Mom, me (the little one) and my cousin Mike.
Growing up in the 1960’s through the 1980’s weekends and summers were spent at the lake. Nothing fancy like what we see today, but it was a cabin built by my dad and it was perfect. From what I remember it was a design and floor plan that they saw in a magazine for Jim Walter Homes. The plans were tweaked a little I think and what would have been two windows on the front turned into three very large bay windows looking out across the lake. The siding was not your normal hardie board siding, but was rough cut cedar. There were two bedrooms, bathroom, and a kitchen. The side front porch was eventually closed in and a fireplace was added. The cabin was built weekend to weekend, pay check to pay check. It wasn’t fast, but it was all theirs and they built it from the ground up as funds were available.
The siding was cedar and I do remember us repainting every couple of year. The kitchen was small with a little bar separating the den from the kitchen. At meal time I always had my favorite seat at the bar on on a Arthur Umanoff style wood slat swivel bar stool. Weekends meant fishing and evening meals usually meant fried catfish or bream with all the fixings! Going fly fishing with my Dad was always a treat. Getting up before the sun came up so that we could be down the Coosa River to our favorite fishing spots before the sun came up. Fast forward 50 years and a condo complex sits at the spot of what used to be some good fly fishing. Now all the bank cover is gone…and so are the fish.
The view from the house towards the Coosa River, before the dam was completed.
When my parents bought the property it was a 1-2 acre piece of land a good ways back from the Coosa River. Once the dam at Logan Martin was completed it all became water front property. People thought my parents and my relatives next door were a bit out there since they built retaining walls and boat houses out in the middle of a cow pasture!
Little did they know that Alabama Power had surveyed the property and they had a good idea of where the water would be once the dam was competed. The dam was completed in 1964 and the water started to rise.
We spent many a summer and/or weekend at the lake. I miss it so much that I wish we still owned the property. I still keep an eye on it from my Aunt and Uncles home next door. Maybe one day I can take custody of it once again.
Here’s my special place. I made this video when we were visiting family for the 4th of July this year.
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