Happy Little Cottages By The Sea

Cottage Charm, Coastal Calm

Posts by Cottage Cheese

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’?

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To Janma’s House We Go

by Cottage Cheese

Over the river and through the woods that frame the picturesque streets on Tybee Island…to Janma’s house we go!

Mermaid Cottages is proud to welcome one of our youngest mermaids in training, Miss Breana!

Breana is the 4 1/2 year old granddaughter of our own Mermaid Jan.

When Breana last visited she was just 3 and she climbed all the way to the top of our historic Tybee Lighthouse.

“Don’t stop, Janma!  All the way to the top!

Janma now says the best way to climp to the top of the lighthouse is with a three year old.  They take it steady and slow.

This visit, Breana is looking forward to Dolphin Tours, the Tybee Marine Science Center, the beach, feeding alligators, and of course, Janma, Pop and Aunt Shannon!  Aunt Shannon has a great hill, so Breana will have a Slip N Slide party, too!

 After all, that’s what Tybee life is all about.

Mermaid Jan has her own special way of tossing up curds.  Something tells us she just might be persuaded to do it Breana’s whey for a few days.

Oh, it always helps if your loved ones’ visits include a stay at one of our vintage cottages like the wonderful Canty’s Cottage.  Take a little walk through tour and you’ll see what we mean: http://youtu.be/wK4u_-yDEAw

Share your joy for life with those you love.

It’s the best kind of Cottage Cheese!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What A Day For A Daydream

by Cottage Cheese

 

WHEW!

The summer heat has been visiting and then a tropical storm to beat the band rolled through during the night!

It’s going to be an absolutely beautiful day today on Tybee Island and a day to give thanks.

We have teachers and educators enjoying a much deserved break before heading back to the classroom to begin a new school year full of promise for students eager to learn and plan their futures.

We have members of our military on the island,  including those currently serving and those that are veterans of past service.

We have newlyweds and lovebirds enjoying quiet getaways and romantic adventures.

We have new families and those with two and three generations vacationing together.

We have our year round residents that work very hard and take pride in preserving and sharing the wonderful beach ecology of our barrier island.

And, best of all, we have Mermaids and Mermen who do their best to keep it all running and who create the magic behind the scenes that make our paradise even more special.

What a day for a daydream!  Remember to do something special for someone you meet today.

For inspiration, tour our wonderful Brooks Cottage!

Brooks Cottage Video Tour

Toss up a few curds of your own.  Make magic happen in your own whey. Share a heaping helping of your Cottage Cheese!

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Heart Healthy Heron Highs

By Cottage Cheese

Okay.  I went for my check up.  I stepped on the scales and almost got vertigo watching the digital readout soar upwards.  My doctor blurted out in a very indignant tone, “Are you OK with this?”.

I love my doctor.  She’s a wonderful person with whom to talk about things.  I guess at some point we crossed the sharing boundary.  I had gotten used to talking about life, family and current events and hearing, “Keep doing what you’re doing because you’re in good shape,” during my appointments.  You know.  Polite small chat.  I did not get the memo that if I gained a few pounds (meaning 10 or 15 pounds) that I would be in danger of a good old medicinal beat down.

She proceeded to  issue my free pass to the clue bus without hesitation.  Increased weight added to a more sedentary lifestyle equals increased risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and on into what eventually became Charlie Brown’s teacher, “Blah, Blah, Blah…blah blah blah blah…blah…blah…blah…  The words kept coming, “Now, you have a choice.  Get a handle on this yourself or I can put you on a diet, new medication and refer you to a gym.  Do you get what I’m saying?”.

Just as when my mom or dad used to shame me with words of reason, I had just as soon go outside, pick out a switch, bend over and prepare for the impact than to get a stern talking to.  I’ve been served!

For me, the key to increasing my activity and decreasing my food intake is to find a way to make it interesting.  Luckily, Tybee Island has lots of wonderful trails for walking and adventure and the beauty of our pristine island is intoxicating.  For a list of exciting walking and biking trails go to Explore Tybee.  I’ve come to love watching the wading birds feed and herons are my favorites, so I always hit the Heron Hiking Trail.

Now, when I need extra motivation I also love to stroll along the back river and take in the lovely flora that populates the yards of our vintage cottage homes.  One favorite on my walks is the yard at Blue Heron Cottage.  It’s one of those cottages that’s just right and the lush lawn and confederate jasmine always ups my heart rate!

So, there you have it.  My plan to get a pat on my head for getting my weight back down instead of  a one-two knock out punch from my doctor.  Just in case, I might even work in a little bobbing and weaving on my walks.  Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.  Gotta do the work to see the results.

 

It’s about being the best Cottage Cheese I can be so I can keep tossing up curds and doing it my whey!

 

 

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Caring and Sharing:Our Time To Celebrate

By Cottage Cheese

 

This is the day we celebrate…caring and sharing…devotion for the better good…with liberty and justice…for all.

Make a Difference

Mermaid Cottages offers our guests the opportunity to combine their vacation travel with volunteering on Tybee Island and giving back to the community. Participating in various local projects along side our Mermaids and Mermen allows our guests to not only experience authentic activities, but also gives them the chance to leave the island a better place. Our events change monthly and we are constantly adding on to what we’re doing. For more details or to sign up, please contact Diane at 912-313-0784 or diane@mermaidcottages.com

BEACH SWEEP!

The Tybee Beautification Association’s  next BEACH SWEEP is Monday, July 4, 2011.  We’ll meet at the Tybee Pavilion at 6:30 AM.  Trash bags, gloves and trash grabbers will be provided.  Come enjoy our beautiful beach, help us tidy it up and learn about the sea turtle nesting season that’s in full swing!

This is the best kind of a heaping, helping, holiday dish of COTTAGE CHEESE!

Come join us.  Whip a few curds of your own and take pride in doing it your whey!

 

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