I spent all of this past December relaxing in Key West, FL and let me tell you…it was amazing! You see all sorts of fun, funky, and odd things on that island! Remember the labs on the roof? Well, This is a saucy mermaid I spotted while in Key west and I thought I’d share her with you! That place is amazing and I must say, I can’t wait to go back!
Mermaid sighting: Key West, FL Read More »
Most Tybee Cottages are made from Heart of Pine, a dense wood that termites do not like, so they make for good buildings. With shallow-hipped roofs, the buildings are up off the ground to encourage air flow beneath and protect against floods. They always have these fantastic porches, some of which go all around the house.
Some of the cottages rise above the ground as if they’re touching the sky. Others are more humble and quiet and tell you that while heaven is pretty…living down here is, too.
Those wondrous porches that fan out around the cottages are made for sitting and reading and watching the world go by. They’re for spending time with old friends and taking naps. But most of all they’re for those times when you want to dream about anything your heart desires.
Yes, for every moment one stands on Tybee ground there will be glory all the way to the sea.
Cottage Life Cottage Style Read More »
I can see it now! The marquee lights blinking to beat the band! All my favorite stars!
Rin Tin Tin! Pluto! Scooby Doo! Lassie! Toto! FANG! Hooch! Lady! Tramp!
I’m rushing out to get my tickets early because I know the lines will be around the movie theatre!
What? Sweden?
The world’s first movie theatre for dogs recently opened in Sweden! FOX Home Entertainment pitched the idea to the organizers of the annual pet exhibition and it was met with barks of approval. Pedigree provided goody bowls filled with doggy snacks and the result was a howling success!
If you’re like me you’d probably enjoy more places and activities where our dogs could be with us and this is a fantastic idea. The organizers were so pleased they plan to offer doggy cinema again next year!
Thanks to PEOPLEPets.com and our own Mermaid, Melissa S, for sharing this doggone great idea!
I’m Ready For My Closeup! Read More »
Life is what happens when you’ve made other plans.
Just before Christmas I had planned to be back on Tybee to tour some new cottages that are being added to the Mermaid Cottages collection, enjoy more wonderful meals at my favorite Tybee restaurants, get some new Flip Cam video footage and launch my new Blog series, “101 Ways to get Tybee-ized”. That was the plan.
But then, I saw on a weather report we were to have a White Christmas in Atlanta. The forecast was for the temperature to remain above freezing which meant we would be having the perfect kind of snow. Moist, flaky, gleaming white with no ice. How could I resist. Boy Howdy. A White Christmas.
That was until Christmas night, less than a mile from my home, when a driver coming the opposite way lost control of her car and slid broadside into our beloved red convertible. It was one of those moments when you know something is about to happen. You see it coming towards you in slow motion. The thought flashes in your mind, “I should have gone to Tybee like I planned”.
Well, it’s now been a few weeks and the insurance company has finally made the decision to total the car. In the meantime, we got hit with another massive snow storm, except this was not the good snow. This was heavy snow with ice mixed in and the temperatures stayed below freezing. Tybee seemed a million miles away and just a memory.
To top it off, my three favorite souls on this earth, my dogs, decided that since we were all housebound they would become possessed by Lucifer and re-enact THE EXORCIST room by room…for three straight days…It was Satan’s Spawn, The Demon Seed and Cujo and me. And, when did someone rearrange the continents since my last geography class? I have a Scottie, a Westie and a Dachshund and I’m pretty sure they originated in Scotland, Ireland and Germany. I’d open the door for them to go out and they’d take one look at the snow and ice and run hide. This meant I would have to bundle up, pick them up, teeter down off the deck and coax them to tend to business. More than once I slipped and landed face down in the snow while the dogs beat it back in the house. I guess it happened often enough the neighbors began watching from their respective porches and proceeded to hold up score cards judging my technique and form for each face plant in the snow. Rest assured I responded in kind with a little sign language of my own…pointed in their direction.
I tell you. When it comes to suffering, I’m right up there with Elizabeth Taylor (OK. I’m borrowing a line from STEEL MAGNOLIAS when Truvy makes this observation, but it’s the truth!).
Finally, a teeny speck of sun peeked through the skies onto my own little Antartica. I ushered the minions out the door and declared they would not get back in the house until they had been freed of their evil possessions.
Cottage Cheese:Right Up There With Elizabeth Taylor Read More »
We at Mermaid Cottages just love to hear from you, our cherished guests. We recently received this amazingly sweet email from Lydia about her stay at Dutton-Waller Cottage with family for the holidays:
Dear Mermaids,
I can’t thank you enough for our lovely stay on Tybee! After our mother died in June my sister Linda and I decided that we had to find a new place for our Christmas celebration that would bring us together in a place like we grew up. After spending 62 years of Christmases together, this was our first without her. Having grown up on an island in SW FL, Tybee sounded perfect! And it was! The cottage was magical, just like the homes we knew, right down to the wood paneling and the downstairs bedrooms! As a preservationist for Lee County, FL I am especially impressed with the work you have done on the cottages! We can’t thank you enough, the Christmas tree was the most wonderful touch and the whole time was magical. (though a bit chilly all across the south!). We fell in love with AJ’s, the little restaurant down the street. After growing up on fresh shrimp from the boats at home we were delighted to find a place that knows how to boil shrimp! Any my husband fell in love with their shrimp and grits. Again, thanks for making our holiday so wonderful. We shall return!
Lydia (and Linda, Mel and Sarah, Steve, and Bosco and Winston!)
Lydia, we are so glad you and your family were able to make new Christmas traditions while honoring your past ones. It is always our hope that our cottages become our guest’s home away from home. Thank you so much for sharing your experience, and allowing us to share it with all of our fellow Mermaids as well. Welcome to the Mermaid Cottage family!
Mermaids in Our Midst: Lydia at Dutton-Waller Read More »
