Bluebirds of Happiness

The wonderful weather we’ve been having in the Lowcountry has everyone thinking of spring, including our resident Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis).

The warm temperatures have our bluebirds beginning to pair up and start the process of building nests in the many bluebird houses in Oldfield.  It’s quite a site to see the female with her head sticking out the nestbox hole and the male perched on top.

By this time, both the male and the female are in the throws of courting and the male is building a nest to impress.  Look for the male singing his heart out to attract the female, as well as some “butterfly fluttering” to impress her.  He puts it all on the line, “building” a simple nest to entice the female to look at his house and be impressed with it’s “potential”.  If she accepts, she will build a nest of pine needles and grass.  If not, then he’s off to another site to try and impress her with a different location.  Location, location, location!  Are we any different?…

Never A Dull Moment

This year has gotten off to a great start! I want to again thank all of our members for being so supportive of the Oldfield Food & Beverage Department. We have had so many great changes so far in 2012. Our F&B Committee continues to help in so many ways.

In the next few months we have events for members including some surprise birthday parties, oyster roasts, & lowcountry boils. Just remember no matter how big or small I can cater any size event at just about any of the venues inside Oldfield.

I’ve had numerous meetings with newly engaged brides who are just starting the process of planning their weddings. Our first wedding is a Savannah GA couple the end of March. Weddings here have become a huge part of Oldfield. We have brides from New York to California this year. They all want what the South has to offer which is a warm and welcoming feeling the minute they step foot inside the gates.

I was recently contacted by Hilton Head Monthly for a piece they did on weddings in the area, here is the link: http://www.hiltonheadmonthly.com/life-a-style/monthlys-2011-bridal-guide/141-monthlys-2011-bridal-guide/2145-something-old-something-new

I have been lucky in the last month to attend the Bridal show in Charleston, Savannah and our local event here in Bluffton at Hampton Hall. We are happy to host these destination weddings here at Oldfield. The trends this year that are dominating the wedding market are wedding weekend welcome parties with different Southern desserts from pecan pie, key lime tartlets, peach cobbler, bread pudding  bars, and my favorite, the gourmet Smore’s Station out by our fire pit. Keep checking out my blog so you can see all of my updates throughout the year.

Have a great day!

Dana

A Market Update by the Numbers

A Lowcountry and Oldfield real estate update… by the numbers!

1 – The Bluffton / Hilton Head market was the #1 Market in SC in 2011.

1,961 – The number of homes purchased in the Lowcountry in 2006.

1,925 – The number of homes purchased in the Lowcountry in 2011.  (the buyers are back!)

6 – The number of brand new furnished models at Oldfield ~ Priced from $399K to $469K

8 – The number of new home starts in Oldfield over the last 60 days!

72 – The temperature in the Lowcountry today!   (Sorry – We couldn’t resist.)

Clearly there’s a lot to celebrate!  But why the momentum?

Buyers have begun to reinter the marketplace for all of the obvious reasons (incredible values, historically low interest rates, and an attractive selection of properties), but there appear to be two additional (underlying) variables that are less quantifiable but equally important:  certainty & acceptance.

Uncertainty has an uncanny knack for putting people in a holding pattern.  It fosters a sense of security through inaction.  Having said that, much of the market’s uncertainty has lifted… and buyers can wrap their arms around the reset marketplace and feel reasonably comfortable that while they might not know “where the bottom is” they’re fairly confident that the bottom already fell out.

Second, many buyers have accepted reality relative to their own properties and are now willing to make informed buying decisions.  While selling high and buying high felt better, it’s effectively the same net event as selling low and buying low.  Much like the stages of grief, however, getting to that acceptance of reality just takes time.  You could argue that it took the marketplace the better part of 4 years to reach an general acceptance of the reset in values. That acceptance has allowed them to leverage the marketplace’s opportunities – freeing them up to move forward with their lives.

Prices, rates, selection, certainty, and acceptance are all aligned in your favor and buyers should be having the time of their lives.  The stars are aligning and our sense is that Oldfield is going to have a strong 2012.

Come on down and spend some time at Oldfield and see why everyone’s so excited!  The Discover Oldfield program is a low key opportunity to enjoy a weekend of Authentic Lowcountry Living… and you might just discover that it feels a lot like home.

Oldfield Chili Cook-Off at the Outfitters Center

I am so proud of all of our Oldfield cooks this past weekend. It was a gorgeous day to host our 1^st annual Oldfield Chili Cook-Off at the Outfitters Center.

15 members & 3 chef’s decided to take the challenge. Members went head to head with each other and the Judges were the Oldfield Culinary team Jason Winn- Executive Chef, Dana Chastain- Food & Beverage Director and Kevin Edwards Sous Chef.

It was a very tough decision to make, Buzz Vest was awarded the top prize for his “ Buzz’s Death Proof Chili” of the he feedback and member participation was astounding. The whole community turned out and got to sample all of the chili’s.

I want to say that the atmosphere was warm and welcoming and many sat by the fireplace or out by the fire pit. I definitely have plans for another cook off in the summer months. I will  send out the details of the competition in the coming months.

I also want to remind everyone that our new Birthday Dinner at the Clubhouse will be held the 2^nd Thursday of every month. If it is your birthday you eat for free and get a complimentary piece of cake. This event was well attended last month and who can turn down Prime Rib?

Be sure to RSVP in advance so we know who gets a special treatment! Be sure to check out our new menu at River Club as well, we have over twenty items to choose from. Have a great week and I’ll see you in the club!

Fantastic Winter Fishing

We’ve had a run of remarkable weather over the last few days and our club members and guests have been making the most of it and getting on the water to take advantage of our great winter-time fishing.

Inshore the redfish have been schooled up on the flats offering plenty of light tackle fly and spin opportunities.  The nearshore wrecks have been providing good action with sheepshead, black drum, and sea bass.

Tomorrow I’m taking a crew to the gulf stream in search of wahoo and blackfin tuna!  One day you’re fishing for redfish in 12 inches of water and the next for tuna in 1,000 ft!  Got to love the diversity of fishing options we have here in the Lowcountry!!

Great Egrets

One of the natural events that occur here at Oldfield probably draws more admiration, astonishment, and awe, is the nightly gathering of “white birds” here at the Outfitters Center and River House pond.

Each night before sundown, 30-50 egrets, wood storks, herons, anhinga, cormorants, and others gather in the trees to spend the night.  This gathering of birds is not a nesting site or rookery, but more of a night time roost.  These birds gather together for safety and security.

Interestingly enough, they prefer to roost (and nest for that matter) over water, because it minimizes the threat of predators.  A bunch of birds all looking in different directions can spot a predator such as a raccoon, cat, fox, or other mammal predators, but also, if they attempt to try and swim over to where the birds are, Mr. Alligator takes care of that threat in quick, stealthy fashion!

Take a walk over to the bridge that comes over to the Outfitters Center and River House just before the sun begins to set.  You’ll be rewarded with dozens of white birds sailing in from all directions, swooping down to claim a perch before nightfall.

Be careful to be a quiet observer, because they can be startled into numerous flights and expend unnecessary energy, so approach quietly and enjoy from a distance.  With all of the white birds against the green foliage of a live oak, you can see why we call this phenomenon a “Lowcountry Christmas Tree”!

The E-Golf Tour @ Oldfield

The E-Golf Tour will return to Oldfield February 20-25.  The purse will be $250,000 and will attract former and future PGA Tour players.

Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey won the event in 2007 and has since earned his PGA Tour card. Bill Haas and Dustin Johnson were also graduates of this tour and played in the 2007 event as well.

Feel free to come out and watch some exciting golf during the week.

The Golf Course will be closed during the tournament and the weekly events will resume Sunday February 26,2012.  Please call the golf shop if you would like to experience other golf courses in the area or if you have an interest in volunteering to help with the Tournament.

Annie Get Your Gun

What do you get when you mix 13 lovely ladies, beautiful 70 degree weather, and guns?  Ladies Clay Shooting!!!

Oh my gosh, what an amazing day.

We were lead by experts Marvin Bouknight and Jason Dubose in a day of “Annie Get your Gun” Oldfield style.

The day started out with a nice leisurely travel to our host Hunt Club, Turkey Hill Plantation. This sprawling plantation is an adventure waiting to happen.

Courtney Smith, our Hospitality Coordinator for the day served up an amazing lunch; Low country Shrimp Gumbo, Roasted Tomato Soup, Maple bacon BLT’s and Roasted Turkey on Foccia. For the sweet side there was a variety of fruits, cakes and cookies. How could it get any better we thought?

Well it did.

After a well informed and expertly instructed demonstration of proper gun handling, how the shells were loaded and what the clay shooting stands were all about, we were all giddy with anticipation of firing a gun.

We all took turns at various clays coming from different targets (each target represented a different flight pattern). There were so many high five’s, back slapping and hoots and hollering that you would have thought we were winning a prize. Even when we missed, we congratulated each other on a great attempt.

Finally having to drag us away from the stands, Marvin and Jason gave us a great tour of the plantation and its impressive history.

We are so privileged to have Turkey Hill as part of an Oldfield amenity. Plans are already underway for the next shoot and girls over night trip in the BIG house.

I’m even thinking about asking Santa for my own rifle.

Bluebirds

Well, spring is around the corner and it’s time to start thinking about our bluebirds.  Here’s a few things to check on to get ready for our bluebirds to begin pairing off and starting to think about raising a family, hopefully in your bluebird box:

• February is the time to clean out your boxes.  Remove all old nest material, unhatched eggs, etc.  Look closely for any signs of insects such as wasps, fly, fly larvae, insect exoskeletons, etc.
• Clean the box inside by using a very dilute bleach solution and wiping down the inside
• Make repairs to your box by replacing the hinges, making sure the box is held together and the nails/screws are intact
• Consider moving your box if you did not have success last year

If you would like to get a new box and install it, please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to be a “house consultant” to help choose a good location for a bluebird house.  Join us in February for a bluebird house building program, where we will discuss the biology of bluebirds and then everyone can make a bluebird house to take home!

Inshore & Offshore Fishing Update

With temperatures in the 70’s and light winds we had a great opportunity to get plenty of Oldfield members and guests out on the water for some great  winter-time fishing! 

Inshore the redfish were chewing and Capt. Charlie Beadon led his clients to plenty of action aboard our new Ranger 183 Ghost flats boat.  Given the ideal conditions his anglers were treated to some great sight casting with both fly and spin tackle. 

I was able to get offshore a number of days to take advantage of the fantastic bottom fishing activity this time of year offers.  My clients caught red snapper, grouper, black sea bass, porgies, and jacks until their arms were sore! 

We are truly blessed with great year-round fishing here in the Lowcountry!!