She sprung from the hands of local Rehoboth artist John Cooley, who deserves high praise for his imaginative and fun creation. But, this Siren of the Sandwiches arrived nameless, and Lori offered the grand prize of lunch for two to the person who could come up with just the right name for her. Susan Borke and I were chosen as judges of the contest because we have unfailing good taste and were willing to work for free.

The ballots are in, and the results are official. We are happy to report that there were no hanging chads, and trust that the results will not be challenged and ultimately negated by the Supreme Court. After all, could we live with a mermaid named Karla Roe or Dickless Cheney?

Each and every one of your ballots were carefully examined and considered. A lot had merit, and some were just plain strange. Susan and I did a breakdown of some of them. For instance, six of you thought that Ethel Mermaid was just the thing; four thought Lola was perfect; three Lolitas; and a handful of Loreleis were duplicate entries.

The punsters among you came up with Merdonna; Merwich; Merdusa; Mermamma, and last, but far from least, Mermadyke. In what we assume to be tribute to Bette Middler’s Delores Del Lago, The Toast of Chicago, someone submitted the name, what else? Delores. The esoteric Achiela (explained as Hebrew for eat) caught our eye. Undoubtedly a classicist wrote in for Helen of Joy - Oy! (Oy is right!) And, Molly Tucker thought, modestly, that Molly would be a great name.

The witty came up with Pippi Longfin, Oylivia, Chava (as in Chava ‘Nother), and this one would have gotten my vote, but it somehow conveyed the wrong message: Salmon Ella. More than a few of you just out and out pandered, and suggested Lori, with variations of Lori Luscious and Luscious Lori.

We are who we are, and wouldn’t be what we are without a few risqué (and very funny) submissions. Anita Mandalay, Pussetta, and Sofonda Pussé were laugh out loud entrants but not quite right for public consumption. You all are such a clever bunch.

So, you might well ask, just what is the name and just who came up with it. (Drum roll please) Our gal will be called Sandy Bottom. Lucky winner of the lunch for two at Lori’s is Ron Thompson of Lewes Delaware. Ron, if you haven’t already, come on in and claim your prize.

Mermaids have been fascinating people for hundreds and hundreds of years. Can evolution be behind this? Accordingly, we are all born in the water in one form or another, and perhaps mermaids and mermen represent the transformation from fish to human. In spite of the line of thought that Manatees really were what sailors saw and mistook for mermaids, they still remain a mystical and mythical delight for many. Every year there is the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, which happens on the first Saturday after the summer solstice —around the third week of June.

Hundreds of Mermaids, Neptunes, and mermen along with hundreds of thousands of spectators descend on Coney Island, New York, to celebrate the beginning of summer and the official opening of the Atlantic Ocean.

In Song, John Donne said, "Teach me to hear the mermaids singing." To which T.S. Eliot, in The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock surely responded:

"...I have heard the mermaids singing each to each
I do not think that they will sing to me.
I have seen them riding seaward on the waves
Combing the white hair of the waves blown back
When the wind blows the water white and black.
We have lingered in the chambers of the sea
By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown..."
And, the last line is just too sad for me to repeat.