A week of southern hospitality for The Midwest Mermaid. The Midwest Mermaid is our winter guest blogger and Mermaid Cottages is so happy to share her latest blog post. She’ll be sharing a photo blog of her snowbird stay with us as she works remotely from Tybee Island. This week, she takes a trail less traveled, celebrates the Super Bowl with a Tiki Hut soiree and revels when the stars come out to shine. Read along, enjoy her beautiful photos and her Tybee Island Adventures.
Well, reason #531 why it was great to escape Chicago this time of year. I received this note from my Alderman last week. I don’t even kind of miss it!
“Over this weekend, parts of the Chicago area received almost 18 inches of snow, negative temperatures and wind chill. The Department of Streets and Sanitation (DSS) has activated a Phase III, deploying 287 snow vehicles to clear 9,400 lane miles of roadway and respond to the winter storm across the area. ”
When I need a change of scenery on my daily walk in Tybee, one of my favorite things to do is to walk through the streets and look at names of houses. I think house names should be standard and incorporated into every neighborhood. Here are some of my favorites:
– Sanford’s Place 1930 (well, because it is my cottage!)
– Saleabration (shouldn’t it be Sailabration?)
– The Queen Bee
– Salty Paws
– A plethora of Good Times
– A Little Salty
– A Shore Thing
– Beach Bubble
– Coastal Joy
– Tybee Daze
– Cantaloupe Cottage
– Sandy Toes
– Vitamin Sea
– Flips Flop House
– Fun in the Sun
– Just Beachy
I have decided I will be naming my condo back in Chicago immediately when I return!
One morning it was very foggy on my daily walk. I typically walk to the water tower. By the time I realized where I was, I had walked past the water tower! What a great way to increase my steps.
Valentine’s Day on the island turned into Galentine’s Day. It was so fun to grill out and spend time with new and old friends.
On President’s Day, I was able to hike the trails on Skidaway Island. I felt like I had the trail all to myself! There was a slight mist, so it kept the crowds away. But, not me. I just put my boots on and had a great time.
When I arrived at the State Park, it said it was $5.00 to park. I downloaded the app and paid my $5.00. I realized though that I didn’t have a place to put my license plate number on the app. So, I went into the main lodge and let them know I paid, but how would they know? He laughed and pretty much said it was the honor system. He gave me a sign to put in my window, so everyone knew I was legit. What a concept to have an honor system for parking! Small town living for sure.
What a concept to have an honor system for parking! Small town living for sure.
It was fun to see all of the campsites on the State Park. It reminded me of my youth as we tented in 48 states! It also reminded me how much I love a hotel.
Skidaway Island made me feel right at home with a green river. I immediately though of Chicago as we dye the river green for St. Patrick’s Day. Although, Skidaway’s color was natural.
As I was getting ready to leave my hike, I was a bit turned around and wasn’t sure where my car was. A family on bicycles came by and I asked if I was on the right path to go to the main lodge. She said I think so but, might not be the quickest way. I said, no problem, appreciate the information. This family then went up a bit and came back to me to let me know I was on the right path and close to my car. Southern Hospitality is really in play down here.
Since my cottage is two blocks from both the East and West views, I had a day where I saw both the sunrise and the sunset. I loved it. Sometimes it isn’t always possible due to clouds or rain. There is definitely a peacefulness that occurs when you can take both in. Also, the sunrise is getting earlier, and the sunset is getting later. A sure sign Spring is around the corner!
If it is Friday night, you know it is Aloha Friday! We had another great Friday night which included an amazing sunset.
My adventure for this weekend was taking a 2-hour drive to St. Simon Island. I had heard great things about the beaches, restaurants and shopping. It was an awesome change of scenery and loved checking out one of the Golden Isles.
Southern Hospitality warms your heart…
On my way home, I stopped by a produce stand for some vegetables for the week. One of the customers was buying something under $10.00. He wanted to use a credit card and the owner said, “You need to spend $10.00 to use a credit card.” He said, “No problem, I will buy something else.” She said, “Don’t worry about it, I will just buy you your fruit.” Can you believe it? Again, the Southern Hospitality warms your heart!
Mermaid Cottages brand standards include enhanced cleaning according to CDC guidelines, complimentary Internet and lots of Southern Hospitality. If you’d like to enjoy one of our homes-away-from-home for one or two months, please contact Head Mermaid Diane for recommendations and rates at 912.313.0784 or email diane@mermaidcottages.com.
Can’t stay one or two months? No worries! For nightly and weekly stays, create your reservation directly on our website and receive a 5% discount all year round and with no expiration date or blackout dates. To receive your 5% discount, all you have to do is to enter our promotion code of DIRECT!
