Cottage Crazy: Mountain Christmas in Virginia 2011

Cottage Crazy: Mountain Christmas in Virginia 2011: We will be spending Christmas in Virginia on our Mountain since Paws & Paddles will be rented for the Christmas Holidays. Pictures coming so...

Mountain Christmas in Virginia 2011

We will be spending Christmas in Virginia on our Mountain since Paws & Paddles will be rented for the Christmas Holidays. Pictures coming soon on the decorations that the lovely Mermaids are crafting for us!

The view from our back Deck facing south towards Smith Mountain Lake.

The front entry to our Mountain Cottage...

Love this old metal watering can...has been painted several times...it was a gift from my Dad to my Mom. Dad is gone now and Mom is receiving 24 hour nursing care. Trying to find ways to celebrate the season and include some good memories.

Love the bench after painting it red...the metal thingie is my version of the Road Runner!

The Gate takes you to the side/back deck. The wreath has pretty white lights that help light the way...it get's DARK early here and some light is welcome. 

Love this old milk pail...and it's silver ribbon.

The bowl was a gift from a friend and I love the simple look of the red shiny ornaments.

Friends are the best present...another gift from a special friend.

This slate sign was hand made for me by a dear lady that worked with me many years ago. I think of Martha each year when I get it out at Christmas.  We are just getting started on decorating. We hold a holiday dinner each Christmas Eve. We used to all gather at my Grandmother Hogan's each Christmas Eve for dinner and then we would go on to Mom and Dad's house to open presents. Since Granny passed away everyone comes to our house to keep the tradition going.
                                                         Merry Christmas to ALL!

Cottage Crazy: A Tybee November!

Cottage Crazy: A Tybee November!: We have enjoyed a November Week on Tybee with a side of Savannah! Usually I post lots of pictures and enjoy spending time blogging. I am tak...

A Tybee November!

We have enjoyed a November Week on Tybee with a side of Savannah! Usually I post lots of pictures and enjoy spending time blogging. I am taking lots of mental pictures this week and capturing memories instead of actual photographs. The weather has been perfect. A jacket needed for biking to the lighthouse to watch the sunrise. By late morning it has been warm,sunny and picture perfect for sightseeing, biking, walking and taking Hershey to the Tybee doggie Park.  Most days he has not had any companions but on Sunday he met Riley, a smallish chocolate lab, and he had an amazing time racing around the park. Hershey was so tired he panted all the way back to the cottage...and he was riding in the car!  Riley's mom had completed the Rock and Roll Marathon and was from near New Orleans. She was impressed with Savannah and Tybee and said they would be back next year.  The marathon garned 23,000 runners plus lots of friends and family. Savannah is used to tourists and it took them in stride. We toured the new SCAD art museum, the Jepson, and the Telfair yesterday. We stopped at the cafe in the Jepson to rest and get something to drink...we ended up with a platter of pesto and hummus with fire roasted red peppers surrounded by Grilled Ciabbatta triangles...it was beautifully presented...extremely good. I plan on recreating this dish at home soon. The weather was very warm, the squares were lovely, and we enjoyed sitting by the fountains at the City Market while enjoying some made on site Gelato!  We are getting comfortable knowing where to park and how to navigate around the city on foot which is the best way to see Savannah. I still can't explain it but I truly love the feeling I get when I am in Savannah. It is partly the history, partly the green squares, the live oaks with the moss dripping like frosting on a cake...and there is something about the light that also seems different...what ever it is... it makes me feel wonderful.

We have enjoyed biking everywhere we go on the island. We discovered a special spot to bike to from the cottage with a ringside seat (swing) to watch the sun go down each evening.  It is on the North end of the island and we were treated to views of fishing trawlers heading back in with a gazillion sea gulls and a small pod of dolphins behind them. As a nice finish last night we noticed a full moon over our shoulders as the sun was sinking into the water...and just then a huge army cargo plane flew very low over the dunes behind us and the full moon and the plane with pink fluffy clouds surrounding the view was beautiful. Snap...took that one as a great memory shot!  Ok...now I guess I should admit that my camera is sitting somewhere in the house in Virginia!  In my rush to pack for Tybee somehow it got left behind! 

I hope my word pictures impart a taste of a Tybee November!

From Land to Sea < A Coastal Christmas - Coastal Living

From Land to Sea < A Coastal Christmas - Coastal Living