Coconut Castaways Newsletter, August 2007, Des Moines, Iowa, Socialization and Community Service

I hope all of you are doing well and looking forward to a beautiful Spring and Summer! We have a lot of exciting events and volunteer opportunities coming up, so please pay attention to the club emails from Tammy, our Cruise Director and new Vice President. She does a great job of keeping us all informed, doesn’t she? Also, be sure and visit our website often (www.coconutcastawaysiowa.com) for updates on all of our events. I know many of you cannot participate in our Iowa events, but if you find any opportunities in your own community (and I know you will!), let us know about them.

At the end of February, several of us were able to “go cruising” together on the “First Annual” Mile Marker 24 and Coconut Castaways Cruise on the Carnival Triumph. It was a fantastic time! I was a first-time cruiser and I will have to say that it was a great experience for me. I hope to make this cruise the first of MANY cruises for me, especially if I can go back again to hang out with all of our GREAT Coconut Castaways members AND the Mile Marker 24

Band! I was so happy to meet all of you and I hope I can serve you well as president of the club. Your words of encouragement were very appreciated! I want to thank Jo, our travel agent, and Barb and Cyndy for putting everything together for the cruise … what a great idea!!

How cool was it to be on the beach at Half Moon Cay on a gorgeous day listening to MM24 and dancing and singing along! And to see people on the beach and even in the water getting involved with the concert, too, was great. Another special memory I have is being at Margaritaville in Grand Turk and hearing MM24’s “Blame it on the Margaritas” song and CD being played!

It was an honor to have Howard “swear in” all of our members with the Coconut Castaways Oath at one of our receptions, too. And hey, I even got to parasail in St. Thomas and go snuba diving in Grand Turk … two more “firsts” for me! Finally, I’d like to personally thank everyone that donated and participated in the “On Deck for the Cure” walk on the cruise. It was very heart-warming to see so many of you there. In addition to all the fun times we have, THAT is a big part of the Coconut Castaways spirit, too! Check out the MANY pictures from several club members on our website on the photos page. If you were ON the cruise, I’m sure you’ll find yourself in a picture or two … I took over 400 photos!!!

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as club president. I’d really love to see some of you get involved by joining our Board as Secretary, Social Director, or Charity Coordinator. We have a lot of fun serving on the Board and so will you! The club is almost a year old now and going strong. Please feel free to contact me with any ideas, suggestions, or just to say “hello” at EngelkenJD@aol.com.

A lot has been going on down here in the Keys lately. Daddy has moved to Huntsville, Alabama (rasha, rasha, rasha) (for those of you that don't know me, that cussing, but only Mama, Daddy and I know that). He took a job up there and I am going to freeze my feathers off!!! They keep telling me that they have a nice big room for me, but I like living in the living room here :( OH well!!! I guess if I love them enough I have to go where they go...
ADOPT ME HOWARD SO I CAN STAY IN THE KEYS!!!!!!!!!!!!

The band is getting better every time I get to hear them. You guys don't know what you are missing!!!! They have a new member, Bruce, and he's great!!! I just love those guys and they all do a wonderful job!!!

I hope they come to visit me when I get to the COLD, COLD north!!! Hey Howie and MM24, I won't be far from where you record and Mama and Daddy have promised that there will be room for you and Mama's a real good cook!!! She makes great baked potatoes and I can't wait for those to come out of the oven!! I had one tonight yuuuuuuuummmmmmmm LOL

I laugh you know. Especially when I see Howie.... he's the greatest!

I'm sure going to miss the Keys, but hope to see the band every time they are within driving distance for Mama and Daddy..... and that's a LOT!!!! I hope Howie doesn't disown me :( I'll be there every chance I get!!!!!

I'll still be a "Castaway" and a big fan FOREVER!!!!

HOWARD LIVINGSTON AND MILE MARKER 24: Blame It On The Margaritas

Howard Livingston and The Mile Marker 24 Band's song, "Blame It On The Margaritas" has been named Trop Rock Song of the Year by THE ISLAND TIME RADIO SHOW.
"We're honored" said Howard Livingston in an on air telephone interview with Island Time Radio Show host, Dennis King. "We are simply honored at this designation. The Trop Rock genre overflows with talented artists, and to have been picked as Song of the Year is an overwhelming honor".
Island Time Radio Show airs live on WBWC 88.3 FM in the Cleveland, Ohio area, and streaming online every Monday evening.

Hello Fellow Castaways,

This certainly has been a busy Spring for the band and myself. We had a wonderful time on the Mile Marker 24 / Coconut Castaways cruise. I think the planning is already underway for next year’s excursion. This was actually my first cruise where I didn’t drive the boat and I absolutely loved it. It didn’t hurt to have so many Castaway friends on board with us. Julie helped organize us for a cancer walk and it was heartwarming to see so many folks show up.

We arrived back from the cruise and headed the bus north to Pensacola Florida for the 9th Annual Stars Fell On Alabama. Our concert was at the historic Flora-Bama and we had a blast. What a great group of people! It is amazing to drive 17 hours and still be in the same state! We arrived back just in time to head north again for a private party. I am writing this from an airplane somewhere over Georgia on a crystal clear morning. We drove up from my home in the Keys and were rewarded with a magnificent sunrise. The sun started its brilliant light show just as we were crossing the Seven Mile Bridge. What a treat to live in such a great place.

We have been working on our new live CD/DVD, which will be released this Spring. This is our first DVD and we have had a blast filming and editing. Also, 2008 is the International Year Of The Reef and something very special is happening in May. The Vandenberg, a World War II troop transport ship will be sunk just off Key West. At 522 feet, the Vandenberg will be the largest ship ever sunk to become an artificial reef. I was honored when they asked me to write a song about this historic ship. The song is complete and they have decided to use it in all their promotions. The History Channel, Myth Busters, CNN and many other folks will be covering the sinking. You can hear our brand spanking new recording “The Vandenberg” on their website. www.bigshipwrecks.com Check it out, or better yet, come down for the sinking on May 15th!

We have a busy summer tour coming up and will probably be in a town near you. Please come out and say hello and enjoy a two-stroke margarita on us. We also have a great sponsor this year donating Bahamas trips. We have decided to give away a trip with each house party. We’re calling it “Have a house party this summer and go to the Bahamas this winter.” If you or anyone you know is interested in a large or small house party with the Mile Marker 24 Band performing, contact Barb at barb@milemarker24.com and she will give you all the details. It’s fun and affordable, you get a trip to the Bahamas and we get to party with you! I love my job!!!

On behalf of the entire Mile Marker 24 family, I would like to thank you for your support and for all the wonderful things you do as a Coconut Castaway. Special thanks to Julie, Tammy and Marc for making us all proud to be Coconut Castaways. Can’t wait to party in Iowa with you guys again this year.

During the MM24 Cruise, one of our members from the Keys, Gwen (also Bobbie’s mom!), organized a Door Decorating Contest. Participants were to decorate their cabin doors with the theme of a MM24 song. There were several creative doors and the judges, Doug and Tammy Weaver, had their work cut out for them! The following were chosen as winners:
1st Place – Brenda and Keith Murphy from New Jersey – their prize was $100 and a 30-minute private concert in Howard’s suite PLUS a signed one-of-a-kind picture of the band (left picture)
2nd Place – Chrissy Muscarello and Terry Miller from the Keys, who won $75
3rd Place – Elba Hada and Gino Biasi from Toronto, Ohio, who won $50
4th Place – Marc & Tammy Hollander from Urbandale, Iowa, who won $25 (right picture)

ALL participants in the door contest will get a signed copy of MM24’s new CD/DVD combination when it is released this spring. Thanks for organizing the contest, Gwen!

Can you say “Spring Fever”? Surely I can’t be the only one suffering from this malady this year. It’s been a tough winter but I believe spring is finally in sight, and that means summer isn’t too far away! How’s that for logic? The Coconut Castaways have a lot of fun and exciting plans for this spring and summer so let’s get right to it.

The first Birthday of the Coconut Castaways will take place in June. What a great year it’s been! We have far exceeded all expectations. From the swearing in of the first 13 club members on June 1, 2007 to our current membership of over 120 in 15 states, is a huge achievement and I would like to give a virtual high five to everyone who played a part in making that happen. You guys rock! I can’t wait to see what year 2 will bring. We plan on celebrating our first birthday with a camping weekend at Saylorville Lake near Des Moines. All club members are welcome to participate. Even if you don’t camp, you can come out during the day or evening then go home to sleep in your own bed. If you are within driving distance or want to be a part of the celebration, please contact us for more details. Kory Ellerbeck is in charge of putting the event together, but if you would like to help Kory plan some fun events for the weekend, drop me a line at my email below and we’ll get you signed up. Let’s have some fun with this.

Text Box: Board Members Tammy, Julie & Marc at Senor Frogs in San Juan Also, we’ll be “Bringing Key West to the Midwest” when Howard and Mile Marker 24 come to Iowa for what looks to be a 4-day extravaganza. The fun begins on Thursday, July 17. More details will follow, but this is the perfect opportunity for you out-of-Iowa members to plan a road trip. Come support the band as they make their official debut in Iowa. The more, the merrier, right? For info on where to stay or which local members might have a spare bedroom, drop me a line at the email address below. Let’s get all of you crazy Coconuts here in town for the weekend!

I wouldn’t be doing my job as VP and Cruise Director if I didn’t encourage all of you to keep spreading the word about Mile Marker 24 and the Coconut Castaways. Our goal is to continue to grow our membership so that we can do even more good in our local communities, no matter where we live. Please visit with your friends, family and any other fun people you feel would be a perfect addition to our group. Let’s see how quickly we can get to 200! We have an opportunity to really make this club huge and with your help we can certainly accomplish that.

There will be a 2nd Annual Mile Marker 24/Coconut Castaways cruise next year. You don’t want to miss out on it so start planning now. It was so much fun this year! Photos are posted on our web site. Let’s see how many Coconut Castaways we can get on the trip next year.

Until then, follow Howard’s advice and keep
Livin’ on Key West Time.

Hangin’ with Howie!
By Bill De Walt

Greetings, Fellow Castaways!

Boy, how time flies when you’re having fun! Did everyone have a GREAT time on the Cruise? Wasn’t that the BEST time you’ve ever had in February?

Anyway…… Boating….. Everyone loves boating, right? We have been out with Howie and Cyndy several times on the boat and always have a wonderful time. The scenery from the water is much different than driving down US 1, a trip we have made more times than I can count!

One of the best places to go in the Keys, accessible only by boat, is Snipe Keys, located almost due north of Big Coppet Key (If you have Google Earth or a similar program, it looks really cool). At low tide, there are long sandy beaches that look like a Shar-Pai dog, all wrinkled and rippled. When the tide comes in, you can literally watch the beach disappear before your eyes.

It was a picture perfect, Chamber of Commerce day, blue skies with patchy, puffy clouds drifting by, aqua and deep blue shades in the water, and a boat full of people on the way to Snipe Keys. Three men, three women and three dogs! It takes about 40 minutes to get from Howie’s dock to Snipe Keys, and it’s a good thing that the boat has made the trip before – it has this wonderful instrument in the dash that keeps track of where you’ve been and tells you how deep the water is, but most important, it lets you know where the dangers are! You would be surprised how many shallow spots there are, and most of them have all kinds of nasty things in them that will rip a hole in your boat pretty quick!

As we got closer to Snipe Keys, the three dogs, Zack, Abby, and Ester (She’s the dog on the beach with Howard on the “Blame it” CD, the picture was taken at Snipe Keys), got up close to the bow and got ready to jump in the water. The only problem with this is we were still 3 or 4 miles from where we were going to anchor, but the dogs were ready to jump in the water NOW!!! We grabbed the dogs, and made it safely to our anchor spot.

We had been enjoying ourselves for about two hours at Snipe Keys when I looked toward Key West and noticed there was a thunderstorm heading toward us. I told Howie we should head for home, and he said “In about another ten minutes.” You would be surprised how long ten minutes can become when you’re having fun! We heard a rumble of thunder in the distance and knew it was time to go.

Heading for home, we have to go out and around a point where the radio free Cuba blimps are located to make it back into the channel. As we rounded the point, we discovered the rumble of thunder we had heard was not from the storm near Key West, it was from a storm that we could not see that was heading right toward Howard’s house! Now, we normally cruise along at 24 – 28 mph – Today, we were cruising along at 34 mph trying to beat the storm! The twin 140 outboards were hummin’!

The closer we got to the house, the more the wind picked up and the ocean got rough – the tiny ship was tossed! Howie was doing his best to get us to the dock before the weather descended upon us. The bad thing is, you have to slow to “no wake” speed for quite a distance before you get to the dock!

No matter how hot a day it is, when the wind is blowing and the rain comes, it gets cold! We could almost reach out and touch the dock when the rain caught us. It was only for a few seconds, but it was enough to let us know we were going to get SOAKED if we did not make it to the dock soon! As we looked up the Keys, the rain clouds were almost coal black and the rain was so dense that you could not see anything along the horizon.

Almost there…. Almost there….. Finally, the dock! We’re saved! Except for one minor problem – The waves were 3-5 feet, the wind was pushing us out away from the dock and sea wall, and we were pointed in the wrong direction to properly meet up with the dock! No problem, right?

The rain was coming, the wind was howling, the ocean was no longer our friend, and we had to get the women and dogs ashore before the storm hit. After several attempts at a “normal” dockage, we abandoned all reason – we decided to do a “power slide” into the dock and use the wooden stairs to stop the boat! This was going to be a “one shot” deal……

I have to tell you, Howie made the power slide look like he had done it a million times before, it was picture perfect! We hit the stairs with the rear 1/3 of the boat, the boat moved toward the dock, we jumped onto the dock with the lines to tie the boat up, and got the girls and dogs out and into the house. We even had enough time to unload the boat and raise it up out of the water before the rain came. And boy, did it rain! The storm was like a mini hurricane – howling winds, waves coming up over the sea wall, rain coming down sideways – how fortunate we were to make it out of the water!

Just another day in Paradise!

Take care, and be safe…….. ‘Til next time, when we’re “Hangin’ with Howie!”

What a blast meeting a lot of you on the good ship Carnival “Triumph” this past month! Memories abound from that whole experience and a personal “thank you” to all who made my vacation that much more fun! Next year? HECK YEAH, COUNT ME IN!

Looking forward to a great start of spring (and summer?). We have planned lots of fun events the next few months that include some charity events, but always include good times, good fun, good people, and good exposure to what The Coconut Castaways and Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 is all about!

I, personally, could use help in your local areas; I need names and e-mail addresses of your Entertainment Magazines. That way if some members get together or if MM24 comes your way, I can send an e-mail out about it. As our “Cruise Director” is fond of saying “if 3 or more members get together, why THAT’S a “Jump Up”!! Get your names out there and get even MORE new members to be a part of The Coconut Castaways!

Stay in touch, keep an eye out for more announcements and hope to see some of y’all this summer when “Howie & Da Boyz” make it out to the Midwest!!

Slap Ya Mama Margaritas
(submitted by Dana Mau, daughter of Tammy & Marc Hollander)

** Note: Please make sure to slap your own mama. If you are drinkin' margaritas you are much more likely to be seein' my mama, but she is just too cute to slap! **

1/4 Cup Fresh Lime Juice (about one large lime)
1/4 Cup Tequila (Cuervo ... is there any other kind?)
1/4 Cup Triple Sec
1/2 Cup cracked ice
Lime wedges
Coarse salt

Do NOT, under any circumstances, use that nasty lime juice from the fake little plastic lime thingy. That is not makings for a good margarita. Rub the rim of 2 glasses with the lime wedge. Dip in the coarse salt to coat. In a shaker combine lime juice, tequila, triple sec. Add ice and shake for 10 to 15 seconds or until you just can't stand it anymore. Strain into prepared glasses (or if you are like my mama just stick a crazy straw in the shaker and go to town!)

Don’t forget, if you’re looking for a great place to go for a meal or drinks, go to the Down Under Bar & Grill! Always a great place and your home bar!

Here are some upcoming events in the Des Moines area that we’d like you to know about. Some are “official” Coconut Castaways events (dates are in BOLD) and others are events we’d like members to know about in case you’d like to support a cause, do some extra volunteering, or just have fun!

APRIL

Friday, April 4 – Iowa Stars Hockey Game & fundraiser for Children & Families of IA –
Wells Fargo Arena – 7:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 19 – Dance for the Cure with Standing Hampton –
Lake Robbins Ballroom – 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 23 – Steak Night Jump Up at Big Al’s in Waukee – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, April 26 – “Jimmy Buffett” Party & Variety Club Fundraiser –
Foxboro Center in Johnston – 7:00 p.m.

MAY

Saturday, May 3 – Duck Derby Fundraiser for Y.E.S.S.The Lake at Jordan Creek Town Center – 12:00-3:00 p.m.

Monday, May 5 – Cinco de Mayo Jump Up at El Rodeo in Urbandale – 6:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 10 – MyAngel Foundation 5k/10k Fundraiser in Waukee – 8:00 a.m.

Saturday, May 17 – Run for Ronald – 5k & 10k at Blank Park Zoo – 8:00 a.m.

JUNE

Friday-Sunday, June 6-8 – 1st Anniversary Jump Up Picnic and Camping
Saylorville – Details TBA soon!

Saturday, June 28 – Pieathlon Fundraiser to Fight Cancer – Adel, IA – Volunteers Needed

JULY

Friday, July 11 – Urbandale Friday Fest Beer Pouring – 4:30 p.m.
Sponsored by Down Under Bar & Grill and the Coconut Castaways

Friday, July 18 – Down Under Tent Party with Mile Marker 24 !!!!! – 7:00 p.m.

For more information on any of these events or to volunteer, please contact any board member or send an email to info@coconutcastawaysiowa.com.