A Room with a View

The Final Lake Burton Rumination

I had the downstairs to myself last weekend. My bedroom opened up to the screened porch, so I kept the door open all weekend. I woke up in the middle of each night to sit on that darkened porch … enjoy the alive solitude of 3 a.m. … stare at the still lake, the black sky baubled with millions stars … hum along with the cricket serenade … leave my worries and thoughts and stresses farther behind with every rock of the chair.

From the porch, at dusk

When (and notice I didn't write “if”) that house becomes mine, I plan to knock down walls and make the lake-facing side all windows. Without window treatments. Just the sky and lake and trees for curtains.

Captain brother-in-law, with sister’s beloved beagle

Brother at the helm

I love living life by boat — getting up in the early morn and zipping to the marina for the morning paper (and a fabulous boho skirt), taking two or three rides every day, cruising in the evening with a glass of wine and gentle breeze.

Georgia trivia: There are no natural lakes in the state; they’re all man-made (man-dug?). ‘Tis true; my mama told me so. Lake Burton is owned by Georgia Power.

A bank of kudzu

One downside about the most beautiful spot in Georgia is it’s where the very moneyed have their weekend homes, pricing paupers such as I out of the market. Folks are building McMansions up there — seven bed/ten bath behemoths (or, as I call these houses, behomeths) that are priced around six million. Yes, I mean dollars.

Here are some houses snapped from the boat.

I could be very happy here

Not quite what I’d call a lake house

This could be yours — for $6 million (and your soul)

Lake Burton is glorious. It needs me as much as I need it. I’m gonna suck up bigtime to the brother-in-law so that he’ll invite me up every three weeks. And introduce me to his widowed dad.

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