The Beach Cottage

This past weekend was a welcome respite with family, gentle breezes, and laughing gulls. My family has owned a beach cottage since 1957 when no one lived there. I can only imagine rustic shanties with weathered wood and sandy grit on the floors. Thankfully, my family's home has been upgraded with better appliances and A/C only a few short years ago, yet its charm and homeyness remain. It is filled with hand-me-down decor creating an ecclectic feel from the family members who once inhabited it.

I guess I should explain that beach cottage is probably misleading. It does not sit on the east coast's sandy shoreline, but rather an intracoastal waterway with its own pier. Many a summer day has been spent walking in mud at low tide looking for oysters, jumping and swimming off the pier with cousins, occasional stinging of jellyfish, fishing or rather giving fish a free all-u-can-eat shrimp meal, and slathering on coconut-scented tanning oil. And oh, the summer nights...a breathtaking sunset in a myriad of hues reflecting off of the rippling water, the cool salty breeze blowing your hair past your neck, and listening to the soft lapping of waves against the pier. It was bliss, and still is.

Back when the property was bought, several other extended family members purchased lots too, all in a row. When I was little, I remember spending time with my cousins Tiffany and Anna, and Gail and Alison. Those were the good ol' days, eating Chilly Willy's all day long, running barefoot, no qualms about makeup or frizzed out hair, swinging, and hearing the endless slam of the screen door shutting.

It is a home that has truly opened its doors to all people. To me, the house almost has a heartbeat of its own. It has seen all ages and generations visit, and it has also seen its original owners pass away with time, my great-grandparents and grandparents. The original wooden sign simply bearing Davis has been relocated indoors to remind us of familiar times. There are so many stories lurking with each nook and cranny in that old place. It is truly the house that love built.



Below are pictures from our time spent down at the beach, enjoy!