You Should've Seen the One that Got Away

While the drought hasn't been great for lake levels...especially for those of us in small coves...it certainly made for some fun fishing for the kids last weekend.

The catfish were literally visible from the deck and pier which allowed our newbie fisherkids to actually watch them swim around and nibble their hooks...pretty cool actually.

While this one is our son's biggest catch yet...he's already telling "fish stories" about the huge catfish (double this size) which snapped his fishing line and got away.

We'll remember that one as our "Walter" (from On Golden Pond fame, of course).

8 or 9 Beers and Driving a Boat?

It makes me insane when I think about the risks some people take not only with their own lives but with all of those around them. Consider this story of a Lake Anna boater (and let's get serious, there are many just like him on every waterway in America) arrested this weekend in Operation SWEEP patrols by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

The Freelance-Star described one stop this way:

"The boat, which carried several adults and children, had been on the water since 11 a.m. Dedrick said he suspected the driver was operating under the influence. The man told officers he'd had eight or nine beers throughout the day. He refused to take a test to determine whether there was alcohol in his system."

Would this same guy load up his crew in the family minivan and drink 9 beers on his way to Kings Dominion? Maybe so, but it's clear that far too many people treat drinking and boating differently than drinking and driving because they know they won't get caught. Sad, huh?

WWBT in Richmond also did a story on the weekend's patrols and you can link to their video here.

The Heart of Virginia Wine Trail

So many local wineries...so little time.

It's hard to believe that summer is already winding down and we haven't made a single trip to the Lake Anna Winery yet.

But it's not too late. This article in the Richmond Times Dispatch inspired me to hit the road before the summer's over and stop by a number of our local vineyards. Reporter Jack Berninger talked to a number of local winemakers about their favorite wines, including Lake Anna's Graham Bell.

Graham Bell has been the winemaker at Lake Anna since 2001 after staining his fingers first at Montdomaine Cellars, then at Horton Vineyards, both in Virginia."Seyval Blanc [$12]. It's a nice, fruity wine [with aromas of] pear, a little apple. It's fermented and aged six months in stainless-steel tanks and is off-dry, light and refreshing."

A little bit of research also led me to the Heart of Virginia Wine Trail (have you noticed the signs alongside the roads?).

Their last event was a few weeks ago but the season isn't over yet and they've got at least one more event planned for 2007.

Safety Patrols a Welcome Sight

Did you notice the increased patrol presence on the lake this July 4th? We certainly did and have to say "thank you" to the Coast Guard auxiliary and the Louisa County Sheriff's Department for being out there in a visible way.

This is new for the Sheriff's deparment thanks to addition of three jet-ski's to their patrol, one donated by Anna Point Marina. For the first time in a long time, we didn't go a day without seeing someone having a "chat" with local water patrols.

As much as that might be a pain for the jet-skier without his vest or the boat operator who's clearly had a few too many beers, this noticeable water presence will make Lake Anna safer for all of us and for that we again say "thanks".

WCAV did a story on the holiday patrols and you can watch it here.

When A Picture Tells the Story

Why waste words?

This is what summer on the lake feels like whether your 6 or 96!

(...OK, maybe with less bone-jarring tubing on the higher end of those numbers)

Hey Lake Anna...Lend a Hand!

The Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity chapter has put out an all-call for volunteers to help work on a house in our neighborhood this weekend. The Freelance Star says:

Tomorrow and next Saturday, the group needs people to work on a house near Lake Anna. Volunteers will clear brush and level the ground to get the site ready for construction. Work will start at 9 a.m.

The group will also host an orientation June 21 at 7 p.m. for anyone interested in helping the group build homes for needy area residents.

What A Bummer

I suppose it's just more evidence that Lake Anna has hit the map for many people living well beyond the Louisa County and Fredericksburg area. I'm not sure how else to explain such huge crowds over the weekend at the Lake Anna State Park beach. So many, in fact that the beach was closed! WVIR in Charlottesvilles described it this way:

"Unexpectedly large crowds forced park rangers to turn people away by the carload. For the second time in two days, they had to ask people to leave. Getting turned away on Memorial Day can make for some seriously unhappy campers."

Talk about an understatement. Given the state's budget picture and the General Assembly's unwillingness to pay for even desperately needed programs like highway construction, I can't help but wonder what, if any relief , would even be considered for something like state park overcrowding.

It's especially disconcerting in the case of Lake Anna State Park since the construction of the cabins and other improvements have been such a terrific addition to Lake Anna. That impact is certainly diminished if the crowds you're trying to draw can't even enter the park once they arrive.

Finally Some Rules for the Road...oops..Water

I've never understood why any knucklehead is allowed to get behind the steering wheel of a boat and hit the water with literally no boating safety or driving courses. It makes no sense. And it only takes one near-miss with a careless boater to realize just how dangerous this lack of safety regulations is for all of us on the water.

Even so, there were plenty of people opposed to even the basic boating safety regs passed by the VA assembly this year. Here's a good summary of the new law from the Roanoke Times.

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries also has a Boat Virginia safety course highlighted on its website.

The good news is eventually Virginia boaters will have to meet some basic safety guidelines and actually learn to drive before hitting the water. The bad news is none of this takes affect any time soon.

Summer's Almost Here!

But it can't come soon enough. There are alot of wonderful lake events coming up to help us all get back on the water and into the summer swing of things. Here are just a few highlights:

The Virginia Renaissance Festival begins this weekend at the Lake Anna Winery and runs until June 17th. 10am-6pm.

On Memorial Day weekend (Saturday May 26) the Lake Anna Coast Guard Auxiliary will hold an Open House from 10 am to 2 pm. This is a great chance to get a tour of the Lake Anna Station and ask any questions you might have about boating safety on the lake. The best thing is they're also offering free boat safety checks so that you can begin the season fully prepared for a safe summer on the water.

Later that day the Lake Anna Beach Marina will provide live music courtesy of the The Key West Band. The fun kicks off at 4pm. Whether by boat or car these events provide a nice opportunity for the community to come together for a picnic and tunes too.

I know there is alot more going on out there and will follow up soon with more events happening this month.

More Nuke News

OK...I refuse to become the blogging version of Paul Revere..."the nukes are coming, the nukes are coming" but this article in the Freelance Star was pretty interesting.

I still don't understand why they're being so coy about construction plans though...

"Dominion has notified the NRC that, if the early site permit is
approved, it will apply for a combined license to construct and operate Unit 3. The company says it has made no decision on whether to actually build a new,third unit, and that will depend upon electricity demand and market forces."

You buy supplies, get approval, apply for a license but you haven't decided to build? Yea, right. Why not say what everybody already knows. All that uneccesary evasiveness does make even a non-cynic say "Hummm..."

The Bear Essentials...

I think I've found the true test of whether you're cut out for lake living or just a pretender. Here it is:

When you wake up one morning to find a bear on your patio do you...?

1. Shake in your boots too freaked out to move

2. Call the kids to look, get on the phone to let your neighbors know and notify your local game warden

3. Whip out your gun and start shooting

Pretty obvious, right? Well, you'd be surprised. Seems we have a new visitor this month to our Lake Anna development (won't tell you which one, you'll understand why in a minute) and he/she's furry, big and black with a passion for trash cans and bird feeders.

The community reacted just as it should. Emails started circulating and the homeowner's association spread the official word from our local game warden about what we need to do to keep ourselves safe and to encourage our visiting black bear to move on.

Here is a link to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries on the Virginia black bear. This really isn't anything new for Lake Anna and Louisa county, we have bears here. Truth is, they've been here a lot longer than we have.

But based on the reaction in our development, you'd think this was some menacing beast just prowling around waiting for the opportunity to eat our children and pets. In fact, one of our residents promised he'd take care of the bloodthirsty "vicious wild animal" himself and he was well-armed enough to do it. What nonsense.

Ultimately, I think the outrage from our community and a repeated recitation of the law forbidding the killing of this bear may have finally sunk in for this vigilante bear hunter. Alerting the game warden probably didn't hurt deliver that message either. But this is a lesson for everyone living and loving the limited wild Lake Anna can still offer. The wildlife (big and small) which we share this space with deserve our respect. A little common sense goes a long way ensuring we can coexist happily.

As one neighbor put it...if you can't live with that then you should stick to the suburbs.

So Much Lake News...So Little Time

OK...I have to make a full confession. I have violated one of the most important rules about blogging, DO IT. Between Spring Break, work and all of this really awful weather limiting our lake time , writing on the blog has been certainly been ignored in recent weeks. So, consider this a massive catch-up alright?

The Central Virginian reported this week on the lake's newest commercial development, Lake Anna Island. I personally was very excited about the original plans to bring another (desperately needed) lakefront restaurant to Lake Anna and the other commercial proposed for the building. But the developers were really run through the zoning/public 'outrage' gauntlet and I give them credit for coming up with this final incarnation. Apparently, the first phase is ready to begin...

"According to B.J. Blount, a partner in the development company BBCR, the necessary permits are in hand and the group is ready to begin leasing the first of 100 permanent covered docks that will be part of the project. Once the first 50 have been purchased, Blount said, construction on the piers will start, a process he hopes will occur within the next couple of months."

The North Anna power plant received it's annual safety review from the NRC. The Freelance Star reported:

"The NRC concluded that North Anna operated safely with all inspection findings in the green category. That means there was very low safety significance, and at levels requiring no additional NRC oversight. As a result, the NRC plans to conduct only routine baseline inspections at the plant for the rest of this year. Safety is an issue at North Anna because Dominion has applied for an NRC permit that could lead to the construction of up to two more reactors at the site."

And we've got to talk about the passage of new boating safety rules by the Virginia Assembly. As a boater, I say bring them on. I'm tired of sharing the water with people who haven't got the faintest idea about the rules of the 'road' or how to share the waves.

But that's a conversation for another day.

It's Tourney Time...Not Just for Hoops Fans

While they may not have brackets and rankings, it's tourney time too for Lake Anna's anglers. The Lake Anna and Potomac River Bass Anglers Tournament is one event underway here at the lake.

I gotta hand it to these guys and gals...I see them out in rain, cold and wind each and every day working our cove and surrounding environs. They've got far more patience than I do!

If you're coming to the lake anytime soon checkout any of our local marinas and you'll find more information about local tourneys and fishing events.

Lake Anna Hodge-Podge

What the heck!!?? From sunny and 75 to snowing and 30. To say it's been a weird week would certainly be an understatement. I'm so thankful we didn't fully de-winterize last weekend. As it is the water levels on the lake were so high on Saturday that someone walking on one of our neighbors piers it looked like he was walking on water.


In spite of the cold and windy weather there were a couple of interesting lake tidbits I found this weekend...both from bloggers. One is a post from a woman walking and biking to Florida and took a side trip for her first visit here and the other from a wine afficianado who made his first visit to Lake Anna Winery and provided a very nice profile.

Tap-Tap-Tap...It's 6:30 AM...or is it 5:30?!?!?

Now, I'm not a fan of this whole seasonal "spring ahead, fall behind" nonsense (especially "Spring ahead", anyway) but it was especially unwelcome this weekend when we woke up to rapping on our door at the ungodly hour of 5:30am on Sunday(like 6:30a isn't bad enough on a weekend). Who could possible be tapping at our door this early?

Imagine our suprise to find it was a beautiful male cardinal. And he was incredibly persistent. His first round of wakeup calls began from our main level deck. Once he saw us shuffling around inside dazed and confused, he quickly flew away. Within minutes he was back again, this time from the patio below the deck.

He tapped away at our sliding glass doors for hours. The kids were really worried he was going to knock himself silly...I personally can't imagine how he didn't end up with a doozey of a headache (he'd certainly given us one, by the second consecutive hour).

Later that morning we found signs that he's also been tapping away at a window at the front of the lake house. What in the world could he be after? Given the beautiful lake weekend we finally had my advice to him is "stick outside buddy...Spring will be here soon!"

Highways and Bi-ways

Construction has begun on a bypass that should make it alot easier for folks traveling to and from the lake in Spotsylvania County. The Fredericksburg Freelance Star says:

"The new road will provide traffic relief at the T-intersection at Spotsylvania Courthouse, which handles about 20,000 vehicles a day. In 2029, the bypass is projected to carry 48,000 vehicles a day. The first segment is a three-mile, four-lane road that will peel off Courthouse Road (State Route 208) near the Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park and Plantation Forest subdivision. It will go west of the courthouse, crossing Brock Road. It will end 1.5 miles south of Robert E. Lee Drive. The second phase will continue around Post Oak, cross the Ta River and reconnect with Route 208."

But this is a big project that won't see the first phase done until the end of 2008. So, it will probably mean construction headaches for travelers in the short term...good news for Lake Anna travelers in the long term.

So what's in that water anyway?

One of the joys of lake living are the constant reminders that we are merely sharing the space we call home. The woods, the water and the air at Lake Anna are constantly filled with all kinds of fish, fowl and other animals which we love watching each and every time we may cross paths. There have been a number of bear sightings at the Lake in recent years and months...but more on that later. First, I wanted to share one of the best descriptions of Lake Anna's creation and the fish which now populate the lake.

C.C. McCotter has been a fishing guide on Lake Anna since 1992. His website details biological surveys done on the local fish populations and lists an impressive array:

"Here are the original 40 species according to family group; American eel,gizzard shad,threadfin shad,blueback herring,eastern mudminnow,mosquitocfish,white sucker,creek chubsucker,shorthead redhorse,northern hog sucker, chain pickerel,Northern pike, common carp, bluehead chub, river chub, goldenshiner, satinfin shiner, swallowtail shiner, spottail shiner, pirate perch,white catfish, brown catfish, yellow bullhead, channel catfish, margined madtom,bluespotted sunfish, redbreast sunfish, pumpkinseed, warmouth, bluegill, redearsunfish, mud sunfish, largemouth bass, black crappie, yellow perch,walleye,tessellated darter, white perch and striped bass. There are rare,unsubstantiated reports of a smallmouth or two but they are not established in the lake."

And the biggest surprise for me (as an acknowledged and admitted fishing neophyte)...eels?!! In lakes? Apparently it's not all that unusual. Even so, I don't think I'll share that one with the kids.

Can you Say Cabin Fever!!!

Enough of the cold...enough of the single digit temps and wind chills! I can't help but dream of warm breezes and sunny spring days on Lake Anna. Unfortunately, regardless of the groundhog's predictions it seems we have nothing but cold temps ahead for the long-term forecast anyway. But I've found something that might help...

The Fredericksburg Outdoor Show is this weekend at the Fredericksburg Expo and Conference Center. I've never been before but it sounds like a great way to plan for another Lake Anna summer. There's also coverage of the event in the Freelance-Star if you're looking for something fun to do this weekend.

Up for a 55 Mile Bike Ride?

OK...in the name of full disclosure I have to admit that running a triathlon would never rank up there on my list of fun things to do; however, I do find it fascinating that so many people out there are not only running marathons successfuly but also expanding into the world of triathlons.

Lake Anna continues to host athletes participating in the Virginia Triathlon. Last Fall one of the competitors from the race pictured here spent the weekend in our Rental Condo and he was one of our best guests ever. Of course, he was probably so beat after the race I bet he just vegged the whole next day! Do triathletes veg?

Already, preparations are underway for Lake Anna's next event in April. Athletes will gather at Lake Anna State Park on Saturday, April 21, 2007 where they'll Swim 1.2 miles, Bike 55 miles, Run 13.1 miles. Really, I'm not kidding.

There's more on the Virginia Triathlon website. It might be fun just to come watch.

Ye Olde England Comes to Lake Anna

The Virginia Renaissance Festival will come to Lake Anna for a couple months beginning in May. If you've never been to one of these kind of events it's definitely worth your time. Afterall, it's not every day that you can imagine being in the English countryside with a collection of characters straight out of Robin Hood. From wenches to royalty, jugglers to artisans Renaissance Festivals can be alot of fun for both young and old.

The Staunton News-Leader has an article detailing the search for actors in this years event, running May 19-June 17 at Lake Anna Winery. These are the kind of events with statewide appeal that I hope Lake Anna continues to draw.