Eugene McMillan is not a BOI (born on island:) but every islander here is certainly glad he came. Most mornings we wake to a new and ever more magnificent photograph of our island. His talent with a camera is legend here; and with social media, he’s getting attention across the country now. We hope that doesn’t take him on a journey away from us (at least not for long). I’ve taken to calling him “Eugenius”, and was truly not surprised when he laughed and told me his Elizabeth has been calling him “Redneck Genius” for years. His artistic talent runs wide, across so many mediums, and I believe he’s just getting started.

We’ve tried to keep it on the downlow; but his ability to transform a concept any Diamond Beach resident has, into a magical addition, has become recognized all over the island. I found this wave-wall concept on Pinterest several months ago, and wisely shared the picture with Eugene. Once he decided that it would be a new challenge, and well worth the effort, he was on it from morning till night. He added a few ideas of his own to create an even more spectacular entertainment wall that I could have imagined. This was not the only project Eugene has created to make my condo “my own”. Over the years, he has brought in sunlight to each room in a unique way. The guest bedroom was small and dark before he added a lead glass window to bring in the morning sun. It added a special look from both the kitchen and the bedroom.

Then there was the time when I wanted uplighting for my favorite collection of sea creatures, the dolphins, the mermaid, and the manatees. He added an outlet where there was none, and voila!

Just a few months after settling in, I realized that this small 3 bedroom 2 bath condo didn’t have a space for any kind of office accoutrement. Where was I to put my printer, files, and books? Never fear, Eugene was here! The small, seldom used, closet area became my new office space.

When I acquired my first “Wyland”, a special prize in itself, there clearly needed to be a place to display my treasure. Again, never fear, Eugenius is here:) He placed a spotlight above the painting to bring sunlight into the Mermaid Room for my grandangels to enjoy. Now that I have no walls left to work on, I almost want to acquire a new larger condo to give Eugenius a clean slate to work with. I can’t possibly do that though, because I’m now so in love with my little home. Thanks to Eugenius!!