The Mermaids in the Family

Before reading this blog post,
please take a moment to watch this video:

Now, let me set the record straight: if you come to an Alaska String Band show, Abigail and I will not have tails. However, if you stop by the pool or the beach on a nice day, you may find us there! 

The story behind this is an exciting one! Quinn and I had been dating for a few months, but I hadn't really spent a lot of time around Abigail. But after spending only a short time with her one day we both found we had a lot in common. One of those things being a love for mermaids. 

Abigail had been longingly looking at a website that sold mermaid tails for swimming in, but she didn't want to get one by herself (having a friend with you is always more fun!). Instantly I said I would get one with her, and we did! 

Here's Valerie in her tail.

Several months later we both had our tails, and the swimming and photo shoots began! My youngest sister, Valerie, felt very left out however. One free Saturday I made her a mermaid tail of her very own, and she then went with us to the pool and we were a lovely trio of mermaids!

Just a few months ago, Abby got a new tail! Unlike our fabric ones (with swim fins in the tail), this was a fancy tail - made with neoprene and silicone. Because we've been so busy, she's hardly gotten to use it (and it's been winter...not good swimming weather), so we had fun going to the pool and shooting the video above!

Below is a poem I wrote for Abigail 

shortly after we got our mermaid tails together. 

I hope you enjoy it!

The Story of Abigail Katherine

The ocean churned and twisted, a storm was coming soon

Clouds gathered in the sky, covering up a silver moon

And underneath the seething waves a mermaid calmly slept

Not worried about the currents or all the clouds that wept.

Her name was Abigail Katherine, a lovely mermaid indeed.

Whose hobbies consisted of drawing, singing, and finding time to read.

She also loved to sit on rocks and at passing ships she’d wave

And her home was in a hollow of a wonderful undersea cave.

Now some mermaids are fearsome and not kind to humans at all

But Abigail was the sweetest and to humans would often call

“Hello, hello! How are you? Would you like to come and play?”

But the humans would never come, no matter what she’d say.

The night that we meet Abby (that’s what she’s called for short)

The storm had picked up terribly closing the nearby port.

Because of this a single ship had somehow lost its way

And the family on board couldn’t get to the safety of the bay.

By this time the sweet Abigail was very much awake

She heard the cries of the humans and decided what action to take:

Up, up she swam through the water, determination in her eyes,

And coming up next to the boat she tried to gage its size.

It was a pretty tiny ship compared to others that she’d seen

So using her strong tail, she pushed and pulled and leaned!

And using the ocean currents she brought it out of the storm

Although it was a little ragged and the sails were somewhat torn

But Abigail Katherine had saved the day, so she let out a cheer!

Leading the safe (though a bit confused) family to hear…

And as they looked over the boat and saw the mermaid of blue

They all smiled and happily yelled out a booming “Thank you!”

Abigail still lives in her undersea cave beneath an ocean of foam.

But she often leaves to see her human friends and she’s often given to roam

She plays all day in the sun and rain all along her rocky coast,

And she’s the sweetest mermaid around (and much prettier than most).