Photo by Curtis Richardson
I dropped a tear in the ocean. The day you find it
is the day I will stop missing you. ~Author UnknownComing Soon!
Are you sad that All My Children is coming to an end? Erica Kane never had story lines as good as this!
Follow the lives of an old world family and their connections to the Mermaids of the sea through the four generations that settle in the south and eventually establish Sea La Vie, their Tybee Island Beach Cottage.
The family’s existence and their progress is directly related to the gods and mermaids of the seas…but they don’t always know it.
Tune in each week to follow this saga and for your chance to submit your design ideas for Sea La Vie as this family’s story unfolds.
You may even be asked to submit photos and drawings of what you think the land dwellers and their mysterious sea benefactors look like!
Get ready to meet Roya, the Mermaid Queen. It’s said her tears would turn into priceless pearls and that her kiss could cure disease. Anger her and she could command a legion of mermaids to take humans deep beneath the sea, drown them and then eat them. What do you think she would look like?
Sea La Vie is a progressive, participatory novella. Heed the sirens’ calls. You may just end up in a story line!
Be sure to check here each day to join us on this journey.
The adventure starts this weekend!
Blog Archives
A Tybee Island Novella
Filed under General, Sea La Vie
Life’s A Beach With Mermaid Cottages Contest
Life’s a beach with Mermaid Cottages on beautiful Tybee Island, GA!
Show us yours…your photos of our beautiful Tybee Island beaches…and you could win our Marvelous Mermaid Mania Prize Box!
Send us your photos and you’re entered in our Life’s A Beach With Mermaid Cottages Contest:
LIKE us on Facebook and post your photos
OR
FOLLOW us on Twitter and Tweet your photos
AND
FOLLOW our Blog and Comment that you’ve posted your photos on Facebook and/or Tweeted your photos on Twitter.
The contest is open to everyone and starts right now! Send us your photos by Monday, August 15, 2011 and you could be our Marvelous Mermaid Mania Prize Box winner!
Enter as often as you like with your best Tybee Island beaches photos. Life’s a beach for Mermaid Cottages and you!
Filed under Fun on Tybee, General
Are We There Yet?
By Cottage Cheese
What’s one of the best remedies for whatever ails you? A trip to Mermaid Cottages on Tybee Island, GA!
Come on. Fess up! We all can remember the excitement of a trip to the beach when we were younger. It begins with loading the car, packing the foods and drinks, selecting the fun beach wear we love to sport, getting the tropical tunes lined up and donning the aviator shades.
Just hearing Aretha Franklin croon through the car speakers, “Come on. So drop the top back, baby, and cruise on into This Better Than Ever Street,” gets me going. Except now, I’m much too cautious to burn the tires down as I pull out of the driveway (meaning I’m way too cheap to waste money on a traffic ticket), but you get the idea.
“Free Your Mind and the rest will follow.”
I used to pester my parents to no end on the way to the beach. “Are we there, yet? What’s taking so long? We’re missing the best part of the day. Can’t we stay longer?” I still think that way. The only difference now is my dogs can’t talk back or threaten to pull the car over and put me out on the side of the road for whining too much.
There’ve been times I’ve run to the beach all wracked with worry or remorse and regret for something I did or did not do well, hoping the waves will wash away my angst.
Other times I’ve stood in the surf and dropped tears into the sea for loves I’ve lost and upon every return hoped the tides would bring them back (and a few that I hope never catch a wave back to the beach!).
But, most of the time I’m just not that deep. I’m hungry for the salty sea air, fresh seafood, cold libations and sand underneath my feet.
When I know there will be long stretches in between my visits I wander through the candyland of cottages online the same way I used to wear out the Sears catalog at Christmas. In fact, I’ve got my eye on the tropical and pet friendly Canty\’s Cottage right now!
Load up the car, dogs. Grab my playlist with Doug Clark And The Hot Nuts. Call up Coco\’s Sunset Grille and tell them to have me a Coco-Rita waiting on the rooftop.
I love this type of Cottage Cheese when I can just flip off a few curds and wind surf my arm out the driver’s window on my whey down to my Georgia coast.
I’m the only hell my momma ever raised. I’m headed to Tybee. Y’all comin’?
Filed under General, Posts by Cottage Cheese
Dog Day Afternoon
By Maddie, Mermaid Cottages’ ROVER Reporter
If you spend enough time on Tybee Island, GA sooner or later your humans are likely to flip through some little book and announce they want to go in to Savannah, GA.
If you’ve traveled with them much soon you may start to panic assuming this means you are about to get left behind. I am here to tell you this is not necessary as Savannah can be quite pet friendly. Naturally, you will want to take along a pet water bottle because sight seeing can get very hot. Also be sure your human never, ever, leaves you in the car…even with the windows cracked!
There is a lot to see and do in Savannah, so here are a few of my favorite recommendations. One of the first things you may notice is how many lovely doggie “rest areas” there are. For some reason they refer to them as squares. Many of them even have statues or fountains. Honestly, I’ve never seen any nicer! There are so many and close together that even if you’re a male dog you’ll have trouble taking advantage of them all. Please be sure your human takes along pick up bags so you do your part to keep them clean for the next dog.
Next, while using the “squares” you may see a horse go by pulling a carriage. DON’T bark at them! This will get your human very upset and could cause them to say something horrible like, “Next time you’re staying behind”, or worse, “No Beach Bum Biscuits for you!”
Now, a lot of humans like to walk along River Street. There are a lot of little shops there and many of them will let you come in. Just be sure to have your human ask first and always keep your human on a short leash. At the end of River Street is a great statue of a dog. It is a perfect place to have your picture taken to show all of your friends back home. The stat
ue also has a girl waving a scarf standing next to the dog, but don’t worry, you can always crop that out later.
On your way back to Tybee Island you can stop by Bonaventure Cemetery. This is a nice and quiet place with lots of trees and paths for walking. You are allowed in here, too, but again, keep your human leashed. As you’re walking around your keen dog senses are likely to detect a bone or two buried there. Listen closely. This is even more important than the horses. DO NOT dig them up! I know. I don’t get it either, but humans can be funny.
By now, everyone is probably ready to head back to your beautiful Mermaid Cottage on Tybee. I like to take a quick nap on the trip back and dream about the jar of Beach Bum Biscuits awaiting me since I was sooo good.
Til next time keep those tails up and noses open to new smells!
Madeline Belle Reed “Maddie”
FINAL THOUGHT: If you have a lot of time and your human really likes seeing new places Beaufort, SC is not very far away and is very pet friendly. They will even let you ride in the horse carriages now that you know not to bark. I must warn you though…they do not have the nice “rest areas” like Savannah!
Filed under General
Y’all Come On Up At The Big House
by Cottage Cheese
Mermaid Manor is the headquarters for Mermaid Cottages and the home of Head Mermaid, Diane W. Kaufman. It’s one of the most beautiful examples of a Tybee raised cottage and a true labor of love. Built in 1929, this 3 BR/2 Bath vintage home has been restored to perfection and it’s frequently featured in national publications for its charm and presence.
If you’re looking for an island home and ready to immerse yourself in the finer things that low country living has to offer Mermaid Manor on Tybee Island, GA may just be the perfect fit for you!
Click Here to wander through these rooms with views that no longer have to linger in your mind. Paradise is waiting. Heed the sirens call. It’s a magical, mystical mermaid wonderland. Dive right in.
Photo by Richard Leo Johnson
Filed under General
Fifi Flowers And Her Next Pet Card Collection
Hey, Wag Pack! You’ve got one more day to get your pet picture in to Fifi Flowers to be considered for her next Pet Card Collection!
Sunday, July 24 is the deadline, so share your favorite photo of your pet pal and it may be included in the next collection.
Mr. Fripp entered his photo and you can, too!
To be considered for the collection, post your favorite pet photo to Fifi Flowers Facebook Page or email your photo to Fifi Flowers. The limit is one photo submission per household and the deadline is by 12 Noon Pacific Time on July 24.
If your photo is chosen, your pet will be included in the next pet card collection and you’ll be invited to purchase a pet portrait of your furiend at a special discount price.
All proceeds from the sales of the pet card collection go to support and sponsor dogs to be trained as Guide Dogs and Service Dogs for persons with disabilities.
Fifi Flowers Pet Card Collection and Beach Bum Biscuits are a winning combination and a great way to support Socially Responsible Vacations!
Filed under General
Color Me COOL
Well, summer has officially begun which brings to mind that it’s hot, y’all.
Now, we won’t cross the sharing boundary by spouting from a long list of old timey sayings about just how hot it is (such as it’s hotter than a rooster’s feet with socks on), so let’s just say it can get hot enough that our freshness may expire from time to time. There’s not much you can do other than sip on a glass of ice water while fanning yourself, but I’ve found that if I can’t get down to the beach to make the best of the sun I can just think about the coolness of Tybee’s blue skies.
This time of year the skies above our quirky island are the coolest shade of blue and just looking at the color can drop the summer time temperatures faster than Calgon can take me away! What’s even better is when those cool blue skies drift down onto some of our cottages and bathes them in its coolness.
Such is the case with our wonderful little Crabby Pirate. Come take a tour and enjoy the cool blues that pop up and peek out at you from it’s cozy walls. If you find yourself in a hot spot and need a little relief just play this video and let our cool blues chase your summer blues away.
And, hot or not, you can always give us a call and tell us you’re on your way. The welcome mat will be out. We’ll color you COOL.
Filed under General
Modeling is Hard Work!
Quilt Magazine is in town for a photo shoot, and these guys were our models! Gee, do you think they were tuckered out after their hard work? Such good boys! They deserve their rest!
We Love You Miss Sylvia!
We here at Mermaid Cottages, and the rest of the Tybee community, are saddened today. Miss Sylvia, our local musical treasure, passed away Saturday at the age of 101. Her wonderful musical talent and bright spirit will be greatly missed!
Filed under General
Ghost Dogs of Bonaventure Cemetery
It’s October…the perfect time for spooky stories! The Savannah area is no stranger to the spirit world…we are The Most Haunted City in America after all!
Did you know legend has it that the Bonaventure Cemetery is prowled by a pack of ghostly K-9s? There have been reports of visitors to the cemetery feeling as if they are being followed! Though no one has ever seen the dogs, and there is no physical evidence of them, visitors still say growling, barking, and the frenzied sound of rushing paws can be heard.
Now, locals know that lack of physical evidence doesn’t mean it’s just your imagination. Savannah is teeming with other worldly visitors, some more easily heard than seen. So, next time you’re in the area, take time to explore and learn about our haunted history! Happy Haunting!
Filed under General
