. They make great focal points.

• Do remember to put your personality into the project. After all, your home is a reflection of you.

Compassionate Care for Terminally ill Patients and Their Families

Marcia Stuart and Katelyn Rikansrud

A non-profit Hospice organization serving Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Brantley and Charlton Counties since 1981 In-Patient Care In-Home Care Long-Term Care Bereavement Services & Programs

912-265-4735 866-275-6801

#GA063007H

www.hospice.me March/April 2009 21

wild garden house

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

With silver bells, and cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row.�

by Dooley Worth 22 Golden Isles Magazine

M

y fascination with live oaks led me to live on St. Simons Island. The oaks inspired me to build a wild garden surrounding a 1958 brick ranch house with shutters that hung drunkenly, giving the place the look of a Dr. Seuss illustration.

The first project was to create a barrier between my neighbor’s driveway and my own. Karen Babson, the owner of Island Pond and Nursery, helped me choose a mixture of plants to run down the drive, creating a privacy wall. Today, there is a tall wall of variegated pittosporum, wax myrtle, viburnum, ligustrum, anise, rhododendrons, a Southern Magnolia, cassia and ferns.

The old oaks and hickory trees on the back of the property were arranged so they allowed for and encouraged the flow of chi (Chinese for life-force energy) around and through the yard. To enhance that flow I used wabi-sabi, a Japanese gardening technique that emphasizes contrast in garden design. I designed convex and concave beds to flank the entrance to a circular fern garden. Behind the fern garden was a wild holly woods with several huge pig nut hickory trees, bamboo and several azaleas. I added some Chinese privet and variegated duranta bushes, a few more azaleas and a hedge of tea olives. A Walter’s Viburnum tree hung out of

the woods tumbling over a small concrete deck at the edge of a backyard shed.

In the convex bed, I pruned a sickly unidentified tree to exaggerate its horizontal growth pattern. A year later it was a handsome oriental-looking tree with little purple plums. I planted a circle of enormous liriope around the base of the tree.

guava that I had received as a gift became a focal point of the front entrance landscape and another neighbor contributed a stand of cast iron plants that surround my woodpile. For the property to be a Certified Wild Garden, a wildlife sanctuary, it had to have a woodpile for critters as well as drinking fountains and food for the

Behind the convex garden was a group of large elephant ears. To these I added a second variety, a black illustris. It makes an amusing setting for relaxing on a wood bench under the tall hickory canopy.

Later, I extended the convex circle outwards with a ring of lilies that I was given by my neighbors. A wonderful pineapple

birds and butterflies. I planted light mauve agapanthus under a vitex bush, which is a butterfly favorite.

To start the concave bed I planted a tall thin river birch whose verticality contrasted with the horizontal plum tree in the convex bed. Light green ferns at the feet of the birch morphed into a concave arc of

after

Before March/April 2009 23

French doors and crawl up over my bed.

Each room of my house has its own distinctive garden view – from microscopic to panoramic. When I stand at the kitchen sink and watch a wild black mink loping

knockout roses that ran to the edge of the shed. The roses were added as gifts for the faeries that the Irish side of my family has believed in for at least four generations. My great-great-grandfather left water for them every night so they would not do mischief in the house. I hoped that these woodland spirits would inhabit the garden. To encourage their presence I named the shed “The Faery House.”

The backyard already had a lush green western wall that contained a mixture of camellias, beauty berry, various types of rhododendrons, oleander, palmetto, bamboo, ligustrum, a Rose of Sharon tree, holly trees, and another Walter’s Viburnum tree. Soon after I bought the house, my neighbor cut down most of the vegetation on his side and put up a fence, leaving gaps in the lush green wall.

I filled those gaps in with a number of red presidential canna lilies, added more oleanders with beautiful deep pinkish-red flowers, and planted a large stand of fire thorn.

The garden perimeters in place, I was faced with a big space in the center of the garden that was empty save for weeds. I plowed these under, then seeded to create a “sort-of” lawn that serves as the hub for the individual gardens planted around it.

The thorniest problem was the northern edge of the yard running up against the house. It is an area that has too much shade to sustain a vegetable garden and too much moisture for shade loving plants. Now this bed serves as a rest stop for plants on the move.

A second northern bed has become a triangular-shaped “pointy” garden of agaves, bayonet plants, variegated flax and pale green low-growing sansevieria with coffee ground brown mulch surrounded by two edges of yellow-edged sansevieria, a plant heavily used in 1950s landscapes, and a border of broken terra-cotta pieces.

A “secret garden,” hidden by red tips on the western edge of the property, can only be seen from the master bedroom or the Faery House. It is full of huge African iris bushes with their tiny, almost transparent flowers, lots of macho ferns, and an aggressive ground cover that threatens to come through the 24 Golden Isles Magazine

across the lawn into the back holly woods or a juvenile eagle eating an early breakfast on the lawn, I realize that my wild garden house is truly a sanctuary.

Animated Easter Animals by GUND Easter Decorations

ACHER’S NOOK TEEducational Supplies Christian Materials & Home Schooling Supplies For Teachers & Parents

912-264-6427 3365 CYPRESS MILL RD.

ready for

spring?

We Have Everything You Need 2807 Demere Road St. Simons Island

634-0523

8am - 5:30pm Mon-Fri n> Ê x« Ê->ÌÊUÊ£Ó {« Ê-Õ March/April 2009 25

The

house

that

Story By

26 Golden Isles Magazine

J.M. Lacey

built

Photos By

Yvonne Buss

Architect J. A. Wood was already known for designing luxury hotels, churches and residences by the time Timothy Mahoney approached him to construct a house at 1709 Reynolds Street in Brunswick. Born June 11, 1837 in Bethel, N.Y., Wood began his career in 1863 in Poughkeepsie. He developed a reputation for a certain style of architecture, particularly the Moorish design seen in many of his buildings. He had a scathing distaste for the Queen Anne style as was evident in a letter he addressed to the editor of The Thomasville Times in 1886:“Dear Sir — Please correct the statement in Saturday’s Times that the ‘Piney Woods Hotel is built in the Queen Anne style.’ Neither the Piney Woods nor any other hotel that I have ever designed is in that beastly style, which is at best no style at all … .”

A

Across from Brunswick’s historic courthouse, through the live oak trees that adorn Magnolia Square, sits a house at 1709 Reynolds Street, lovingly tended after more than a century.

Pass through its ornamental gate, stroll up the walk and open its doors to bright, relaxing color tones, and you’ll instantly feel you’ve stepped into a beach cottage. As you gaze upon the décor of antique furniture and genteel ladies in paintings framed upon the walls, you will think you’ve stepped back in time.

And when you are greeted by its owners, Mark and Yvonne Buss, you are made to feel as though you have come home.

This is exactly the atmosphere the Busses were hoping for — a Victorian home on the coast they can share with friends and family. A place where friends can visit and relax, throw down their luggage and not be afraid to touch anything.

“We don’t want it to feel too stuffy,” Yvonne says of the design and layout of the home. And indeed, it is a place to kick off your sandals and sit by one of the large French doors open to the summer breeze, sipping iced tea.

In 2004 the Busses purchased the Victorian, still referred to as the Mahoney-McGarvey House. The home stood empty for 18 months before Yvonne discovered it on the Internet when searching for historic homes.

“As soon as the picture came up, I thought, ‘My gosh! What a darling little Victorian cottage.’ It was so cute,” Yvonne relates. When they visited the house in person, the three-story, 5,426 square foot home turned out to be more than just a little cottage. By the time the Busses were finished with renovations, the house included 10 rooms, three bathrooms, a small morning room and a butler’s pantry.

Nearly all the hardwood floors in the home are original. The shiny floors, made of heart pine wood an inch and a quarter thick, create an elegant scene in the long hallways. The ceiling medallions are also original and each one is unique. The one in the drawing room has a seashell design, perfect for the Busses’ coastal layout. The only remaining original light fixture hangs in the parlor from a medallion design of corn, wheat, birds and apples. The 400 pound sliding doors that separate the parlor and library are also original to the home.

“You won’t find this much original work in a lot of homes,” Mark explains.

“There haven’t been that many people that have lived here, which is why the house has survived.”

The house was built for Timothy Mahoney, a railway engineer. He commissioned architect J.A. Wood to March/April 2009 27

Classic Victorian on the outside, comfortable cottage on the inside.

The remade Mahoney-McGarvey House in Old Town Brunswick has found new life with new owners.

28 Golden Isles Magazine

design the house, the same architect credited for designing Brunswick’s Oglethorpe Hotel and the Tampa Bay Hotel in Florida. The house was completed in 1891. Wood’s familiar Moorish influence is prominent in the home’s gingerbread design. Its tall peaked roofs, two prominent porches, and bay windows are instant trademarks of Victorian dwellings.

Timothy’s last surviving child, Julia, left the estate to her friend, Virginia McGarvey, in 1949. Virginia opened the house in 1956 as a home furnishing shop, “Trendition House.” The house was later purchased by Melanie “Mellie” Youmans, who opened a tea room and antique shop in 1996.

The structure of the house is solid with its woodwork made of heart pine.

But during the Busses’ first year of owning their new home, they still had to do a lot of work.

“The backyard was awful,” Yvonne explains. “Stuff was growing everywhere and there were piles of debris.” They cleaned up the yard and ripped out the chain link fence, allowing for a better view of the river.

The large pecan tree in the backyard is believed to be original to the home.

The siding of the house was pink, but soon was repainted a more sophisticated soft yellow. The spindles along the porch were redone in keeping with Wood’s original design. They also painted the porch ceiling blue, one of the original colors Victorians used on porches so the bees wouldn’t nest in them, Mark says.

The porch ceiling at the Tampa Bay Hotel used a darker blue.

The decorative spear-tipped fence is also original to the home, with the exception of the gate, which the Busses replaced with a duplicate they found on

e-Bay after the original was stolen. Inside, the Busses upgraded the bathrooms and refinished the interior design. The only major damage they encountered was the bay area in the dining room. The roof collapsed under the weight of debris and water that had collected over the years. The area needed to be replaced, including the flooring.

The staircase was another major renovation. When the Busses moved in, the hand-carved woodwork on the staircase and woodwork in the halls had an antiqued or “pickling” effect, which had been done by the McGarveys when they opened their shop in the 1950s.

“It was very depressing,” Yvonne says.

The lower half of the hallway was orange and the woodwork was very dark.

Their contractor suggested stripping and staining the double rail.

The rest of the staircase was painted white.

An original design of a hand-carved daisy remains in the newel post. A similar design of a daisy can be seen on the ceiling medallion on the second floor above the staircase.

All of the rooms are painted with soft seaside colors of blues, taupes, yellows and variations of aqua, creating a bright, open and cheerful atmosphere in the home.

The dining room, originally “dead red” as Yvonne refers to it, is now in a soft Robin’s egg blue, a color you would see on a sandy beach, she says. The painting that hangs in its gilded frame above the fireplace is a perfect match for the room.

It is of a young lady in her early 19th century yellow dress and white shawl.

The blue ribbon that pulls back her raven March/April 2009 29

hair matches the belt on her dress.

“Everyone thinks I painted around her,” says Yvonne, “but I found her later, in an antique shop.”

The ornate fireplaces found throughout the house attest to the era in which it was built. Downstairs, each fireplace is adorned with hand-carved relief tile. The ceramic tiles have their own unique designs, such as the acorn design in the library. Profiles of Queen

Victoria and Prince Albert are carved into the dining room’s tiles.

The drawing room, dining room, parlor and library all have French doors that, when opened, allow a free-flowing breeze, or cooling system, throughout the house, necessary for homes built in the pre-air conditioned South. The house feels open with its 12-foot high ceilings and many tall windows.

The Busses’ diplomatic mixture of the

Wood’s Tampa Bay Hotel, now part of the University of Tampa campus.

modern and the original make the house more livable. The tiny staircase in the butler’s pantry that led to the servants’ quarters was removed long ago. What was once a servant’s bedroom has been taken over to expand the bathroom. The other servant’s bedroom is now a dressing room, but the Busses have kept the large fireplace in the kitchen that served as the original oven.

The Busses’ sophisticated style and desire to keep to the theme of the 117year old home is seen in the antique furniture displayed in every room. Most of the furniture was purchased from local antique shops. Yvonne learned that two of her purchases, a wicker chair she put in the little girl’s room and the lamp on their kitchen table, at one time belonged to Mellie Youmans when she owned the home.

Yvonne’s classic style and creative flair is seen throughout the home. She designed and made all of the drapes and blinds — not an easy task with some windows as high as 10 feet. Her little touches also make their home unique.

Antique purses are framed and hung on the wall of the dressing room, and her embroidery work is displayed in one of the guest rooms. Each room has a chair atop the sitting room mantle. The miniature was also a treasure from an antique shop.

30 Golden Isles Magazine

“This [house] kind of reflects my personality,� says Yvonne. “I thought my granddaughter put it best when I brought her here and it was still pink, and she said, ‘Grandma, it looks like Barbie’s dream house.’ I guess if you look at it, it’s been a doll house for me.� She has spent the last few years contributing just the right pieces and paintings to her doll house.

One has to have a lot of passion for a home like the Mahoney-McGarvey house on Reynolds Street, explains Yvonne, because it takes a lot of work to maintain it. But for now, the Busses are enjoying the close community atmosphere.

Restaurants and a marina are within walking distance and the beach is close by.

“We don’t really need all of these bedrooms,� Yvonne says, “but it’s sure fun to share the home with friends and family. It’s not everyone’s typical beach cottage.� n

From The Finest Estates & Homes To Yours DESI

' CONSIGNMENT Prices Tour Our Showroom For Designer Pieces At Consignment Prices

! &#! $ ! $ ' &#! %&# ' !% "& $ ' $%a% ales

TAKE TOO “The Designer Consignor�

912-279-2478

1700 GLOUCESTER STREET HOUR ' T 10-2

March/April 2009 31

Victorian Jewel

A Facet of Owners’ Personality

D Before

Photos By Benjamin Galland

32 Golden Isles Magazine

By J.M. Lacey

David and Mabry Brumbach manifest both charm and energy. Their flair for the creative is embodied in the minutest of details in their restored Victorian home. One cannot help but to be instantly drawn to historic grace upon climbing the first few steps at 912 Carpenter Street.

Both originally from the South — David from Georgia and Mabry from South Florida — they wanted to return to the area to be closer to family.

Impressed with the coastal area, David felt Brunswick “had been undergoing a lot of renovation and the city itself was putting a lot of emphasis on this,” and they had “met a lot of eclectic people.”

David explains they planned to reside in the historic district if they could

find something they would really want to hold onto for awhile. They wanted a home they could live in and felt that many of the residences for sale in the area had too many formal sitting areas.

They found their Victorian on Carpenter during their last day of viewings. “[The house] was really laid out well for us.

The way the bedrooms related to each other and the rooms that are here and how they function within each other.

That was one of the primary reasons we decided to take this house.”

The Brumbachs purchased their Victorian home in 2002 and eventually sold their residence in Chicago. The blend of home and owner has been a perfect match.

Built in 1904, the home was owned

by Lawrence R. Akin, state senator from Glynn County who served four terms during the periods of 1909 and 1922. He later deeded the home to his daughters, Minnie C. Harrell and Agnes Akin Atkinson, an author of children’s books during her lifetime.

The house has been lovingly tended for the last century. As is typical for many large Victorian homes over the years, the Brumbach residence had gained additions, morphed into a multibedroom dwelling and then finally, apartments. The Brumbachs have been converting it back to its original family home form for the last seven years.

“Even though there was a lot of work that had been done to it, we didn’t have to do anything to the floors,” says Mabry.

She noted that “all the woodwork was intact” and so a lot of the renovating involved removing the additions from previous owners.

The exterior of the home underwent a complete renovation in 2006-07. When they purchased the Victorian, the yellow paint was peeling and it was in dire need of a makeover. The Brumbachs restored the foundation, replaced the roof, had the entire house sanded to its original wood, removed the old railings and rotted wood on the porch, and rebuilt the entire wrap-around porch. David’s father helped to rebuild all the spindles, posts and delicately carved brackets to their original design. With the addition of plantation style ceiling fans, even the porch feels “lived” in.

With the help of their architect and friend, Louis Keen, the Brumbachs chose an authentic Victorian color scheme.

“We wanted to do something that would stand out in the area,” says David. “Everyone had a yellow, white or gray house.” They painted the main part of the exterior a terra-cotta color.

Add to that browns like Tiny Fawn and Rootbeer, and Clair de Lune, an almost

hunter green, the house on Carpenter Street stands out among the crowd without being pretentious.

The front doorway was also reframed and returned to its original position on the house. They then added an ornate, solid mahogany and glass front door.

Two beautiful stained glass windows, one next to the door and the other a few feet above on the second floor, were also added. Both the door and windows were purchased in Savannah.

Another laborious task they undertook involved tearing down a second dwelling in the backyard that had been added some time in the early part of the 20th century. The Brumbachs purchased the property and tore down the eyesore, salvaging anything that would be useful, including wood, doors and bricks.

David’s father made furniture out of much of the wood, including bedside tables and a queen size bed the Brumbachs proudly display in their master bedroom. The head and foot boards match the five panel doors they have throughout the house.

“We’re turning this [home] into what it was when it was originally built,” David explains. “We’ve restored the lot size. We’ve restored it back into a single family home. Now we’re just in the process of finishing it up.”

Once the condemned home was removed from the backyard, the

Brumbachs proceeded to add a wood fence they had replicated after seeing an example of it during a visit to Atlantic Beach, Florida. The fence is angled at the top with a diamond pattern cut in the center. They built their courtyard using the salvaged bricks.

Since purchasing the home, the Brumbachs have been remodeling the interior, room by room. Floors were

refinished, old wallpaper was removed, and ceilings were smoothed and primed. They’ve replaced and updated the electrical system and plumbing.

A dividing wall on the first floor was removed, revealing a beautiful staircase.

And what used to be a closet underneath the stairwell, which the Brumbachs converted into a much needed half

March/April 2009 33

bath.

“Pretty much everything is original,” Mabry says. “One of the things we liked about this house was that all the woodwork around all the doors and windows was still intact and amazingly, when [the previous owners] made it into a duplex and they had converted the back, they still had these massive closets in the hallway. Fortunately, they

didn’t take down the stair railing. They took down just one tiny section which we had replicated, but realistically, everything is still here.”

“It really wasn’t taken apart, like some other homes,” David adds.

“Unfortunately, people go in and strip out the light fixtures, tear out the

34 Golden Isles Magazine

molding and trims and modernize it.

None of that happened here.”

The Brumbachs added the crown molding to the top of the ceilings, and added ceiling medallions in the living and dining rooms. Mabry added a fresh coat of white paint to the wainscoting dominant in the entry way.

“We’ll probably end up painting [the stairway],” she adds. “We would have loved to have gone back down to bare wood, but it was such a huge project.”

The house includes seven fireplaces, tiled on the outside and faux painted. At one point, the tile in the dining room fireplace had been replaced and Mabry has been on the hunt for its matching Kelly green.

Eventually, they plan to convert the fireplaces into gas.

The Brumbachs’ down-to-earth, eclectic style is revealed further in each room that boasts of bold color. The living room’s rich red walls lend nicely to the warm, inviting appeal.

Brown paint, used as a base under the coats of red, allows the color to keep its warm tone, David explains.

A 1929 M. Schulz (Chicago) player piano that belonged to Mabry’s greatgrandmother sits in the corner waiting to add its charm to the party.

The spare bedroom is even brighter and bolder with its vibrant blue, called Peacock Tail, painted on its walls. The fireplace and tall windows, prominent

throughout the home, add to its charm.

They had their house decorated originally in Victorian style, but decided it was not a style that worked for them.

Some furniture taken with them from their modern Chicago home, mixed with antique Eastlake style furniture, gives the Brumbachs a style of their own that lends itself kindly to the old Victorian residence.

One of the oldest pieces the Brumbachs own is a hall tree that greets visitors in the entry way. Originally given to David’s great-great Aunt Hettie, it has been handed down through the family for the last 125 years, still in pristine condition.

But the Victorian charm is still rampant throughout the home. The dining room, for example, is the only room with wallpaper — a floral black toile on an ivory background.

“I just liked it,” Mabry explains of choosing the design. “We saw the Victorian patterns and they were all the toiles, and I just didn’t really want it to be too fussy.” David is pleased they can put anything with the design.

The ornately carved detailing on the ceiling medallions in each of the rooms further add to the home’s charm. The high ceilings are another unique feature of the Victorian homes, and although the walls have been dropped a couple of inches in the Brumbach’s dwelling, typical in modernization, they still lend to the stately appearance of a Victorian home.

While there is still much to do in the Victorian, the Brumbachs are not overwhelmed and take each project in stride. To them, being good stewards of the home and having the responsibility to maintain it is important.

“I love the whole house in general,” says David. “It just keeps taking on more of our personality and becoming more of a really nice place to be.” n

Reinventing History Don’t throw the past away You might need it some rainy day Dreams can come true again When ev’ry thing old is new again.

– “Everything Old is New Again”

Story and Photos by

Brooke Roberts March/April 2009 35

Previous page: After studying the 19th Century architecture of the houses across from her lot, Brooke Roberts settled on an architectural style that would blend with the neighborhood. By using cedar shaking, antique style brickwork, square columns and extra detail around the windows and doors, the classic Craftsman exterior was “southernized� to add charm to the house.

Clockwise from left: Paul and Brooke Roberts chose the Craftsman architectural style for the home/ studio they built on a rare vacant lot in Old Town Brunswick. The house artfully blends the old with the new, as the open floor plan creates a warm and inviting living area for entertaining guests. Fixtures throughout the house were selected to best represent an older style. The piano leg pedestal sinks in the master bath and the fireplace mantel were reclaimed from a house that was demolished.

M

My photography business was opened just under two years ago but had taken off faster than either of us had ever dreamed.

My husband Paul and I made the decision to move closer to Brunswick. We needed a home with a large in-house photography studio so we could start a family and I could work from home while still continuing to grow the business.

I had always hoped to own an older home in a historic district and we browsed through quite a few properties in Old Town that either needed work or had already been lovingly restored. Unfortunately none of them offered either the space or floor plan that we needed for the business. Then one day as I was driving around downtown I saw a for sale sign on what appeared to be a lot. It was hard to see much of anything through the dense growth and vines but when I called the number for the agent and spoke to her I realized it was a diamond in the rough. Yes, it was a vacant lot, but had never been built on before, which was amazing to find in the downtown area. However, the

36 Golden Isles Magazine

thing that really got me excited was that it was right behind the Old Courthouse and just a block away from the water. It was a perfect spot for me to be able to walk out the front door and to use charming downtown Brunswick as a photography backdrop.

We drafted plans for a house that not only filled our needs but also fit in with the existing 1880s architecture of the other houses on the street. We hired local contractor Richard Edgy with Edgy Homes, who undertook the project with such care you would have thought he was building it for his own family. He got us moved into our dream home under budget and much faster than we expected, which was perfect since we had just discovered that I was pregnant with our first child.

The whole experience has been amazing and we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out and where we now live. It is a real treat being able to walk down the street and have Fox’s Pizza or brunch at the Corner Cafe and stroll the Farmer’s Market on the weekends. n March/April 2009 37

38 Golden Isles Magazine

Tour de France Story by Amy Carter Photography By Tim Brown

One who does not know the history of Georgia’s Golden Isles would not know just by looking that Frenchmen ever touched toes to this shore. Spanish and English influences on the realm are indelible, marking everything from architecture to street names. France left no such legacy. At least not overtly.

The one notable exception is a house newly constructed in the St. Simons Island Club. French to the very roots of the demilune parterre that delineates the curve of the front drive, this house is a Francophile’s dream, quite literally. Interior designer Margaret Garner blends authentic French architectural details with custom touches that blur the line between old and new with gorgeous results.

The effort succeeded well enough to land this house a spot on the 56th Annual Christ Episcopal Church Tour of Homes and Gardens on St. Simons and Sea islands. It is Stop #1 on the March 21 tour, located at 125 Biltmore in the St. Simons Island Club. With 3,800

square feet and four bedrooms and baths, this house is neither pretentious nor overwhelming in its scale, despite the centuries of history that lend such a warm patina to its most notable features.

Here, authentic French doors, Catholic shrines and plaster friezes, chandeliers and other architectural pieces – many taken from a dismantled Provençal

chateau – attest to the designer’s élan with reclaimed European artifacts.

The tour starts at the front door, or more accurately, the pair of Provençal Villa doors that open into the Grand Salon, an open formal living/dining room combination customary in older European homes. There are two ways to access the interior of the house from the salon. One may choose the butler’s pantry, which includes a China and crystal cabinet enclosed with sliding doors remade from chateau shutters.

Although the original hardware had to be removed to allow the doors to slide, the distressed blue paint is authentic and unretouched.

Passage is also allowed through the foyer, which affords access to the house from the garage, and to the stairs leading to the second story. The guest bathroom off the foyer is notable for its curtained French door, and its authentic marble slab sink. Garner had an antique chest in mind to hold the sink, which ultimately proved too heavy

March/April 2009 39

40 Golden Isles Magazine

for the piece. Supported by an iron frame, the sink is nestled in a custom cabinet built by Michael Godwin.

With no glaze to seal the marble, the sink’s mottled surface attests to years of use and usefulness.

Garner admits to being uncomfortable with the modern American custom of open floor plans that allow kitchen to melt seamlessly into family room, so she disguised the kitchen’s essentials – refrigerator, range hood and pantry – with custom cabinetry built around casement and pantry doors taken from the chateau that surrendered many of the fine pieces Garner reclaimed for this home. The range hood is hidden by a piece of an ornately carved mahogany transom that hung over the chateau’s front doors. The other half of the transom forms a valance that spans the gap between French country cabinets that frame the kitchen sink.

Overhead are rough hewn ceiling beams taken from an Indiana farmhouse – a shout-out, along with Godwin’s cabinetry – to the artistry of American craftsmanship.

There are only two flooring materials used throughout the house – hardwood plank and limestone laid in the Versailles pattern, “which is designed to look like no pattern at all,” Garner says.

Even the laundry room is noteworthy in this house. A custommade café curtain hides shelves of laundry essentials, while decorative upper shelves sport random Paris Hotel room numbers, a hot item among Francophiles. Garner bought them at a Paris flea market scramble, where the numbers are tossed on the ground for eager buyers to snatch and grab.

The master suite plays most prominently on a subtle religious theme that touches nearly every

room of the house. It begins in an alcove of the Grand Salon, where a sitting area vignette reveals a carving of the Christ Child chiseled from a cathedral fresco. The carving shares wall space with a drawing of Florence, miniature prints of the Virgin Mary and an outtake from Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam.” In the family room is a colorful painting of a rotund priest, rendered in the style of Fernando Botero. But in the master suite, the religious relics mimic the authenticity of the Christ Child. The canopy that holds rich silk draperies aloft above the bed was recovered from a dismantled shrine in a Catholic church, as was a decorative cabinet in the commode.

More personal treasures are scattered among the two bedrooms and baths upstairs, but an authentic bonnetierre in the hallway at the top of the stairs is worthy of note.

Historically not accustomed to built-

“His” vanity in the master bath is hidden behind reclaimed Provençal cabinet doors. Cabinet maker Michael Godwin and house builder John Blivens artfully combined old world with new to create a live-in masterpiece.

March/April 2009 41

Pieces of France are everywhere at 125 Biltmore. The kitchen valance was reclaimed from the transom of a French château. A small print of the Arc de Triomphe adorns the laundry room, as do random room numbers from a Paris hotel.

ins, Europeans typically use armoires and other free-standing cabinets for storage. Bonnetierres were literally cabinets where ladies stored their bonnets. For that reason, bonnetierres are deeper than other cabinets, making them popular for conversion in modern times for use as entertainment centers or kitchen pantries.

Garner found this one in its original state, and has kept it that way.

A tasteful lesson in the art of giving new life to old things, this tour stop is not to be missed. n

The 56th Annual Christ Episcopal Church Tour of Homes and Gardens will be from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. March 21. The tour starts at a hospitality center at Gascoigne Bluff, where buses will provide transportation to the Sea Island portion of the tour. Refreshments will be served at Christ Church, one of three historic stops that include St.Ignatius Mission Church and Wesley Memorial Gardens.

Tickets are $40 in advance, and may be purchased online at www. christchurchtourofhomes.org. Tickets will be on sale the day of the tour for $45.

42 Golden Isles Magazine

Celebrate With Style

Our garden section...

7EDDINGS s 0ARTIES s !NY /CCASION

...has all the answers!

#LIPPER "AY 2OAD "RUNSWICK 'EORGIA

MARKET ON NEWCASTLE

THE

/UR SQUARE FOOT CLUBHOUSE FACILITY OPENED IN 3PRING OF AND OFFERS WONDERFUL FOOD FROM THE /AK 'ROVE )SLAND "ISTRO AND 'RILL

Melissa Bagby, Proprietaire • Mons. Murphy, Chien de Maison

1624 Newcastle Street, Brunswick

912.554.7909

sprin g loa de d w e have ever y thi ng sp ri ng 6 I S I T / U R " E A U T I F U L . EW ' A R D E N 3 H OW R O O M 7A L K 3 H O P % X P L O R E / U R % N D L E S S ' A R D E N ' R O U N D S 0R O FE S S I O N A L , A N D S C A P I N G $ E S I G N ) N S T A L L A T I O N % X P E R T , AW N # A R E F O R YO U R ( O M E " U S I N E S S

-C+INNA 0LACE s (IGHWAY !DJACENT TO -C+INNA !UTOMOTIVE s "RUNSWICK s March/April 2009 43

A Walk Through the Garden

Photographs by

Harlan Hambright 44 Golden Isles Magazine

A private oceanfront garden on Sea Island is one of eight featured on the Cassina Garden Club’s 3rd annual Tabby & Tillandsia Garden Walk. Complementing the Mediterranean style of the house it surrounds, the garden is a rustic seaside sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.

The Cassina Garden Club will host its 3rd annual Tabby and Tillandsia Garden Walk Weekend May 2 and 3. The tour will visit eight private gardens on St. Simons and Sea islands, as well as the public gardens tended by the club at the historic Hamilton Plantation tabby cabins on Gascoigne Bluff, point of embarkation for the tour. A garden market will be staged both days under tents on the cabin grounds, where vendors will offer horticultural material, garden and floral-related products and home accessories, and botanical and garden art. The market is open to the public and free to attend.

Tickets are $30 in advance, and $35 the day of the tour. Advance tickets are available for purchase online at www.cassinagardenclub.org.

Proceeds from the sale of tickets are held in trust for the preservation of the circa 1804 tabby cabins that housed slaves assigned to the main house of Hamilton Plantation. The cabin gardens, replicas of what a plantation garden would have looked like, were designed by noted Sea Island landscape architect T. Miesse Baumgardner. The Cassina Garden Club adopted the long-neglected cabins in 1932.

“At that point a tree was growing through one of the cabins. There was no roof,” says Sharon Flores, chair of this year’s Garden Walk. “If the Cassina ladies had not taken over the cabins, they would not be here. They would have long ago crumbled.”

Tour hours are from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Saturday, and 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday.

Garden Market hours are from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Sunday.

March/April 2009 45

46 Golden Isles Magazine

Key West meets St. Simons Island in this secret garden. Designed and built by the Sandcastle homeowner and her son, this cool garden of greens and whites is a south island oasis, a true testament to the artistry that is gardening.

March/April 2009 47

48 Golden Isles Magazine

porches

photographs and text by benjamin galland

“ Havin’ a good time, here today

Watching the sun shine , matinee Never the wrong time, time we stay ...

“The Classic” Monck Street, Downtown Brunswick

”

“Porch Song”, Widespread Panic

March/April 2009 49

“Island Casual” Seabreeze Drive, St. Simons Island

50 Golden Isles Magazine

“Oldies but Goodies” Union Street and Egmont Street , Downtown Brunswick

March/April 2009 51

“The Shabby-Sheik” Sycamore Street, Downtown Brunswick

52 Golden Isles Magazine

“The Islander” Beachview Drive, St. Simons Island

March/April 2009 53

His right-hand man by

54 Golden Isles Magazine

Mike Morrison

Courtesy Georgia Department of Natural Resources

Banks

James Photos by Eliot VanOtteren

W

When Sapelo Island’s James Banks passed away in December, a link to the storied barrier island’s rich past was lost.

Banks, 70, succumbed to cancer.

His life was celebrated at the First African Missionary Baptist Church on Dec. 13, 2008, and he was laid to rest in the island’s Behavior Cemetery in the shade of the iconic Spanish mossshrouded live oaks for which coastal Georgia is famous. A descendant of Thomas Spalding’s slaves, he accepted the life the island offered him just as other residents of the Hog Hammock community do.

It’s easy to wile away the time in such a serene and tranquil setting, separated from mainland havoc by miles of salt marsh and the tricky waters of Sapelo and Doboy sounds. The days, weeks, months and years go by with barely a ripple. Each moment is savored to its fullest. Life, after all, is not a meal to be rushed, Sapelo residents instinctively understand. These islanders, their lives are synchronized with the tides, swayed

by the moon’s phases, and subject to the capriciousness of the weather. The tether, therefore, that connects them to the hectic bustling modern electronic world is tenuous at best, the cacophony across the water dulled by the soft green rushes of the marsh and buffered by a persistent, soothing offshore breeze.

Banks was a stocky and jovial man who loved his neighbors as if they were members of his own large family, which included five daughters and a son.

“He was always laughing, always willing to share,” daughter Shannon Anthony says. “His home was always open to his neighbors and he’d invite them over for barbecues. He was an outdoors person. He loved to hunt and fish and garden. And he was always a hard worker.”

Early in his adult life, his work ethic was tested by the eccentric and flamboyant owner of Sapelo, R.J. “Dick” Reynolds Jr., heir to the North Carolina tobacco magnate. Banks worked as a butler in the Reynolds Mansion, which was constructed by plantation owner

Spalding on the island’s south end early in the 19th century and modeled after Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.

Industrialist Howard Coffin acquired the island in 1912 and updated the mansion. Heavily invested in the development of the Sea Island resort to the south, Coffin sold the island and his 124-foot yacht, the Zapala, to Reynolds in 1936. Despite owning homes in North Carolina and Palm Beach, Fla., Reynolds considered Sapelo his main residence and became the island’s largest employer.

Reynolds’ presence on the island changed its tranquil nature to a degree as, by all accounts, he was not a tranquil person, nor was he prone to serenity.

“Reynolds was a very outgoing and flamboyant sort of person,” says Buddy Sullivan, director of the Sapelo Estuarine Research Reserve and a noted historian of Coastal Georgia. “He was very big into entertaining and he’d have friends on Sapelo all the time and a lot of parties going on that he’d host. There was something going on all the time.”

March/April 2009 55

The last orange glow from the setting sun reflects in the water of Dean Creek on the South end of Sapelo Island near a spot known to James Banks Jr. as “Saw Pond� on Friday, December 12, 2008. This tidal waterway was a favorite fishing and cast netting spot for Banks Jr. and his late father, James Banks Sr., who died Dec. 4.

56 Golden Isles Magazine

Reynolds’ friends included the rich and the very rich – politicians, movie stars, titans of industry. He married four times, fathered six sons and a daughter, lived hard and died relatively young at 58 of emphysema.

“My father was a product of the Roaring Twenties,” says Patrick Reynolds, who co-authored a 1989 book with Tom Shachtman about the Reynolds family.

“The Gilded Leaf,” in part, describes the excesses and extravagances of life on Sapelo during Dick Reynolds’ reign as “the undisputed king of the island:”

“In the ballroom, they had been hosts at parties to which guests had been flown in by the planeload from New York and Florida, parties that sometimes went on for weeks and frequently ended in alcoholic stupor.”

The relationship between the elder Reynolds and his sons was strained.

The boys did not live on the island, and visited infrequently. He ultimately disinherited them in favor of his fourth and final wife, Annemarie. He was a complicated man who got along better, it seems, with his employees than he did with his own family members.

“Those who worked for him, he treated very well,” Patrick Reynolds remembers. “There was a lot of love there.”

When James Banks stepped out of the slow sweet life of Hog Hammock, the community of descendants of slaves to the north, into the complicated world of Dick Reynolds in the 1950s, he must’ve rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

Banks worked for Reynolds until the millionaire’s death in 1964, and continued to work at the mansion once it passed into the ownership of the University of Georgia Marine Institute.

It was a job that lasted a lifetime, and one Banks enjoyed. He was one of only a few Reynolds employees still living.

“He thought Mr. Reynolds was a very nice person and a good man to March/April 2009 57

work for,” Banks’ widow, Mattie, says.

“James was a butler and he’d serve food and stuff like that. He set up the tables, washed dishes and helped take care of Mr. Reynolds any way he could.”

Banks never strayed far from Sapelo, except for a few occasions on trips with Reynolds, who took him to places like Palm Beach and the Reynolds family estate in Winston-Salem, N.C.

As Reynolds was slowly dying and under orders not to drink or smoke, he’d entice Banks and other employees to slip him cigarettes and alcohol, Patrick Reynolds says. The effects of the disease were irreversible, and they saw no harm in complying with the dying man’s wishes.

Banks, also, may have participated in an event buried deep in island lore.

Dick Reynolds stashed sacks of gold coins at various points on the island, Patrick Reynolds says, and later dug up the gold and took it to Europe aboard a freighter. But the younger Reynolds thinks some of the gold may have been left behind. His father, after all, had promised to take care of his employees once he was gone.

58 Golden Isles Magazine

Banks family photo

Mattie and James Banks Sr.

That’s news to Mattie Banks.

“I don’t know anything about that,” she says.

Mattie Banks continues to live the simple Sapelo Island life she has always known. No amount of gold could convince her to move.

“I’ve never thought about leaving,” she says. “I just like the peace and quiet.

There’s not a whole lot of people and I just love the environment.”

Time goes by on the island, as it always has and always will.

“I have a lot to fill my day,” she says, “reading, taking care of my house and my yard, going to church. I only go off-island when I have to or to visit my family.”

Patrick Reynolds lives in Los Angeles.

He tried his hand at acting, but now, ironically, heads up an anti-smoking organization.

His father’s name still rings loudly on Sapelo and in McIntosh County.

“R.J. Reynolds did a lot for McIntosh

County,” Sullivan says. “He did some good stuff in a philanthropic way. He’s still highly regarded by the people of McIntosh County.”

His abiding legacy, perhaps, is that he opened up the island for research in the 1950s and provided funding.

University of Georgia professor Eugene P. Odum wrote a paper, “The Ecology of a Salt Marsh,” based on observations he made on Sapelo. Odum’s paper is considered a catalyst for the modern ecology movement.

“Eugene Odum is regarded by the scientific community as the father of modern ecology,” Sullivan says. “I don’t think it would be a stretch at all to say that Sapelo, then, is the birthplace of modern ecology.”

Shannon Anthony left the island to find work, but she feels its pull like an outgoing tide.

“Probably, when I reach retirement age, I’ll go back,” she says, “to a place that’s away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland, to the peace, tranquility and love, where everybody knows each other and is one big family.”

And where her father rests easy under the mossy oaks, a part in the island’s rich history when a flamboyant millionaire cast a giant shadow for a brief but momentous time. n

The immediate family of the late James Banks Sr. sits for a portrait on the marsh outside the Banks home in the Hog Hammock community on Sapelo Island. They are, back row from left, Theresa Banks, James Banks Jr. and Albertha Banks. Front row from left, Shannon Anthony, Naomi Banks, Mattie Banks, Mary Bacon and Jacqueline Nobles.

Make your Wedding Special with Elegant Printing and Accessories MIX for an eclectic look full of color and style…

…or MATCH for total tone-on-tone coordination.

Featuring: Carlson Craft/NuArt/Paper Duvet/Regency/McPhersons FINE LINE PRINTING s $EMERE 2OAD 3UITE s 3T 3IMONS )SLAND

s &AX s %MAIL HANSENPRINTING AOL COM March/April 2009 59

Time to Buy or Time to Sell?

The new landscape of Golden Isles real estate

By J.M. Lacey 60 Golden Isles Magazine

As the economy worsens and the number of unemployed Americans steadily increases, the trickling stream of worrisome events seems unending. To some, the real estate market may seem bleak. To others, it’s an investment worth the risk as they wait for the economy to improve. Just how has the real estate market fared in the Golden Isles?

The U.S. Census Bureau published a joint release with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in December, with results of one-family home sales in November of 2008. Sales fell 2.9 percent from October estimates and fell 35.3 percent from November of 2007. The National Association of Realtors says that in November, existing home sales fell 8.6 percent nationally.

Matt Vigh, managing broker with Coldwell Banker, says that November was one of the worst months the real estate market has faced in 20 years.

“A lot of commercial lots were bought speculatively, so there’s quite a bit of inventory that is available right now.

And unfortunately, with the economy the way that it is … people aren’t as ready to stick their neck out there as they would be if their confidence was a little bit higher,” Vigh says. He adds that investors were banking on a return with commercial properties.

Bill Townsend, residential lending consultant for the last 23 years and owner of Cornerstone Home Lending, says that the No Doc, Stated Income, Interest-Only and Option Arms were created by mortgage lenders and purchased by Wall Street investors in an effort to provide affordable home ownership for all. The mortgage industry provided loans to people “who had no business buying, with no ability to repay the loans.” Townsend listed a number of factors, including people overstating their income; being misled

Vigh “November 2008 was one of the worst months the real estate market has faced in 20 years.” by an unscrupulous loan officer; and assuming income would increase as mortgage payments rose, resulting in a “huge disaster for all of these new homeowners.” He added that “many of them got into their homes with no down payment, making it way too easy to walk away and let the bank take their homes.”

Townsend and other Realtors agree that foreclosures contribute to declining neighborhoods and lower home values.

“Once the bank takes over the property, it’s probable that the bank will take a below-market offer on the property in order to get it off the books,” Townsend says. He also says that this affects customers who want to refinance their home, since in many cases the appraised value falls below the value the homeowner needs to support the refinance.

Broker Ronnie Perry of Ronnie Perry Realty agrees. “You may have paid $400,000 for your house, but the bank just sold your neighbor’s house

for $310,000,” resulting in a drop in property value. He adds that this area has been hit hard with foreclosures. And no one is immune. From the beginning home buyer to the multi-million dollar properties, he says they have all faced foreclosures.

Banks and mortgage investors have since tightened their lending standards in order to sell closed loan packages in the secondary market. Townsend says that well-qualified buyers can still obtain financing, but more documentation is required than was the case one to five years ago.

Realtors in the Golden Isles remain optimistic about the real estate market.

Broker Pat Hodnett Cooper with Hodnett Cooper Real Estate says that people are still purchasing vacation homes with the expectation of rising prices as market conditions reverse.

“Many people believe real estate is the best way to recoup losses incurred in the stock market,” she adds. “The key is choosing property in an area where market conditions like job and income growth, population in-migration, and demographics indicate increased demand.” Cooper says the coastal area of Georgia is popular, which will help the area to recover quickly and escalate more sharply than other areas.

However, Perry says “there is no market for buying second homes right now.” He adds that the condominium market is struggling.

According to the Golden Isles Association of Realtors Residential Market Trend Report, condominium sales totaled $44,397,516 from January to November of 2008. Compare that figure to two years ago from January to December of 2006, when total sales were $118,899,872. The 2008 figure compared to 2003 shows a 50 percent drop.

March/April 2009 61

Lynwood Collins, chief appraiser with Collins and Associates, says that for many years the value of property moved steadily upward, about 10 percent every year. Now, property value has declined.

Perry remains optimistic and says that the Brunswick area has been doing well.

“[Brunswick] has not been hit as bad as the island. The property values on the mainland were not as high as the island, so you didn’t have that great a swing,” he says.

Realtors agree that now is not the time to sell a home. Because of declining values and the fact that some sellers bought their homes with nothing down, Townsend warns “they may not be able to afford to sell their home at this time.”

Collins says appraisal values are changing because there is more supply and not enough demand.

“The amount of dollars alone on a piece of property has absolutely zero to do with market value,” he says.

This can create a trying situation for those forced to sell when they owe money on their property and the sale price won’t allow them to pay off their loan.

62 Golden Isles Magazine

For homeowners who have no option and need to sell their property, the agents offer some suggestions.

Talk to an experienced agent

“We take our client relationships very seriously,” says Vigh. He stressed the importance of giving his best advice to the client. Vigh suggests sticking to the right broker depending on your needs. If you need to sell commercial property, talk to a broker who specializes in commercial real estate. And for selling residential, talk with a broker who specializes in residential real estate.

Be realistic

“If they’re one of these people that truly has to sell, then they have to

understand the market and they have to understand that their house might be the nicest house, but there are 10 others just like it for somebody to choose from,” says Perry.

“Price it right when you list,” adds Cooper. “If you price too high, your property won’t be shown. Think of your property as a commodity that must compete for attention against other alternatives. The more competitive your property, the more likely it will sell.”

Contact a full-time real estate appraiser to know what your property is worth.

“Most people understand that their [property] values have gone down,” Collins says. “We’re not doing anyone

“You may have paid $400,000 for your house, but the bank just sold your neighbor’s house for $310,000.”

Perry

any favors unless we tell them what the market value of their house is. You don’t need to have a false impression of what it’s worth.”

Appearance

“Curb appeal with commercial property is just like it is with residential,” says Vigh. The difference, he adds, is the numbers. With commercial property, curb appeal will enhance the value, but people aren’t necessarily going to pay more money for the appeal. “It’s all about numbers in commercial.

It’s all about emotion in residential.”

And while residential is considered a lifestyle, commercial is about visibility and location.

Vigh suggests making sure the landscaping is done well, the sidewalks are washed and the windows are clean.

“Those little things make a big difference because it shows the buyer you’ve taken care of the property.”

Cooper says for residential property, repair all defects and cosmetic items listed in your inspection. And she adds: “Clean, clean, clean! Remove clutter inside and out. Because buyers have plenty of choices, condition is a high priority.”

Townsend says that a “great loan for first-time buyers” is the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), a federal government-insured loan requiring a 3.5 percent down payment, any portion of which can be used as a gift.

“Mortgage lenders do have money to lend at very attractive rates,” says Townsend, “but our new guidelines, as well as the foreclosures and lower housing values, are making it very

difficult to reduce the overloaded inventory of homes for sale in our area and across the country.”

The stimulus package may not be THE answer, Townsend says, but if it “can be used to lower the principal balance on loans that are currently ‘upside down,’ homeowners can afford to stay in their homes, or at least be able to sell and pay off the lender.” n

A buyer’s market

With a large amount of inventory and low-interest rates, Realtors agree that now is the time to buy.

“For someone who wants to buy a home,” says Perry, “it will never be better.” For home buyers, he does caution people not to buy more than they can afford.

“Just like with stocks, you can’t time the [market]” says Vigh. “If it’s a buyer’s market, that certainly doesn’t mean to sit on your hands and wait for the perfect deal.” What it does mean is that there is more leverage and flexibility with negotiating than in the past.

Vigh says the market is moving in a better direction since November and adds that real estate is a good long-term investment.

March/April 2009 63

Fabulous Wine Cellars Wine enthusiasts celebrate the fruit of the vine

64 Golden Isles Magazine

The Wine Cellar at The Cloister

Photographs by

Harlan Hambright

March/April 2009 65

Mark and Cindy Sardo

An underground cellar in the Island Club

There is no drink more democratic than wine.

The nectar of the gods and the spirit of skid row, there is a vintage and a varietal to suit every palate. But the truly exceptional wines of the world, whether it’s the Old World or the New, beg to be preserved in the cool, dark confines of a cellar, preferably of one’s own. No longer a luxury affordable by only the rich homeowner dwelling on land buoyed by a deep water table, a wine cellar is as necessary to the wine enthusiast as a book shelf is to an avid reader or a dry storage slip is to a recreational boater. “It’s just a matter of your passions, your loves,” says Aaron Krisfalusi, a lifelong wine lover who recently converted a fourth bedroom in the Sea Palms home he shares with his wife and fellow connoisseur, Christy, into la cantina for their 2,300-bottle collection.

As wine becomes the investment du jour, one of the few sure things going, or the one most likely to give actual enjoyment in these mercurial times, the wine cellar is becoming de rigueur for the savvy entertainer. From the 10,000-bottle cellar beneath The Cloister Hotel on Sea Island to the model wine closet tucked inside the butler’s pantry at the Island Design and Architectural Center, photographer Harlan Hambright takes us on a tour of wine cellars in the Golden Isles.

Aaron and Christy Krisfalusi A converted bedroom in Sea Palms

66 Golden Isles Magazine

Don’t

Let Your Wealth Sail Away

QUICK TAX FACTS

RETIREMENT PLAN DEDUCTION LIMITS

EXCLUDING “CATCH-UP� PAYMENTS FOR INDIVIDUALS OVER 50 YEARS OF AGE

401k maximum salary deferral limitation Simple retirement account Roth IRA (non-deductible) Coverdell ESA (per child under 18) (non-deductible) Roth IRA Conversion - AGI Maximum

2009 $16,500 $11,500 $5,000 $2,000 $100,000

2008 $15,500 $10,500 $5,000 $2,000 $100,000

PROFIT SHARING AND PENSION PLANS (DEDUCTIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS) Corporate 25% up to $46,000 (2009 - $49,000) Self-employed retirement plan 20%* up to $46,000 (2009 - $49,000) * Of net self-employment income INDIVIDUAL RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS (TAXPAYER OR SPOUSE) Not a participant in another plan $5,000 Maximum (2009 - $5,000) **Active in another plan: Limited deduction based upon income levels.

For further questions or consultation please stop by one of our ofďŹ ces. You may also pick up a complete Quick Tax Facts guide at any of our ofďŹ ces.

0DFBO #PVMFWBSE t 44* (" t

Ben P. Lee, CPA, CGFM, CFO

Brunswick - (912) 265-1750 | Atlanta - (404) 256-1606 | Gwinnett - (770) 995-8800

March/April 2009 67

IDAC

An alcove off the Butler’s Pantry

Steve and Tina Bostic

A grotto inside the butler’s pantry on Sea Island

68 Golden Isles Magazine

Straton Hall Catering... more than just fabulous food.

We cater to your every need.

Floral design, vintage limos, cakes, ice sculptures, and exquisite cuisine.

1175 North Beachview Drive, Jekyll Island, GA 31527 s WWW STRATONHALL COM photo provided by lifegalleryphotography.com March/April 2009 69

Open Mic Night Story By

70 Golden Isles Magazine

and

Photos

Rachel Green

Just get a guitar and learn how to play Cut up some jeans, come up with a name When you’re living in a world that you don’t understand Find a few good buddies, start a band And all those girls (guys) that were too cool to talk to, They’ll be waiting in the line out back Might get your picture in the hometown paper Maybe buy your momma that Cadillac!

– “Start A Band,” Brad Paisley (2008)

A

Thank Goodness It ’s Monday

Are you guilty of secretly using your hairbrush for a microphone while singing your favorite song?

Do you wonder if anyone other than your reflection in the mirror would be entertained? Or maybe you’re just looking for something fun to do on one of the most dreaded days of the week – Monday. Open Mic Night at Palm Coast Coffee House just might be the solution you seek.

Open Mic Nights are popular throughout the country, offering amateur entertainers an opportunity to perform for a live audience, something they might not otherwise be able to do. Musicians Chad Clark and Jordan Edwards, members of the local band Cornpone Nation, are the collaborative pair responsible for the event. They spent countless hours sharing ideas and crafting a unique

Open Mic experience, one that would attract all performers, young or old, and would be entirely acoustic (no plug-and-play instruments allowed).

With format in hand, they needed a venue. Palm Coast in the Pier Village on St. Simons Island proved to be the perfect place. Owners Rachel and Eric Reagan originally vacationed on the island and quickly fell in love with the leisurely atmosphere, despite the dearth of good places to “hang out,” places where visitors could relax, meet new friends and enjoy a good cup of coffee.

The couple opened Palm Coast in 2005 to fill the void. The rocking chairs on the front porch are inviting and immediately make customers feel at home. Once past the red door, there are two big comfortable couches to curl up on with a book or your

laptop. Free Wi-Fi is available, as are less technical amusements, such as a game of checkers. The walls are covered with artwork by local artists.

And entertainment is covered every Monday by local musicians testing their mettle on Open Mic Night.

Clark and Edwards debuted Open Mic Night in the summer of 2008 to a standing-room-only crowd.

The stage is set up on a covered patio outside, which is ideal in the spring, summer and fall. Cold winter nights, which are very random in our area, are still busy nights and outdoor heaters keep the crowd warm.

Regardless of the temperature, the event has proven to be a success.

“We have no trouble drawing a crowd and, surprisingly, need more performers as opposed to audience,” Clark says.

March/April 2009 71

There are usually eight to 12 entertainers on the list and each performer is allowed three songs.

This makes the stage available to everyone.

Even newcomers to the island are drawn to the venue. Such is the case with artist David Dantzler, who is originally from Santee, S.C. Dantzler moved to St. Simons Island in February 2008, when he accepted a position as a Geographic Information System (GIS) Analyst at the Coastal Georgia Regional Development Center in Brunswick. Dantzler is a regular at Open Mic, which he describes as a great way to spend a Monday night.

Dantzler has a magnetic personality which is reflected in his ability to entertain a crowd. His performances at Open Mic Night even led to a gig at Pranzo’s in Brunswick, an opportunity that otherwise might not have been presented. Artists enjoy a

good round of applause, Clark says, but “there’s no higher compliment than being offered a gig.”

Some performers write their own music and use Open Mic Night as an opportunity to preview their songwriting abilities. Jared Kuykendall is a crowd favorite who regularly premieres original material.

A caddie at Sea Island’s Ocean Forest golf club, he’s always had a passion for music. He received his first guitar at age 18 and actually taught himself to play. Five years later he wrote his first song and says 30 percent of his music is original material. Kuykendall has played locally at Bubba Garcia’s and as the featured entertainment at Palm Coast on Friday nights.

Rose Kennedy takes advantage of the opportunity to perform during Open Mic Night because unlike other venues, she is not limited by her age.

Rose is only 17 and not allowed in

Chad Clark and Jordan Edwards, founders of Open Mic Night and members of Cornpone Nation.

72 Golden Isles Magazine

local bars. Palm Coasts’ Open Mic Night has no age limitations. She is planning to attend Wesleyan College and study music and theater upon her graduation later this year from Frederica Academy. Her talent is obvious, especially as she sings her signature song, “I Want You to Want Me,” by Cheap Trick.

“It’s not about one person or one band.

There’s no spotlight on any one performer.

It’s about sharing the stage and getting a wide variety of good music out to the people that come to enjoy the atmosphere.”

– David Dantzler

Open Mic Nights are hosted weekly on Monday and usually begin between 8:30 and 9 p.m. The Reagans offer a variety of menu options and the coffee is always hot. Free Wi-Fi is available if you get there early and want to surf the Internet or check your email while relaxing on one of the two couches.

Performers should arrive at 8 p.m. to sign up.

Artists are allowed to perform regardless of talent for a “good, forgiving crowd.” There are no special requirements for performers other than keeping it acoustic. n

See and Hear Open Mic Night Online: URL for Cornpone Nation MySpace Page and Open Mic Night: www.myspace.com/cornponenation

“My rugged outward appearance may be a bit deceiving.

I’m actually a good wholesome girl with an infinite passion for music. I live for Monday nights.”

– Rose Kennedy

March/April 2009 73

Mary Tappan Garrison and one of her five “stray” cats, Gray Lady.

Mary inherited her love of strays from her mother, who had a pet chicken that followed her everywhere.

The chicken would sit on the back of the porch swing while Mary’s mother painted its toenails. Mary jokes that the poultry gene skipped her and now inhabits her daughter, who once had a chicken of her own, along with a goose named Jacques Cousteau.

by Mary Helen Moses photos by Tim Brown

I A

Life Well-Lived, AND

Well-Told 74 Golden Isles Magazine

If you enter Sweet Mama’s some morning and notice a lovely whitehaired lady reading a book or chatting with folks, stop, look and listen. You may have stumbled upon Mary Garrison, a woman with many wonderful stories to tell.

Born Mary Tappan, she grew up in Greensboro, about halfway between Atlanta and Augusta, but Mary’s earliest memories are of the antebellum house in the small town of White Plains that belonged to her father’s family. After the Civil War, Mary’s grandfather hired a teacher for his children, set up a school in his own home, and invited the other children in town to be educated.

Mary herself reveled in the stories of the teacher, “Aunt Burma,” and loved to play in the old schoolroom with its double desks. Her love for learning and her gift for teaching may have had their roots in that old schoolroom.

Mary’s teaching career began in Atlanta in the 1950s and ended with her retirement a few years ago from the Glynn County School System. She was a beloved figure at Altama and Goodyear

elementaries. She recalls with love and laughter her students’ responses to her retirement.

“One student asked me how old I was and I told him. He was a little shocked and then he said it was a good thing I was retiring because the class was going to middle school and wouldn’t be there to take care of me.” Mary still runs into her students, and was thrilled when former student Maria Lugue won the position of Glynn County Solicitor. Mary says Maria looks just like she did as a fifth grader.

It was actually Mary’s success in teaching that brought her to the Golden Isles for the first time from Atlanta.

Mary was teaching the granddaughter of Georgia’s governor. Until she was assigned to Mary’s class, the child had been afraid to go to school. The grateful governor told Mary that he wanted to do something nice for her. Mary, being Mary, thought for a minute and laughingly suggested that he make her lieutenant governor. Instead, the governor gave Mary and her husband, Jerry, two weeks at Jekyll Island, when construction of The Wanderer hotel was still in progress. Mary remembers the island as a primitive tourist spot; they would come out in the morning and find deer licking the salt off their car.

A call from Sea Island Co. President A.W. Jones Jr. in the 1970s lured Jerry Garrison to the coast again, where he built spec houses on Sea Island. After a few months working alone here, Jerry returned to Atlanta and persuaded Mary to move. As Mary says, “St. Simons gave Jerry the opportunity to be near the two things he loved the most – the shore and airplanes.” Jerry had a number of offices during his St. Simons years, all on the airport grounds. He designed and built several residences on Sea Island and St. Simons Island, but perhaps his most interesting was the house

where he and Mary made their home.

It was an old rectory, built by Anson Dodge, that Jerry took apart and moved from the grounds of Epworth to College Street, where it remains today.

Mary and Jerry lived out their retirement years in the old rectory, a far piece from her beginnings in Northeast Georgia, but not so different in atmosphere. Mary’s memories of growing up in a little Georgia town are idyllic: a wonderful picture of life in a close and secure environment where folks looked out for each other. “One day,” she says, “the school principal came into my classroom and said, ‘Give me Mary Tappan!’ As I followed him to his office, I was terrified of what might come next. When we got there, he announced, ‘You don’t need this class.

I want you to go to the hardware store and get me the things on this list.’”

As Mary walked down the street on her errand, she saw a friend of her father’s, who immediately demanded the reason why she was not in school.

She told him about the errand she was running, and he said, “We’ll see about that!” He called the principal and verified her story. When she asked him what he would have done had it not checked out, he replied: “I would have called your father!” Mary knew she wouldn’t get away with much in Greensboro.

With America fully entrenched in fighting World War II, Mary left Greensboro at 16 and enrolled in Wesleyan College in Macon. It was that same year that she met Jerry for the first time. When Mary saw the tall young man in the USAF uniform, she said to herself, “If I were more than 16 years old, I’d be smart enough to catch that tall one!” She must have been wise for her years – within a year, they were engaged. Jerry’s assignment as a flight instructor at nearby Cochran Field meant that they saw each other often, and Mary was happy to have him safe at home. Jerry, however, was applying for combat positions. As he told Mary: “I don’t want this war to pass me by.”

It didn’t. At the end of 1944, Jerry was selected to fly B-17 bombers out of England. He flew 25 successful bombing missions, an amazing record for that day and time. Jerry bailed out once over France, when his engines failed.

He managed to parachute down near his crew and learned, to his relief, that they were in free France and were safe.

He kept his parachute with him until he got to England. When he learned that it was too torn to be mended, he packed it up and sent it to Mary, who was still in college in Georgia. His bombing missions completed as the war in Europe was ending, Jerry assisted in the evacuation of Jews from the concentration camps.

Jerry came home to Mary in Greensboro in the fall of 1945. They married on Dec. 4, at the home of the Methodist minister in Madison. Mary, of course, has a story about their wedding.

“Those were the days when no one really had central heat, and fuel was scarce. So people only heated the rooms where they spent the most time.

We arrived at the house in the early morning, and the minister’s wife told us that we could get married in the March/April 2009 75

fun.* kitchen or the bedroom. We chose the bedroom.”

Mary wore a suit to her wedding.

Her blouse was made from the silk from Jerry’s parachute. To Mary’s consternation, Jerry’s uniform still fit nearly 60 years later, when he wore it to a dedication service in Brunswick for World War II veterans. “Jerry had to be one of the few veterans who could still wear his uniform,” she says. “When he put it on and it still fit him perfectly, I told him divorce was in his future if he didn’t get a pot belly.” Nothing could have been further from the truth. More than one person heard Mary say about Jerry: “When he leaves the room, it’s as though all the air goes out of it.”

Mary lost her beloved Jerry on July 31, 2007. She misses him deeply, but she doesn’t mourn. Her outlook is upbeat and full of humor and gratitude.

She speaks of a happy childhood, a great college experience, and a secure and rewarding marriage with the man of her dreams. Nothing to mourn there.

If you see Mary Garrison, take a minute to stop and talk – no, listen.

You will inevitably hear a story that will bring a smile, a tear or two, and some wisdom to take with you. She is one of the treasures of St. Simons Island.

Mary Tappan Garrison is a teacher and a storyteller, a true local character. n

76 Golden Isles Magazine

GoldenIsles magazine

Special Bridal Section

Dana Parker models Mother-of-the-Bride for Evelyne Talman Photographed by Tracy Adams/Life Gallery March/April 2009 77

An

ening: wis McKinley v E n r e h t d Sou aura Cross and Le k Enchante ic L

nsw e of Marriag town Bru n e w h t o g D n i c t i ra tor tion Celeb City Hall in His ber 17, 2008 p e c e R A ld to Held at O The Evening of Oc

s elections: and bacon crumble s y a tr r e onnaise assed silv Butler-p tarragon pesto may k olive medley blac with mata and ndwiches la a s a to K a a m rn to d with • Southe etta toppe h c h s u r B • s: rmelon wit n o te ti a w ta s d s n e a uvr ies Hors d’oe ineapple, blueberr p , eydew e colate loupe, hon ream dipping sauc ta n a white cho nd toast points c h f o it s w c it d u h le c fr z a n al Fre erries driz pepper flatbreads orange • Season b w a tr s f o piaries cracked llow and lephant to ported cheese with ns, roasted red, ye e e z n o r •B onio d im mestic an chini and Vidalia ean humus o d f o y la esh florals zuc ran disp , r fr n e h f s a it o s a d n ti u e r r q u s M A e • pers and eggplant, carved ic asted Asian spoons p d e g p le in il ll r r e e b w G to • d on to eath a nd p cast ben oom salsa displaye ne ground grits a im r h s ia eorg mushr with sto ons • Wild G h shiitake p and grits station it w itasse spo and r m ta e r d ta h im a it r n w h s s astal cream glasse • Ahi tu inning Co cream in martini s with horseradish w d r a w •A sausage edallion Andouille d beef tenderloin m r dollar yeast rolls ilve ncruste uce with s a s l • Herb e e b e z e J e station: Beverag sweet tea • Georgia ed water -infus • Lemon le lemonade rn sty • Southe Swiss dots d e z li r a e ake: ssed in p Bride’s C uccino filling, dre capp ocha and m h it w e k und ca square po d e r e y ake: la • MultiGroom’s C k chocolate drizzle r te with da la o c o h c y • Hershe

78 Golden Isles Magazine

Once Upon An Enchanted Southern Evening

By Amy H. Carter Photos by Nancy J. Reynolds

Laura Cross is known for many things – her charm, her grace, her philanthropy and her financial savvy.

What she isn’t known for – and she’ll readily admit this – is planning and executing parties. So when it came time to design the reception celebrating her marriage Oct. 17, 2008, to Lewis McKinley, Cross sought professional help.

“She came in and said, ‘I just need you to take care of it,’ and she was pretty much ready to get back in the car,” says Stacy Bass, the leader of the creative team that came to Cross’ aid.

Cross knew she wanted an Old World Theme. As for translating that into flowers, food and decor, she had no clue what to do.

“I’m a numbers person,” laughs Cross, who is president and CEO of Oglethorpe Bank.

To that Bass and his team at Straton Hall – Jay Anderson and Crickett Brown – would say: We are the party people.

With just 30 days to plan and execute their vision for Laura’s wedding, Straton Hall pulled together a sumptuous event they refer to as “An Enchanted Southern Evening.”

“It was exactly what I wanted although I didn’t know how to articulate it,” Cross says.

“Old world charm meets downtown elegance,” is how Bass articulated it.

Straton Hall handled everything but the dress, Cross says, and that came from The Lady in White, a bridal shop in downtown Brunswick.

Bass says Straton Hall envisioned the Cross-McKinley wedding and reception as a celebration of the revival of downtown, epitomized by the renovation and restoration of Old City Hall, and the establishment of new businesses like The Lady in White. McKinley himself is a long-time downtown business owner.

He married Cross at the First United Methodist Church on Norwich Street, a congregation organized in 1838.

Ironically, the congregation met in the old Glynn Academy Building that recently moved back to the Glynn Academy campus across the street from the church. The Cross-McKinley marriage was celebrated with the reception at historic Old City Hall, which has stood for more than a century at the foot of Newcastle Street.

March/April 2009 79

During the reception, Cross even exchanged her long lace wedding gown for a generously skirted tealength dress and engaged in a ballroom dance with her new husband.

“You don’t see ballroom dancing much at weddings anymore,” Bass says.

Straton Hall stages 300 special events a year – an average of six weddings per Saturday – and each is tailored to the bride and groom or the host and hostess’s own desires and needs.

“The catch phrase I use (with brides) is, ‘She’s the star of the day and I want it to be all about her,’” says Crickett Brown, event planner.

“It’s about the host of the party or the bride and groom,” Bass adds. “We’re not about selling package A, B, C or D.” n

80 Golden Isles Magazine

Bridal Registry

CUNNINGHAM JEWELERS

Golden Isles Premier Jeweler Since 1916 1510 Newcastle Street, Brunswick, Georgia (912) 265-8652 March/April 2009 81

2

4

1 3 7 6 5 8

9

10

11

82 Golden Isles Magazine

13

12

1 & 6. Spring bridal bouquet from The Flower Basket in Brunswick and on St. Simons Island, composed of: Espreance, or Oprah Winfrey, roses with rhinestone centers; delistars; green buttons and green cymbidium orchids, stem-wrapped with a rhinestone beaded chain.

2. Bouquet wrap with oval photo charm and silk ribbon by Planetjill, custom-made heirloom jewelry. Order from local representative Meg Schwarzrock by calling 407/7545047, or online at www.planetjill.com.

3. Something Blue wedding pin with circle photo charm, Planetjill.

4. Two-in-one beaded frame and photo necklace. Beaded frame can be worn alone or with photo insert. By Planetjill.

5. Customized decorative ceramic plate and ornament, at Mimi’s on St. Simons Island.

1521 Newcastle Street Historic Downtown Brunswick www.ladyinwhitebridal.com

7. Simply elegant bridal bouquet of peonies, lisianthus and bear grass loops, wrapped with a satin ribbon. From The Flower Basket, Brunswick and St. Simons Island.

8. Hand-painted black-and-white polka dot Mr. & Mrs. frame, by Lampwear, at Mimi’s.

9. “Wedding Chic,” by Colin Cowie, at Mimi’s.

10. Tabletop bouquet of white dendrobium orchids, green deli-stars, green cymbidium orchids and Espreance roses with silver rhinsetone sprays set in a silver tray filled with rhinestone chips.

11. Tote bag, towel and slippers, all by Mindy Weiss for Two’s Company, at Mimi’s.

12. “Do Not Disturb” door hanger, by Mindy Weiss for Two’s Company, at Mimi’s.

13. Shoe bag and sachets, by Mindy Weiss for Two’s Company, at Mimi’s.

March/April 2009 83

GoldenIsles magazine

Wedding Show

The 2009 Golden Isles Magazine Bridal Fair and Fashion Show drew a crowd of approximately 500 guests. Fifty-two vendors offered diverse services and merchandise to help make the “big day” perfect for wedding couples. Caterers, restaurants and bakeries shared delicious hors d’oeuvres, cakes, and decadent desserts. The fashion show was the highlight of the afternoon, with models showing off The Lady in White, Gentlemen’s Outfitters, Evelyne Talman, Spaulding’s The Pilates Loft to a standing room only audience. While the wedding gowns and tuxedos were the main attractions of the fashion show, trendy attire for attendants, classic looks for the mother of the bride, and fun new styles in honeymoon casual wear were also big hits on the runway.

Photographed by Tracy Adams/Life Gallery and Michael Hall

Model Holly Wright 84 Golden Isles Magazine

Models Hayley Davenport and Christopher Joyner Wedding arbor courtesy Susan McLemore, Elegant Wedding Arbors, weddingarbor@gmail.com

Cleveland Craig modeling mother-of-the-bride

Niki Shupe modeling a cheery yellow bridesmaid’s dress

Bonnie Hunter in classic wedding white

March/April 2009 85

Model Emily Thompson

Adorable flower girl Anna Beth Carroll

Dana Parker wowing the fashion show audience

86 Golden Isles Magazine

Model Amanda Carroll

Straton Hall’s lovely presentation

The Straton Hall team

Where the Occasion Begins...

Model Claire Rentz

Models Katelyn Rikansrud and Christopher Joyner

Mother of the Bride | Special Occasions Sportswear | Evening Separates 3301 Frederica Road • St. Simons Island • (912) 638-3470 • evelynetalman.com

ON - SITE ALTERATIONS AVAILABLE

March/April 2009 87

Audio-visual vendor AVI-SPL

Guests admire cakes created

by Serendipity Bakery

Specializing In A Variety Of Treatments &OR !LL /F 9OUR 3KIN #ARE .EEDS We Specialize In: Skin Cancer MOHS Micrographic Surgery Psoriasis Acne Allergies Eczema Moles Skin Infections Phototherapy Sclerotherapy Obagi Skin Products

Photographer Mike Force

Edward DiPreta MD

Board Certified Dermatologist

J. Eric Seymour PA-C

Certified Physician Assistant

Brunswick Dermatology Our full time local Brunswick office staff are here for the health of your skin.

The ladies of Mary Kay

3008 East Park Avenue Brunswick, Georgia 31520 s &AX #AMDEN /FlCE 4OLL &REE

Please contact our offices for additional information and to arrange an appointment.

.EW 0ATIENTS 7ELCOME 88 Golden Isles Magazine

The Life Gallery

GOLDEN ISLES DINING blackwater grill

EL POTRO

260 redfern village/ St. Simons Island

3460 cypress mill rd./ Brunswick

(912) 634-6333 Blackwater features Low Country Cajun & Southern Coastal Cuisine in a casual, friendly atmosphere.

Located in Redfern Village. Open Sunday through Thursday 5:30 pm to 9:00 pm; Friday & Saturday 5:30 to 10:00 pm.

(912) 264-1619 At EL POTRO we use only the freshest homemade salsa, chips, chile rellenos, steak and much more. Every menu item is prepared to order with the ingredients of your choosing. We combine authentic, quality ingredients to assure that you have the best possible dining experience at EL POTRO.

BARBERITOS 250 Golden Isles Plaza/ Brunswick 509 Ocean Blvd / St. Simons Island

(912-261-2840) • (912-634-2812) Barberitos proudly serves its patrons with southwestern cuisine that is fresh and healthy! The produce arrives daily, yielding only fresh, homemade menu items to its customers including burritos, tacos, salads and more. Catering any event is our specialty! Two locations serve your area.

Captain Joe’s Seafood 5296 New Jesup Highway / Brunswick

(912) 264-8771 Captain Joe’s Seafood features seafood, combinations such as steak and chicken, salads, an endless soup and salad bar and a children’s menu. Hours are 11 am to 10 pm every day.

GNATS LANDING redfern village / st. simons island

(912) 638-7378 A “Flip-Flop Friendly” environment for Beach goers and locals! Relax in and enjoy some good ole’ American fare.

Menu of daily specials, fresh seafood, salads, sandwiches, fried pickles…not to mention the $8,000 Margarita…are all beyond “Beach Casual”.

JMAC’S 407 Mallery Street/ St. Simons Island

(912) 634 - 0403 J Mac’s, located in the village on St. Simons, offers eclectic, continental cuisine with emphasis on Italian, French, and Thai. Mac Mason and Chef Mary Schowe feature an appetizing selection of steaks, chops, game and local seafood. In addition to a

wide variety of martinis, the upscale yet casual bar offers classic cocktails and an excellent wine list. The dining room and bar are available for private parties and wedding receptions/dinners. The restaurant is open Monday – Saturday, 6 to 11 p.m. The bar is open till 1:00 a.m. and offers live music on Friday and Saturday nights.

LATITUDE 31 1 Pier Road/Jekyll Island

(912) 635-3800 At Latitude 31 you can enjoy radiant sunsets and experience the Golden Isles’ premier dining destination. We offer the best service and finest food, in a casual atmosphere. Experience the wonders of nature at The “Rah” Bar which features Georgia Wild Shrimp, Dungeness Crab, Oysters, and our Famous Low Country Boil. Additionally we offer seasonal entertainment.

Ole Times Country Buffet 665 Scranton Road/Brunswick

(912) 264-1693 Ole’ Times Country Buffet is “Home Cookin’ the Way Mama Does It!” Voted #1 in Southern Cooking and Best Country Buffet in South Georgia and North Florida for the last 8 years running.

March/April 2009 89

B

Who Were Those

ullbat

Time

90 Golden Isles Magazine

Masked Men?

by Julie Custer Altman

In the late 1960s, a group of men – the movers and shakers of the day – began gathering every Friday for lunch at the Deck, a restaurant and bar that colorfully graced the entrance to the F.J. Torras Causeway where Walgreen’s now resides. They dubbed themselves the Sacred Secret Order of the Raccoons, after the Raccoon Club on the TV show “The Honeymooners.” Composed of bankers, insurance brokers, Realtors, politicians and every kind of businessman in between, the club drafted its own charter, its own coat of arms and its own motto, in Latin, which roughly translates: “We aim at nothing, we cannot miss.”

Such insouciance begs for a signature drink, which would be the worldfamous Raccoon. Offered only at Bennie’s Red Barn, the Raccoon was first shaken and stirred by Bennie’s namesake and Raccoon member, Bennie Gentile. The Raccoon remains on Bennie’s menu to this day. Billed as “a milkshake with a kick,” it’s a rich blend of brandy, Kahlua, chocolate and ice cream that leaves its fans teetering drunkenly on the brink between Weight Watchers and Alcoholics Anonymous.

If it eases your mind any at all, the signature drink didn’t come to be until after the Raccoons began meeting at night, and at the Red Barn.

They first moved their luncheon to the supper hour at the old Holiday Inn that once stood on the corner of Gloucester Street and U.S. Hwy. 17 in Brunswick. Perhaps seeking a more secluded venue for their games, they retreated to the island. That’s not to say that they kept a low profile by any means, just a shadowy one.

When the perennially controversial topic of consolidation threatened to merge the governments of Brunswick and Glynn County, the Raccoons were not afraid to comment, just to commit. They took out a large advertisement in The Brunswick News that stated: “We the Raccoon Club are squarely behind the issue.”

Another time they planned a fishing trip, which of course necessitated bait. The Raccoons went with the best, intending to order 20 dozen ballyhoo. When it came time to deliver the fish, the delivery truck was directed to the Comeaux Ford dealership, which was under the care of a Raccoon member.

He received 200 dozen ballyhoo on behalf of his fellow Raccoons. Fish were everywhere. They say the dealership had a lingering eau de fish for a long time.

Next time you’re in Bennie’s, raise a Raccoon to its founders, men who knew how to shake off the stress of responsibility and have a good time, masked or not. n

March/April 2009 91

t s Be Best of

3rd Annual

Tabby & Tillandsia 3rd Annual rd Coastal Illustrated Garden TabbyWalk & Tillandsia 3 rd Annual 3 Annual Tabby Tillandsia Garden Walk sland St. SimonsTabby Island&&Tillandsia Garden Walk Sea Island St. Simons Island Garden Walk May 2-3, 2009 n the “Best of Coastal Illustrated,” we will bring you select photographs of Sea Island St. Simons Island local events and social gatherings from the pages and files of the Coastal oy a select group of2-3, the Islands May 2009 Sea Island St. Simons Island Illustrated. Check these pages to see who you know and what’s happening Advance Tickets $30 Annual st Inspiring Private Gardens around the Golden Isles. Want to see more? You can access copies of the May 2-3, 2009 current Coastal Illustrated online at www.thebrunswicknews.com by clicking a select group of the 2-3, Islands For 2009 further information: &pg Tillandsia May forEnjoy garden-related merchandise Advance Tickets $30 the Coastal Illustrated tab at the top of the home page.

Most Inspiring Private Gardens &

&

&

I

&

www.cassinagardenclub.org ur popular Garden Market* g Enjoy a select group of the Islands For further information: Advance Tickets $30Society Annual Luncheon: More than 70 Symphony Symphony g Enjoy select group of912-638-1833 theGardens Islands Shop for garden-related merchandise Private Most aInspiring Advance Society Tickets $30 wg our Exhibition* members gathered for their annual luncheon at Halyards Restaurant Inspiring Private Gardens Most www.cassinagardenclub.org in our popular Garden Market* Floral Photography For further information: on St. Simons Island.

Attendees were treated to an outstanding musical * FREE, Open to the public 912-638-1833 g Shop for garden-related merchandise For furtherpresentation information: t.g Simons Island by eight members of the Strings Ensemble of the Youth g Shop for garden-related merchandise www.cassinagardenclub.org View our Exhibition* in our popular Garden Market* www.cassinagardenclub.org Symphony of the Coastal Symphony of Georgia. in our popular Garden Market* 912-638-1833 of Floral Photography * FREE, Open to the public 912-638-1833 g View our Exhibition*

1. From left, Sue Myers, MJ Choate and Symphony Society g View our Exhibition* of Floral Photography * FREE, Open to thePresident public Sue Cansler

of Floral Photography * FREE, Open to the public

2. From left, Carol Ploeger, Pat Collins, Nancy Butler, Billie roup of the Islands Advance Tickets $30 Huggins and Jane Thomas g Private Gardens

en Walk

2-3, 2009

For further information: • www.cassinagardenglub.org • 912-638-1833 *For FREE, Open information: to the public further

n-related merchandise Garden Market*

hibition* otography

www.cassinagardenclub.org 912-638-1833

The Perfect Perfect Wedding Wedding * FREE, Open to the public

Ad for Golden Isles

3. Strings Ensemble of the Youth Symphony performing

Read & Feed Book Group Joins Big Read: Members of the Read & Feed Book Group recently met at Cindy Baird’s lovely Sea Palms home to enjoy a great meal and lively discussion of “To Kill a Mockingbird” as part of GIAHA’s Big Read community literacy program. As an added bonus, the girls surprised book group member Lorena Harris with a red velvet cake for her birthday.

or Golden Isles

sles

4. From left, front row: Rebecca Cranz, Lorena Harris, Cindy Baird and Anne Kranz; middle row: Melissa Stroud and Catherine Squire; and back row: Dana Arlauskas, Ann Sisley, Leslie Entwistle and Maryann Mitchell.

5. From left, Anne Kranz and GIAHA Executive Director Heather Heath look on as Lorena Harris blows out the candles on her birthday cake.

Robinson-Ramsey Wedding Shower: Friends and family joined Rebecca Robinson and Kyle Ramsey for a wedding shower at the home of Becky and Chick Candler. The couple’s wedding ceremony took place in the Grand Caymans in February.

Ad for Golden Isles Ad for Golden Isles

6. Shower honorees Kyle Ramsey and Rebecca Robinson 7. From left, Greer Anderson and Aimee Branch

~ Elegant St. Simons Island, GA location ~ Tropical Courtyard and Pool Area ~ Southern-Style Gazebo for Exquisite Photos ~ Exceptional Ceremony, Rehearsal & Reception Facilities 1 (800) 673-6323, (912) 638-7805 301 Main Street, Plantation Village St. Simons, GA 31522 www.bestwestern.com/islandinn 92 Golden Isles Magazine

Island Inn

Hospice Auxiliary Members Coffee: The Hospice of the Golden Isles Auxiliary recently held its first members coffee at the A.W. Jones Heritage Center on St. Simons Island. Since the non-profit organization’s formation three months ago, over 300 members have joined. Fundraising initiatives, such as the “Open Homes, Open Hearts for Hospice” program will take place over the coming months - stay tuned!

8. From left, Auxiliary President Janice Lamattina and Hospice Executive Director Karen Brubaker 9. From left, Bonnie Thompson and Ashley Hornbuckle 10. From left, JoAnn Mooney, Kathy Otto and Joanne Scott

t

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

March/April 2009 93

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

March - April

EVENTS | OPPORTUNITIES | HAPPENINGS | GATHERINGS

March 29, 2009

A Taste of Glynn A Taste of Glynn, the signature event that raises funds for Amity House, will feature the area’s top restaurants, caterers and chefs offering plenty of savories and sweets to tantalize your taste buds. Enjoy an evening of live entertainment, a silent auction and a wine raffle overlooking the beaches at the King & Prince Beach and Golf Resort on St. Simons Island. Tickets are $40 in advance, $50 day of the event.

Details: www.atasteofglynn.com

March 6 - 28: The Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association presents “Elysium: A Gathering of Souls,” a Southern Arts Federation photo exhibit composed of images from the above-ground cemeteries New Orleans calls her “cities of the dead.” In the gallery of the Ritz Theatre in downtown Brunswick.

Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Details: 262-6934 or info@goldenislesarts.org March 13-15, 20-22, 27-29: The Island Player’s production of “Over the River and Through the Woods” by Joe DiPietro. The Players return to the St. Simons Island Casino stage with this heart-warming comedy about life, love and family ties. Evening performances at 8 p.m. and Sunday 94 Golden Isles Magazine

matinees at 3 p.m. General admission seating $20 for adults and $5 for students 18 and under. Details: www. theislandplayers.com March 20:

The Swiss Wind Quintet is joined on the stage of the Glynn Academy Auditorium by internationally acclaimed ensemble pianist Michiko Otaki for a concert featuring Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds and Romantic Sextet by Ludwig Thuille.

One performance only. Sponsored by the Brunswick Community Concert Association. Tickets: $25 adults, $10 students/children. Details: www. brunswickcommunityconcert.org March 24-29: “Fiddler On the Roof” comes to the Times-Union Center in Jacksonville.

This is a rare chance to see the original Tevye, TOPOL, perform the role he made famous. Details: www. artistseries.fccj.org April 3 - 25:

Glynn Art Association presents the 16th Annual Spring Fine Arts & Crafts Festival. Over 80 exhibitors and food vendors will sell their wares at Postell Park, Pier Village on St. Simons Island in a wonderful outdoor event. Live music will fill the air and children can hone their artistic abilities in the art tent.

Details: www.glynnart.org

The Golden Isles Arts and Humanities Association and Keep Brunswick-Golden Isles Beautiful sponsor their 8th annual Recycled Trash Art Exhibit in the gallery of the Ritz Theatre in downtown Brunswick.

The exhibit will feature original artwork made from recyclable materials by students in all grade levels in Glynn County schools, from kindergarten through college.

The opening reception and awards presentation will be from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. April 3. Gallery hours are from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Details: 262-6934 or info@goldenislesarts.org April 4-5:

April 17-19: The 9th Annual Savannah Garden Exposition will take place rain or shine over three days. This year’s theme, “Our Square Roots,” honors the historic city’s distinctive planning and garden designs. The weekend will include demonstrations and lectures by gardening experts, fullsize exhibition gardens, an openair market featuring growers and

garden-related merchandise, and children’s activities. The tour ticket covers all three days and gives ticket holders access to all 12 gardens at their leisure on Friday or Saturday, as well as a special tour Sunday afternoon of Forsyth Park. Guest lecturers include Master Gardener Vince Dooley and Buddy Lee, the inventor of the Encore Azalea.

Details: www.savannahgardenexpo. com April 26: Glynn Art Association will host Plein Air Affair, a celebration of the visual arts. The Sea Island event will feature an array of delicious food and delightful beverages provided by Straton Hall and promises to be both fun and exciting. Days prior to the Plein Air Affair, artists will be painting in various locations throughout the Golden Isles; the resulting artwork will be auctioned along with works by many other artists and creations by fine craftsmen. Proceeds will be used to expand Glynn Art’s educational programs. Tickets are $50 for members and $65 for nonmembers.

Details: www.glynnart.org

April 23-May 10, 2009

Wicked “Wicked,” the show The New York Times calls “Broadway’s biggest blockbuster” comes to the Times-Union Center in Jacksonville. This Grammy and Tony Award-winning musical shares the “untold story of the witches of Oz” before Dorothy arrived on the scene. Details: www.artistseries.fccj.org

March/April 2009 95

parting shot

a Room with a View

by Benjamin Galland 96 Golden Isles Magazine

#ARING &OR 4HE .EXT Generation Eric C. Stout MD, PC Board Certified Pediatrician

s !STHMA s !LLERGIES s !$$ !$($ s #OUGH #OLDS s 7ELL #HILD #HECKUP s .EWBORN "ABY #ARE s $ERMATOLOGY 2ASHES

Flu Shots (Limited Supply) Preservative & Mercury Free*

Are Your Child’s Immunizations Up To Date?

New GA School Requirements: 2 Doses each of Chicken Pox, MMR and Hepatitis A

0ERSONALIZED 0EDIATRIC #ARE s New Patients Welcome

!LLERGY (AY &EVER 3EASON (AS !RRIVED

Get Checked Out in Our “Theme Rooms�

$OES 9OUR #HILD 3UFFER &ROM !LLERGIES 2UNNY .OSE 7ATERY %YES OR #IRCLES 5NDER %YES #ALL &OR !N !PPOINTMENT

2500 Starling Street Suite 401, Brunswick *Available For Most Insurance Policies

912-554-0542

!CCEPTING -OST )NSURANCES