Chesapeake Bay Living: Willoughby Live Oak

Written by Michelle Davenport

You loved reading about the area where your favorite authors live in our last blog didn't you?  Getting a glimpse of the fantastic mermaids that are in our area.

I know I did.  So we're going to try to do more blogs about the area.

I've lived in this area for more than a few years but I never knew about this tree until recently.  I have yet to actually go to the actual site, but this is such a cool article.  I now feel the need to find this place.

You never know the kind of history you're going to come across.  And this area is full of history.  I highly recommend that you explore your area.  You never know what hidden gem you'll find.  Maybe it'll be a small book store.  Or a wonderful coffee shop.  Or who knows what else?  The possibilities are endless!

So go out there and explore!

About the author: Michelle Davenport is the author of “Second Chances at East Beach” in By the Bay: East Beach Stories.  Her story “Tag!  You’re Dead” will be in Volume II, to be published in 2017.  For more information on Michelle, please visit her website. 

The Mermaids of East Beach

Written by Jayne Ormerod

Ahhh, mermaids.  Those half-women/half-fish sirens of the sea.  They have a bad reputation in mythology, where these sea maidens “would sing to men on ships or shores nearby, practically hypnotizing them with their beauty and song. Those affected would rush out to sea only to be either drowned, eaten, or otherwise sent to their doom.” So goes the legend, according to the Gods and Monsters website. Then along came Ariel in the Disney version of The Little Mermaid, and suddenly the sea nymph’s image became all innocence and whimsy, with a healthy splash of romance.

So what does a mermaid have to do with the city of Norfolk?  More specifically, our East Beach Peninsula? Would you believe it if I told you it all started with cows?  In 1999 local attorney Peter G. Decker Jr. and his wife Bess visited “Cows on Parade” in Chicago.  It turned out to be an effective marketing campaign that brought money to the Windy City.  

Ameritini in East Beach