Lake Magazine April 2021

Annual

BUILDERS & BUYERS Edition

Inside Gus & Kristi Malzahn's lake house What's open now APRIL 2021

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Assisting buyers & sellers with their real estate needs in the Lake Martin Area Rhonda Gaskins, Broker Century 21 Lake Area Realty, Inc.

256-749-3644 rhonda@lakearearealty.net

lakearearealty.net

Let Me Move You!

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Letter from the Editor

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pril is a transition month. Like the rising water on Lake Martin, there’s a lot of change happening here, and it’s all good!

As April also is the month we traditionally publish the Builders and Buyers edition of Lake magazine, let’s start there. In this month’s issue, we’ve highlighted a few of the new neighborhoods going in around the lake.

With sales inventory down, finding a lake house to move right into this summer is rare indeed. The next-best option might be to build the lake house of your dreams. On page 40, we’ve highlighted some of the new neighborhoods going in around the lake to help you get started.

What actually goes in that new lake house might be the next question, and we’ve showcased two local businesses to help you get just the right look. At the intersection of county Road 34 and state Route 49, Jennifer Cone at Lakeside Mercantile has taken your lake life to another level with décor, food and more. Turn to page 66 for a tour of the store.

Then, come with us to meet the Madwind Craftsman on U.S. Route 280. John Howell will knock your socks off with the custom wood-and-metal work he’s putting in not only lake houses, but also businesses at Lake Martin and beyond. He talks with us on page 34 about his journey and his approach to the fabulous pieces he creates.

And then, we are excited to share one very special, spectacular Lake Martin home with you. The story on page 50 about Kristi and Gus Malzahn’s beautiful home in South Ridge actually began with the architect, Taylor Dawson, who grew up on the former Dixie Sailing Club grounds there. Because his own family’s lake cabin was situated on the same lot that the Malzahns purchased, Dawson brought a wealth of knowledge and site-specific experience to the plan.

We also have good news on the tech connection at Lake Martin on page 46. Better internet is on the way, but be please be patient, as fiber installation takes time.

Another transition under way at Lake Martin is the start of the summer season. Those favorite lakeside haunts, restaurants and music venues are gearing up for summer, and this year, there are quite a few new places you’ll want to discover. Check out Brittany Smith’s article on page 24 about what’s opening up this month, and learn about the return of those beloved goats to Goat Island on page 20.

And as the world begins to open up for travel and business again, be sure to take Lake magazine with you and send us a photo of where you are taking Lake! Email your photos to editor@lakemagazine.life.

Betsy Iler, Editor Editor’s Note: The photograph on page 36 of the February issue of Lake magazine was taken by Frances Dean.

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Staff Chairman KENNETH BOONE

editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

Publisher STEVE BAKER

editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

Magazine Department Manager BRITTANY SMITH editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

Editor BETSY ILER

editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

Art Director AUDRA SPEARS

audra.spears@alexcityoutlook.com

Circulation ERIN BURTON

erin.burton@alexcityoutlook.com

Marketing/Advertising Director TIPPY HUNTER

tippy.hunter@alexcityoutlook.com

Marketing RACHEL MCCOLLOUGH

rachel.mccollough@alexcityoutlook.com

MARILYN HAWKINS

marilyn.hawkins@thewetumpkaherald.com

JULIE HARBIN

julie.harbin@alexcityoutlook.com

ANDY CARR

andy.carr@thewetumpkaherald.com

Digital Success Manager ELLE FULLER

elle.fuller@alexcityoutlook.com

Contributors KENNETH BOONE JULIE HUDSON GREG VINSON JOHN COLEY ERIC REUTEBUCH CLIFF WILLIAMS SIRI HEDREEN

JACOB HOLMES DARIUS GOODMAN JAKE ARTHUR AUDRA SPEARS PAXTON TIDWELL CHRIS MORINA HENRY FOY

MICHAEL SZNAJDERMAN ALI HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY

All content, including all stories and photos are copyright of: Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc.

P.O. Box 999 Alexander City, AL 35011 256-234-4281

On the Cover Efficiency meets beauty in the Lake Martin home of Kristi and Gus Malzahn. This spectacular South Ridge cabin-styled home was built on the same lot where its architect, Taylor Dawson, grew up in a Russell cabin on the old Dixie Sailing Club grounds.

Dawson's experience on the property aided in exposing the home to the best views and light for the Malzahns.

Photo by Kenneth Boone

Serving Lake Martin Since 1997 docksunlimitedllc.com | 256-203-8400

Stationary and Floating Docks | Pile Driving Seawalls | Boat Lifts | Boat Houses

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(256) 234-6366

V (256) 487-0308

Experience & Integrity in Real Estate Law

We Touch the Lives of the People You Love

Our team is here to ensure you a successful real estate transaction.

Residential • Land • Commercial

J im L. D ebarDeLaben attorney at Law

Now Located in Wetumpka 194 Fort Toulouse Road, Ste B

334-265-9206 jim@jimdebardlaw.com No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal service performed by other lawyers.

(256) 825-9244

Assisted Living & SCALF Short Term Rehab

(256) 839-6711

(334) 864-8854 6 LAKE

Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy Long Term Skilled Nursing Care APRIL 2021

Contents 20. COMING HOME Goat Island's beloved residents will return to the lake this month 24. THE LAKE IS OPEN Lake season gets a jump start this month as food and music venues gear up for summer

Builders & Buyers 40

28. FINISHING TOUCHES Interior design becomes more personal, as fulltime lake like grows in popularity 34. MADWIND CRAFTSMAN Alexander City's John Howell creates eye-popping home features and furniture in his Jacksons Gap shop 40. WHAT'S NEW IN LAKE LIVING From new neighborhoods to home design, the pandemic is changing how we live at Lake Martin 46. STRONGER SIGNALS Better connectivity, a priority at the lake, is on the way, as funding and fiber installation increase 50. A POCKET OF PEACE A college football coach and his family choose Lake Martin as a retreat and future retirement home 66. LAKESIDE MERCANTILE Innovation and loyal customers keep a lake area business thriving through COVID-19

LAKE MAGAZINE’S MONTHLY FEATURES:

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9. LAKE’S QUICK GUIDE TO THE LAKE 10. LAKE SCENES 14. LAKE MARTIN EVENTS 18. LAKE MARTIN NEWS 64. LAKE PROPERTY 70. NATURE OF THE LAKE

74. LAKE WATCH 77. FAB FINDS 78. HEALTHY LIVING 80. CHEF'S TABLE 82. FROM THE CELLAR 84. BIG CATCHES 87. PAR FOR THE COURSE

Lake magazine also features an online, digital edition, available 24 hours a day, free of charge. This edition is perfect to share with friends and family and provides you complete access to stories, photos and advertisements from anywhere in the world with Internet access. View our digital edition today at www.lakemagazine.life.

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Dr. George W. Hardy General Dentistry

Brown Nursing & Rehabilitation Rehabilitation Services • Physical Therapy • Occupational Therapy • Speech Therapy Cecily Lee, Administrator Angela Pitts, Director of Nursing Candi Tate, Clinical Liaison

2334 Washington Street, Alexander City | 256-329-9061 | www.crownehealthcare.com

A Place To Worship Lake Martin Area Churches

WATERFRONT Church of the Living Waters Inside StillWaters, Dadeville 256-825-2990 New Hope Baptist Church 529 Peppers Road, Alexander City 256-329-2510 Church in the Pines Kowaliga Road, Kowaliga 334-857-2133

OFF WATER Equality United Methodist Church 281 AL Hwy 259, Equality 334-541-4063

OFF WATER

OFF WATER

OFF WATER

First Baptist Church Court Square, Alexander City 256-234-6351

Alex City Church of Christ 945 Tallapoosa Street, Alexander City 256-234-6494

Hillabee Baptist Church Hillabee Road, Alexander City 256-234-6798

Red Ridge United Methodist Church 8091 County Road 34, Dadeville 256-825-9820

Episcopal Church of the Epiphany 2602 Gilmer Avenue Tallassee, AL 36078 334-252-8618 (12 Miles South of Lake Martin)

First Baptist Church 178 South Tallassee Street, Dadeville 256-825-6232

St. James Episcopal Church South Central Avenue, Alexander City 256-234-4752

First United Methodist Church 310 Green Street, Alexander City 256-234-6322 First United Methodist Church West Lafayette Street, Dadeville 256-825-4404 First Presbyterian Church 371 Jefferson Street, Alexander City 256-329-0524

Lake Martin Baptist Church 9823 County Road 34, Dadeville, AL 36853 256-825-7434 Lake Pointe Baptist Church La 8352 Highway 50, Dadeville, AL 36853 256-373-3293 Faith Temple Church 425 Franklin Street, Alexander City 256-234-6421

St John The Apostle Catholic Church 454 North Central Avenue Alexander City, Al 35010 256-234-3631 Flint Hill United Methodist Church 2858 Flint Hill Road Alexander City, AL 35010 256-234-5047 Good News Baptist Church 10493 Hwy 280 Jacksons Gap, AL 36861 256-825-2555

Small Space Advertising Works.

Call Julie Jolie Harbin Waters256-252-8558 256-414-3174 && ask for Lake Church Page Call

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Lake’s Quick Guide to the Lake Lake Martin Area Real Estate Indicators Sales Month

Number of sales

Average selling price

Median selling price

Days on the market

Total houses for sale

27 17 15

$833,957 $615,753 $555,135

$799,000 $520,000 $350,000

93 175 291

56 224 327

February 2021 February 2018 February 2015

Inventory/ sales ratio 1.35 7.53 13.58

The above numbers are derived from raw sales data from the Lake Martin Area Association of Realtors MLS.The sales noted above are for Lake Martin waterfront residential (single-family and condominium) sales only. This information is provided courtesy of Lake Martin Realty, LLC (a Russell Lands, Inc., affiliated company).

Where is Lake?

It's been a long year, and one of the things we've missed most at Lake magazine is the interaction with our readers who take Lake along on your travels.

The "Where is Lake?" feature began in January 2008 when a local Realtor took the November 2007 edition of the magazine along on a medical mission trip to Guatemala where the group of 28 - including two doctors, a dentist, an oral surgeon and nine nurses saw 1,400 patients at remote clinics in four mountain villages.

As COVID-19 restrictions ease and travel resumes, please take Lake magazine along on your travel adventures. Send your photos to editor@lakemagazine.life, and we'll revive our "Where is Lake?" feature.

Weather Outlook for April April 2021 Forecast

Historically, the Lake Martin area experiences average high temperatures in the mid 70s with average lows in the mid 50s and more than 4 inches of precipitation in the month of April.The National Weather Service has predicted that temperatures will be slightly above average, and rainfall averages will be below the normal range this month.

Year to Date

Precipitation: 17.4 inches Avg. high temp.: 73.9 Avg. low temp.: 55.1 Avg. temp.: 63.6

Our Normal April Precipitation: 4.62 inches Avg. high temp.: 91 Avg. low temp.: 30 Avg. temp.: 63.8

Information from the National Weather Service.

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Last Month's Lake Levels Summer: 491 MSL Winter: 481 MSL Highest: 487.386 Lowest: 483.78 Lake depth is measured in reference to mean sea level. For up-to-date water levels at the lake, visit lakes.alabamapower.com.

Lake elevations are subject to change. Individuals who recreate below Martin Dam and those with boats and waterrelated equipment on the lake should always stay alert to changing conditions.

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Lake Scene n People & Places

Email your photos to editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

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READER SUBMISSIONS (1) A fervent sunrise photographer, Randy McClendon said this photo taken at dawn on Dec. 27 is one of the most unusual he's taken, as the fog bank looks like a storm cloud below the rising sun. (2) Just another day on Lake Martin for these two sisters as Eliza teaches Chambers how to surf. (3) Avery Dixon poses with the sand portrait that she and her family created while visiting Lake Martin. (4) Dallas the Street Pup is happy to be on Lake Martin. (5) Cheryl Gainer McCall watched the sun rise over Lake Martin on Christmas Day. (6) Catching fish is a great way to start a vacation at the lake.

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Lake Scene n People & Places

Email your photos to editor@lakemartinmagazine.com

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READER SUBMISSIONS (1) A blue heron flying over the lake creates a circle with its reflection. (2) Lake Martin reflects cotton candy clouds on a lovely afternoon. (3) Greg and Renee Kelley and John and Angie take in the view from the Smith Mountain Fire Tower.

(4) Jackson Cotney and Hamrick Morgan ride the waves behind the boat. (5) John Le thinks this just might be the best boat dog ever. (6) Enjoy a shower and a swim at the lake. (7) Felicia House took the yellow kayak out for a float on Lake Martin.

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Lake Martin’s Marine Construction Company 6732 Highway 63 South, Alexander Cit y, AL 35010 | (256) 392-5200 | www. sunrisedock sllc.com

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April 1 Strand Sessions

The new season of Strand Sessions starts at 6 p.m. in downtown Alexander City’s Strand Park. Bring your own beverages and sit under the lighted trees for an evening with friends and music by Daniel and McDaniel. These free concerts on the first Thursday of each month will continue through August.

April 10 Season Kick-off at Chuck’s

The opening of Chuck’s is the unofficial start of the season at Lake Martin. Come for the pizza, the music, the friends and the fun from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

April 10 Russell Marine Spring Bass Clash

April 2-4 Bunnies & Chicks

Russell Lands Naturalist Marianne Hudson will share details about these unassuming animals and their connection to Easter.

Bring a camera to the Naturalist’s Cabin and get photos of the children and grandchildren on Good Friday from noon to 6 p.m. or Holy Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., or come to SpringHouse on Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to photograph the children with bunnies and chicks. Everyone is welcome at this free event.

April 3 Guided Nature Tour

The unique format of this bass tournament gives entrants a chance to win multiple times. Anglers will compete in challenge flights for first, second, Big Fish and Average Bag awards. Flight winners get $1,200 with second place winners getting $600. The Big Fish per flight wins $250 or $10 per boat in the flight. Bass Cat Quest and OGS Tournaments will offer incentives as well. Register and check-in at Russell Marine Boating & Outdoors in Alexander City. Weigh-ins will be at Wind Creek State Park Marina. Visit russellmarine. net for details.

April 10 Spring Farm Day

Join Russell Lands Naturalist Marianne Hudson for an educational foray into the forest. She will discuss who’s hatching and what’s growing in Russell Forest this spring.

Advance registration is required for this event, and a $10 fee per person applies. Call or send a text to 256-496-2710 for more information or to register.

April 3 Master Gardeners Native Azalea Plant Sale

Meadows Farm at 3585 Dudleyville Rd., Dadeville, will welcome visitors from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to celebrate spring at the farm. This event is free, so come out and pet the animals, get a sense of the farm life and learn where food comes from and what it takes to put it on your table.

There will be food, games, fun, ponies and a vendor fair. Proceeds benefit the Meadows Scholarship Funds.

The Master Gardeners will hold

their annual native azalea sale on April 3 Better arrive early at the April 13 River Bank & Trust parkDadeville Chamber ing lot on U.S. Route 280 CALENDAR OF EVENTS of Commerce because the sale lasts only as long as the supply of Luncheon WHAT’S HAPPENING ON LAKE MARTIN beautiful native azaleas.

Tuesday, April 13, This Master Gardeners 2021 the Lake Martin event begins at 9 a.m. The 1-gallon plants will be priced at $12; Dadeville Area Chamber is holding a luncheon for Chamber 3-gallon plants are $25. No pre-orders will be taken. This is a Members and local residents. There is limited seating for first come, first served event. safety reasons and all who wish to attend MUST R.S.V.P. by noon on April 8th. Call 256-825-4019 or stop by the Chamber office at 345 E. LaFayette St., Suite 102.

April 9-11

Alabama Water Rally

Register now for this virtual conference that will reimagine Alabama’s shared environmental future through keynote speakers, networking, campaign planning, coalition building, legislative advocacy, art and nature. Registration is $50 for the weekend virtual conference. Sliding scale options and full scholarships are available. Visit alabamarivers.org/waterrally2021.

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April 16 Season Kick-off at The Landing at Parker Creek

Time to get your cornhole arm in shape for tossing bean bags. The Landing at Parker Creek will open for the summer with Chef Torrey “Flyin’Hawaiian” Hall, chalkboard menus,

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outdoor seating and the sandy beach where the kids can play.

Rekindle lake friendships and meet new friends under The Landing’s outdoor pavilion.

April 17 20th Anniversary Old 280 Boogie

Last year’s tickets will be honored at this year’s Old 280 Boogie event on the outdoor stage at Standard Deluxe in Waverly. This year’s line up includes The Band of Heathens, Lillie Mae, The Pine Hill Haints and Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires. There will be food vendors and artists displaying their works for sale. Bring a lawn chair and a cooler, but please, no glass. Visit standarddeluxe.com for more information.

April 24-25 Harbor Pointe Marina Boat Show

Check out the new models in the water from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Harbor Pointe Marina Boat Show on Friday and Saturday. There will be music by the Dalton Bush Band on Saturday, and. Amsterdam Café will bring the food truck to serve tacos on Saturday as well.

April 30-May 1 Driving Miss Daisy

This free, outdoor Alexander City Theatre II performance of Alfred Uhry’s Pulitzer Prize winning script will open at dark at the Town Green Stage at Russell Crossroads. Bring lawn chairs and blankets for your socially distanced seating, as well as picnic suppers and beverages. In this production, Alexander City’s Raheem Ruffin plays the part of chauffeur Hoke Coleburn; Betsy Iler plays Miss Daisy Werthan, and Dave Upton plays her son, Boolie. General seating is free, or reserve a circle for $30 to get the best seats. Call 256-749-8073 for circle reservations.

May 15 5th Annual Blues in the Park

Come out to Strand Park at 4 p.m. for some Southern Soul at the 5th Annual Blues in the Park event. This year’s free concert will feature Daddy B. Nice, Tasha Mac, WestLove, Jeter Jones, Stan Butler, Cadillac Man, Baddnewz and Jail. Tents and coolers are welcome. No grills. Please social distance.

May 15 Everything’s Art in the Park

Dadeville’s second annual event is set for beautiful Pennington Park in downtown Dadeville. AITP will feature original oil, watercolor and acrylic art and crafts created by local and regional artists. The event will also feature local food vendors and music. Bring lawn chairs and spend the day.

Vendor applications can be obtained by contacting Everything’s Art at everythingsartguild14@gmail.com. Additional information may be found on the Everything’s Art Facebook page.

Questions can be directed to Kurt Pfitzner at 334-233-9852.

Season-long Events First Saturday Markets

Standard Deluxe in Waverly hosts the First Saturday Market on the first Saturday of each month from now through August.

Pick up lunch, local artwork, T-shirts, posters and more from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visit standarddeluxe.com for details.

Pennington Park Farmers Martket

The Markets are scheduled for Sundays, June 13 and 27, as well as July 11 and 25 from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. in Dadeville’s Pennington Park, 121 N. Spring Street. The Marketplace is a producers-only market that provides high quality home-grown produce and homemade goods to the community, which given local producers the opportunity to offer their goods for sale. Live music, when available, is scheduled on the pavilion during each market afternoon. Vendors interested in participating should email kppfitzner@gmail.com or call 334-233-9852 to request an application. Booth spaces are free.

Charity Bingo & Trivia at Niffer's

Every Tuesday at 6 p.m. Niffer’s at the Lake hosts eight rounds of Bingo to benefit local charities, and every Thursday, Niffer’s hosts trivia night at 7 p.m. Winners receive Niffer’s gift cards. First place gets $40; second place gets $25; and third place gets $15. Grab a group of friends and come out for a night of games. A bonus question is posted on the Niffer’s Facebook page at 2 p.m. Thursdays.

Soup to Go

Drive through the parking lot at St. James Episcopal Church at 347 S. Central Ave. in Alexander City between 5:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. every Tuesday and pick up a free brown bag dinner with soup, sandwich and more. COVID-19 precautions are taken by volunteers who prepare, pack and distribute the meal, which is open to the whole community.

Music at Copper’s Grill

Copper’s Grill hosts music outdoors on the lawn at 7:30 p.m. every Friday. Bring your own lawn chairs and please keep a proper social distance.

Clean Community Partnership Cleanups

Volunteers in Alexander City and Dadeville are encouraged to participate in community partnership cleanups every month.

In Alexander City, the cleanups are held on the third Saturday of the month. Meet at Our Town Volunteer Fire Department at 8:30 a.m. to pick up supplies and area assignments and help clean up the roads within Alexander City. For more information, contact Jacob Meacham at jacob.meacham@ alexandercitychamber.com.

In Dadeville, the monthly cleanup is held on the first Saturday of the month, and volunteers can pick up sanitized pickers and bags at 8 a.m. at Dadeville City Hall. There also will be a trash bag drop-off on site. Contact Dianna Porter at 256-750-0075.

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Library Storytimes

Storytime for children aged 5 and younger is held at the Dadeville Public Library every Tuesday at 10 a.m.

Mamie’s Place Children’s Library holds themed storytime every Wednesday at 10 a.m. for preschool-aged and younger children. In addition, the children’s library hosts board games and puzzles every Thursday from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. For information, call Melissa Finley at 256-234-4644.

Charity Bingo at Jake’s

Play charity bingo at Jake’s Restaurant at 16 Broad St., Alexander City, at 6 p.m. every Thursday night. Cards are $1, and proceeds benefit local charities.

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Children’s Harbor Treasures and Thrift Store

Located on state Route 63 just south of Lake Martin Amphitheater, the Children’s Harbor Thrift Store is open Thursday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You never know what gems you might find – from clothes and household items to boats. Proceeds are used to help fund the activities at the Lake Martin campus of Children’s Harbor and the Family Center at Children’s Hospital. Call 334-857-2008 for more information.

Naturalist Presentations and Guided Nature Tours

Naturalist Marianne Hudson fills the Naturalist Cabin at Russell Crossroads with children and adults to see and listen to her lively nature presentations with critters, insects, snakes and fowl. There is never a dull moment with this wildlife biologist as she educates on the beauty of nature in the wild and the outdoor classroom. Check the calendar at RussellLandsOnLakeMartin.com/blog/events for the scheduled subject matter, dates and times.

Coffee & Connections

Every third Tuesday of the month, the Alexander City Chamber of Commerce hosts a networking event at 8 a.m. open to any chamber member. Meet at the TPI bullpen at the Lake Martin Innovation Center for coffee, a light breakfast and a chance to network with community members.

lakemartindock.com

334.857.2443

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Lake Martin News New engine cutoff switch law won't affect Lake Martin boaters – yet

A new engine cutoff switch law that went into effect Jan. 1 is not likely to affect boaters on Lake Martin this season, but changes could be coming this fall if the U.S. Coast Guard revises Alabama’s 24-foot rule. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Marine Patrol Division Deputy Chief Matt Brooks said any changes probably would come in October.

“There are two different laws in question. The State law requires that the operator of any vehicle less than 24 feet and more than 50 horsepower has to wear the cutoff switch.

The new federal law says all vehicles on navigable waters less than 26 feet and more than 115 pounds of thrust – essentially a 3 horsepower motor,” Brooks explained.

“From a State perspective, we can only enforce the State law, but we do look into the future to bring our law in line with the federal law,” he said.

A section of Alabama House Bill 238 would align the State mandate with the new federal law, Brooks said, but the U.S. Coast Guard will contact states that have navigable waters and review areas to determine what action, if any, might need to be taken. One question for Alabama is the definition of a navigable waterway, as the Army Corps of Engineers also works with a navigable water definition that differs from the Coast Guard’s.

“We have reached out to the Coast Guard as to what they would determine to be navigable waters. In the meantime, we will continue to enforce our existing law, but with an eye toward the Coast Guard revising our law or giving us an exemption,” Brooks said. “If the house bill passes, it would not be effective until October.” ~ Betsy Iler

Alabama Power hydro generation benefits from 2020 rainfall

Lots of rain in 2020 meant lots of clean, renewable, lowcost hydropower for Alabama Power customers.

Preliminary figures show the company produced significantly more hydropower in 2020 than projected, placing 2020 as the eighth-best year on record for hydroelectric energy production.

“Hydropower is one of the most cost-effective sources of energy,” said Herbie Johnson, Hydro general manager for Alabama Power. “The more hydropower produced, the better for our customers.”

With hydropower, there’s no need to purchase fuel, since the source of the energy is a renewable resource: rain.

Hydropower also creates no emissions, helping protect air quality.

Of course, hydropower is subject to the whims of Mother Nature, since it depends on ample rains to keep hydro reservoirs filled.

That wasn’t a problem in 2020, with record spring rains, adequate summer showers and two major hurricanes in the

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fall. Indeed, those Martin Dam had no record spring rains shortage of rainfall in 2020 resulted in the best with record spring rains, January through summer showers and two April in the commajor hurricanes in the fall pany’s history for hydropower production.

Those spring rains broke records across the state, leading to higherthan-average rainfall totals for the year in multiple locations.

At BirminghamShuttlesworth International Airport, for example, rainfall for all of 2020 was the fifth-highest on record. Rainfall data for Birmingham dates back to 1896. Anniston, Birmingham, Huntsville, Muscle Shoals and Tuscaloosa all recorded their soggiest first quarters ever in 2020, according to the National Weather Service.

The substantial spring rainfall, combined with wise management of water resources throughout the year, helped make 2020 a strong year for hydropower generation in Alabama.

Turbine upgrades at several Alabama Power dams in recent years have helped the company produce more renewable energy with less water. Alabama Power has 14 hydroelectric facilities on 11 lakes across the state. The company’s lakes also provide sources of drinking water, recreational opportunities and help fuel local economies.

Typically, Alabama Power gets between 4 percent and 8 percent of its electricity annually from hydro. The company’s diverse generating mix includes power produced from nuclear, natural gas and coal-fired power plants and from renewable resources such as solar and wind.

Learn more about Alabama Power hydro generation at https://apcshorelines.com/. ~Michael Sznajderman

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HELP BEAUTIFY the area through volunteer commitment and community involvement.

ASK A BUDDY to join you! Volunteer to adopt a mile of Hwy 63 and commit to keeping it litter free.

If you are interested, just go to 63PrideDrive.com and sign-up.

VOLUNTEERS will receive a Pride Drive t-shirt,

safety vest, trash picker and bags. Help your friends and neighbors bring Pride back to the community.

TO VOLUNTEER

or learn more,visit 63PrideDrive.com

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After the weather becomes consistently warm and the vet says the goats are good to go, Goat Island's popular residents will be back on the lake

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Coming Home Goat Island's beloved residents to return this month

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STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTO BY KENNETH BOONE

Goat Island’s summer residents are expected to return mid-month, said Stacie Baker, who, along with her family, owns and cares for the goats on a 75-acre island just north of Martin Dam. The island has become a popular stop among Lake Martin residents and visitors, who love to feed, pet and take photos with the goats.

“Mid-April, they will go back. Once the weather gets warm all the time,” Baker explained. “Once we get them to the island, we have to check on them every day. It’s a 15-minute drive for us on the water, and that can be a cold ride if it’s not warm.”

In preparation for the move, Baker, her husband, Ricky, and children will check the island and its goat shelter structure to make sure everything is in good repair.

“We will make sure there are no dead or falling trees and make sure the structures are good. And we’ll have Dr. Passler look at them and make sure they are good to go and get their vaccinations,” she said.

Dr. Thomas Passler, an associate professor in the Department of Clinical Sciences at the Veterinary School at Auburn University, has helped to care for the goats for more than 10 years.

“We have one older female, Sunshine, that is the only one left of the original seven on the island,” Baker said. “She is still in very good health, but last year, the island was so busy, and she was up on the island laying down a lot. She may not be going back.”

Last year, 15 goats spent the summer on the island, but Baker said only 10 or 12 might go back this summer.

“They are all so friendly, but a couple of them have gotten so big. We may not take those back,” she said. “But the goats do better at the island, so we’ll try to get them back as quickly as we can.”

An account for the support of the island’s goats has been set up at First Community Bank in Eclectic. More information about the goats is available on the Facebook page.

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ProCare, LLC C O N T R A C T I N G

Come join the fun on Lake Martin at Holiday Cove!

Four brand new houses in a resort setting, perfect for a relaxing vacation, family reunion, Auburn football game weekend, graduation, church retreat, corporate training event and much more!

House No 1 - Sleeps 8 House No 2 - Sleeps 14 House No 3 - Sleeps 8 House No 4 - Sleeps 18

Holiday Cove Vacation Rentals

60 Dogwood Drive, Dadeville, AL 36853

775-622-7700

holidaycovevr@gmail.com

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The fun is opening up at Lake Martin this month

THE LAKE IS OPEN STORY BY BRITTANY SMITH & PHOTO BY KENNETH BOONE

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With spring officially sprung and summer right around the corner, Lake Martin is preparing for its busiest season of the year. Local restaurants, small businesses and attractions open their doors after months of being shut for the winter. New and old businesses alike are teeming to open their doors. Customers and lake goers are on their toes, ready to dive into the excitement that this summer on Lake Martin is sure to bring.

Locations and opening dates for several businesses around the lake are as follows: Yellow Top Ice Cream Shop opened on March

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22. A new lake treat on the water this year, Yellow Top will cruise the waters offering all sorts of delectable goodies to lake goers. Just look for the yellow boat.

Wind Creek State Park recently opened up several exciting activities that could make a day worth remembering. Start the day with a round of mini golf; take a trail ride with Rockin’ K Guided Trail Rides; grab an ice cream cone or frozen yogurt from Creem at the Creek; and then, finish off the afternoon with a zip through the treetops with Screaming Eagle Aerial Adventures, all centrally located in

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Wind Creek State Park.

Then on April 1, pack a cooler or come early and grab a bite. Either way, bring a blanket or chairs to Strand Park because Strand Sessions kicks off at 6 p.m. on the hillside with an excellent lineup for the summer. This is a family-friendly event that takes place the first Thursday of every month, April through August.

But the fun does not stop there! Just a few short days after Strand Sessions begins, Chuckwalla’s Pizza opens its doors for the season. There will be live

music every weekend, delicious pizza and an electric atmosphere. If you are looking for an experience, this is one to write home about.

On April 10, travel to Dadeville to celebrate the grand opening of the garden center at Floyd’s Lawn and Garden Center. There will be door prizes, food and fun. Rumor has it gardening is the newest and most calming trend today.

Then on April 16, The Landing on Parker Creek will resume with games as usual. Feel free to arrive by car, truck,or boat, as they are an open-air restaurant with a full-service bar, delicious food and a beach area to take a swim or relax and have a little summertime fun.

Nibblers Lake Martin will be out and about April 24. They are an on-the-water food service. It’s like a food truck, but on the water. They sell everything from burgers to Hawaiian shaved ice. There is no need to go hungry on the lake.

And when you thought it couldn’t get cooler, Lake Martin Creamery opens its doors. On April 30, chill out with LMC and try one of their frozen treats – frozen, soft-serve custard and shaved ice – or some candy to add a little more fun to your day at Lake Martin.

This summer is bound to be a remarkable experience at Lake Martin, especially once May 14 rolls around and Friday on the Green begins at Russell Crossroads.

There will be loads of family fun, great music and what we’ve all been missing since the onslaught of the pandemic, spending time with friends.

There are a couple of other places opening in the coming weeks that did not have dates available at Lake magazine’s presstime. The Social at Lake Martin will open in the old Harbor Docks Restaurant at Anchor Bay Marina. They will offer breakfast, brunch and dinner by boat and live music. Visiting this new establishment is an absolute must. Also, do not forget Lakeside Marina Bay Pines will have a daiquiri bar & live entertainment coming soon. They have pizza, burgers, hotdogs and more to fill you up and get you back on the lake in no time.

There is all of this and so much more happening on the lake this summer. So pack your bags for a day trip, a weekend or a few weeks and head on down to the water. Lake Martin is calling.

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Lake Martin’s deBeer Representative

• QUARTZ • QUARTZITE • GRANITE • SOAPSTONE

Denise Booth 256-749-6177

debooth.al@gmail.com homeologylakemartin.com Located at The Wellborn Industries Showroom 59 Wellborn Way, Jackson’s Gap, AL 36861

RHODES BROTHERS/KEY BUILDERS

RESTORATIONS | ADDITIONS | KITCHENS | OUTDOOR KITCHENS | BATHS | METAL BUILDINGS REMODELING | ICF CONSTRUCTION | RESIDENTIAL | COMMERCIAL | CONCRETE SEAWALLS

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Builder John Rhodes - 256-675-0217 Custom Home Chris Key- 256-749-0179  rhodesbrothersinc.net chriskeybuilding@yahoo.com General Contractor johnrhodes1@charter.net 26 LAKE

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Finishing Touches STORY BY BRITTANY SMITH PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE & ALI HARPER PHOTOGRAPHY

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Lake Martin is not home to a one-size-fits-all interior design pattern, and local designers said cookiecutter, stark white look with sliding barn doors has hit the highway hard since the onslaught of COVID-19.

Designers around the lake said their clients now want unique, more eclectic, yet fuss-free design schemes in their homes. They want to be surrounded by hints of nostalgia, nature and comfort that offer functional, everyday home experiences without a ton of effort and upkeep.

“Interior design is becoming a more personalized experience,” said Chris Hutcheson, owner and designer at Hutche and Co. “I’m seeing clients change their décor by selecting older pieces with a modern touch that evoke memories and spending time with family. I believe we appreciate things a little more today than we did a year ago.”

For many people, Lake Martin was once a retreat, a place where families came to make memories. The difference is that now people are flocking to Lake Martin for more than the memories. What was once just a retreat is now home, and the memories made in both the past and present are being incorporated into the décor.

“A rug here, a chair there, or maybe grandma’s clock on display. Either way, clients are definitely bringing in those family-oriented materials,” said Hutcheson.

Furniture is becoming more functional and even more livable. Long gone are the days of stark white couch cushions that everyone was afraid to sit on and elaborate rugs that cost a fortune. People are flocking to more durable styles, such as leather chairs with clean lines, rattan furniture and even antique wooden pieces.

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The decorating trend at the lake focuses on liveability

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Homeowners want unique and functional interiors

Color is coming back with a vengeance as white fatigue set in for many over quarantine. Designer and owner of Off the Beaton Path in Dadeville, Andi Mickels has seen an influx of color palettes recently, such as grey, alabaster and barely beige.

Designer Phil Spraggins said that after the pandemic, his clients began veering towards greys and browns but with pops of color added through accessorizing.

“Clients want colorful pillows and accessories to complement a grey or brown wall. They are using pops of color, such as greens, yellows and oranges to liven up the space,” said Spraggins.

“Cobalt blue or blues, in general, are still a popular accent color at the lake,” said Nan Jackson of Interiors, Etc. “Wallpaper is also coming back big, and it will be here to stay for the long haul.”

These designers said that bringing nature indoors

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is ever-present, as wooden and stone flooring remains a top design choice at the lake among many homeowners.

“I love wooden flooring, but I want to give my clients a unique experience. So, if they elect to go with wooden floors, we’ve been mixing multiple stains to form a mixture of earth tones. It creates a stunning floor, and it gives the client an element in their home that is different from what their neighbors may have. Great floors and the right lighting can really liven up a space and make it wonderful,” said Jackson.

“At the lake, the flooring in a home must be durable.

People come and go with children and dogs. So, durability is key. I see a lot of clients choosing luxury vinyl planks these days. Used to, this wouldn’t even be an option, but LVP is waterproof, kid-proof and pet-proof. And because of the new technology surrounding this flooring, homeowners are now more likely to choose an LVP product,” said Designer Audrey Campbell.

“Stone is also top-rated.

It is a natural element, and people are very interested in bringing the outdoors indoors,” said Campbell.

“The important thing is that neighbors do not want cookie-cutter interiors. They want the inside of their homes to be unique and functional,” said Mickels.

“Outdoor spaces are essential now too. With social distancing, people have begun revamping or creating functional outdoor spaces. This way, more friends or family can gather but in a socially distanced, safe way,” said Hutcheson.

Spraggins said his clients are definitely spending more time outdoors enjoying beautiful sunsets from their patios.

“At the lake, the railing on decks is generally wood and wire. People love their sunsets, and while we do see wooden privacy fences making a big come back inland, wood and wire allow lake homeowners to enjoy the view from their private decks,” said Spraggins.

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Leisurely indoor spaces have gained attention as lake homes graduate toward fulltime living

Because people are spending so much time outside these days, gardening has become a prevalent pastime.

“Creating a little garden is just another way to bring nature into the home,” said Jackson. “Planting a tree or flowers in brightly colored mosaic pottery can be fun, too, not to mention rewarding. It gives the outdoor space a splash of color. Caring for plants is also very calming, and calm is what my clients are looking for these days.”

“I have noticed that my clients miss traveling and all the elements that travel brings into their lives, like design and architecture from foreign places. They are beginning to bring these elements into their homes,” said Spraggins.

“We are getting ready to replace our laundry room door with a sliding antique door that came to us from Romania,” said Mickels. “I personally still have a lot of requests for barn doors, but I am really drawn to antique doors. The client still gets a sliding door but with a little more character and history.”

People are choosing accent pieces and fixtures that have meaning or memories attached to them. In addition, they are bringing in elements like hand-crafted Moroccan tile, wallpaper with giant ferns and antique doors to remind them of their favorite places and spaces.

In addition to hand-crafted tiles, many kitchens are seeing upgrades as well. Jackson said new technology

for the kitchen has soared over the last year. Her clients choose products that are both smart and beautiful due to new fingerprint-less color selections like black or Tuscan and the ability to connect to appliances via an app, smartphone or tablet.

While Spraggins said that his clients are veering away from black in the kitchen, Campbell noted that green cabinets are the way to go but cautioned against thinking of design in terms of trends.

“I believe there is a way to make just about anything timeless and beautiful,” Campbell said. “It’s not realistic for everyone to go out and completely redesign the home every time a trend comes around the corner.”

“Over the last year, and as reflected by the real estate market on the lake, people are investing more in their homes or home away from home, and that doesn’t seem to be slowing down. People seek to feel all of the good emotions in their homes now more than ever; think comfort, nostalgia, calming, welcoming, etc. And what better place to feel those things than around the lake, where so many generational good times happen and memories are made? People seek places to gather, but not feel confined, and outdoor living spaces are on the rise big time – hence why everyone is headed to the lake.”

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LAKE 31

Jerry Purcell 205.382.3417

Allison Ladson 256.750.0711

Damon Story 205.789.9526

Mike Davis 256.226.1238

Lindsay Kane 256.675.6792

Amy Duncan 256.212.2222

Hugh Neighbors 256.750.5071

India Davis 256.749.7592

Judy Voss 256.794.0779

Rhonda Jaye 256.749.8681

John McInnish 334.415.2149

Michelle Brooks 256.749.1031

Jan Hall 256.329.6313

Sawyer Davis 205.965.7940

Jim Cleveland 256.596.2220

Ashley Chancellor 334.202.9017

Becky Haynie 334.312.0928

Adam Yager 205.914.0830

Mimi Rush 334.399.7874

Jeff Cochran 256.786.0099

Judith Jager 205.789.0698

Cindy Scroggins 256.794.3372

David Mitchell 256.212.3511

Howard Haynie 334.312.0693

Haley Fuller 256.750.2411

Randall Rogers 334.707.5804

Denise Cochran 256.786.2484

John Shelton 404.858.9198

WE’RE THE MARKET LEADER Lake Martin Waterfront Market Share

DADEVILLE

256.825.9092

OURTOWN

256.212.1498

WILLOW POINT

256.212.1498

OTHER COMPETITORS

49.5% 32 LAKE

OUR CLOSEST COMPETITOR

LAKE MARTIN REALTY/ RUSSELL LANDS ON LAKE MARTIN

*LMAAR/MLS Member Firms Sales Volume Data March 2020 – February 2021

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L a k e M a r t i n R e a l t y. c o m

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MADWIND CRAFTSMAN

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STORY BY BETSY ILER PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE & COURTESY OF JOHN HOWELL

Alexander City metal craftsman John Howell was 16 when he took his first metalwork job, welding, running equipment and drawing at the worldrenowned metal fabricator, Robinson Iron. He studied industrial engineering at the University of Alabama and returned to Robinson Iron several years later. By 2010, Howell was on the road as a project manager with the company, refurbishing national monuments, lighthouses and taking on other high profile projects.

But in 2017, Howell left Robinson Iron to launch Madwind Studio, where he custom designs and crafts unique, eye-popping elements for homes and businesses around the lake and beyond.

“I wanted the freedom to be creative, to use both my mind and my hands on a daily basis,” Howell said. “To have an idea and the tools, space and resources to take that idea to a finished piece and to sell it.”

Most of his work is done in collaboration with home and business owners that want statement pieces, like the 9-foot metal window frames he is crafting

The base of a conference table was salvaged from an old beam

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for a Lake Martin home’s master bath.

“There will be a bathtub in front of these,” he explained as he ground the joints of thin metal bands that create the look of glass panes in the massive panels.

Howell’s style is rustic and modern, and his projects are one-of-a-kind, from the turkey-feather tap handles he sculpted and cast for former SpringHouse executive chef Rob McDaniel’s new Helen Bar & Grill in Birmingham to the brass-wrapped walnut bar and stools in process at his Jackson’s Gap studio.

“Most of what I do is an aged modern look. It’s modern in design, but I use natural materials and then age the metal,” he said.

Howell opened his studio in a small metal shop four years ago but added a 2,500-square-foot workspace last year to accommodate an expansion of woodwork in his finished pieces. His commitment to quality is personal and uncompromising.

“When it leaves here, I try to make sure I never have to revisit it,” Howell said.

But not every moment in his studio is spent in the throes of design and finished masterpieces. In between, there are long hours spent in hard, often repetitive work.

“In the beginning, I had to decide if I could really spend all day grinding or painting on the same piece. That was a challenge, but I’ve learned to channel that into good thinking time, so it’s worked out,” Howell said.

To that end, he has refined his craft over the years.

“I’ve learned or developed techniques to improve my process. It takes getting the details right – taking something and figuring it out, refining the design, so it’s something I don’t mind leaving, something I can be proud of,”

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John Howell uses a 1974 Airstream as his office

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LAKE 35

Metal swings add industrial charm to a painted brick porch

he explained.

Howell was deliberate about learning to work with wood as he added more tables, cabinetry and furniture to his vita. He credits friend and fellow craftsman Will Kennebrew with teaching him to work with wood and understand its characteristics, including how to dry pieces he will use in his metal projects. Armed with more knowledge, he built a custom drying chamber for 12-foot long and 3-inch thick slabs of white oak he will use on a countertop. The slow, controlled drying process will produce a more

A double-chambered fire pit releases less smoke when in operation

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Howell grinds the joints on a 9-foot window for a Lake Martin home

refined, finished piece that displays minimal checking and more attractive grain, he said.

Everything Howell does is different from anything else he’s done before.

“I kind of get into it and have to figure it out,” he said.

He crafted a dual-chamber fire pit that puts out less smoke through a process of recycling the initial output. At 5 feet in diameter, the metal fire pit is portable and will accommodate a gathering of eight or more people.

In process in his studio is a conference table for a local businessman. The legs are made from salvaged 12-inch beams that Howell joined and stabilized with a low-profile metal frame. With quality to the details,

he installed almost-unnoticeable, adjustable rubber supports that will hold the glass top level and steady through the table’s use.

He has created wine cellars, dining tables and spectacular doors; benches, metal and glass walls, bathroom vanities and fireplace hearths; all with the help of his clients.

“It’s really the people I make things for that have dictated where I am now,” Howell said. “It’s a collaboration of ideas.”

Follow Howell on Instagram @madwindstudio and on his John Howell Facebook page. View his gallery at madwindstudio.com.

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We invite you to live a luxurious golf lifestyle at The Yards, our newest community at National Village The Yards, a must-see collection of 21 cottages, is now open at National Village along the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Auburn-Opelika, Alabama. You will fall in love with these new construction homes within a controlled access neighborhood with sidewalks and community gardens designed by WAS. The home plans for the cottages are designed by national award winner Larry Garnett and feature inviting porches. Best of all, The Yards is adjacent to the Marriott at Grand National and all of the resort amenities including spa, pickle ball, tennis, and pool. Schedule a tour by calling 334.749.8165 or visit NationalVillage.com.

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TO LEARN MORE VISIT NATIONALVILLAGE.COM OR CALL 334.749.8165 APRIL 2021

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What's new in lake living

Russell Lands will open Phase 6 at South Ridge this spring

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From new neighborhoods to home design, the pandemic is changing how we live at Lake Martin STORY BY BETSY ILER

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While COVID-19 continues to have adverse impacts on world health, travel and economies, it’s had some positive effects at Lake Martin, and many of them – from new neighborhoods to floor plan and lifestyle changes – are probably here to stay.

Vice-president of real estate sales at Russell Lands, Steve Arnberg said the biggest change he’s seen in one in attitude.

“More people are looking at the lake as a primary residence,” Arnberg said. “And also, the people in Montgomery have discovered that Lake Martin is not very far from Montgomery, and it’s easier to live here fulltime.

It’s prettier, safer and they can go for a boat ride after school or take a walk, and the neighborhood is safe.”

The new assisted living center at Russell Medical could be a boon to fulltime lake living as retired residents could stay in the area longer. They no longer need to move back to city centers for quality medical care, Arnberg said.

“As people have spent more time here staying away from COVID-19, they have more clarity about what they want to buy. I don’t think this is a short run thing. It looks like this market will be stable for a while,” he said.

Birmingham architect Taylor Dawson agreed that the coronavirus pandemic brought on some changes to lake home preferences and said those changes are common in town homes, as well.

“People want some kind of office space now, usually a bedroom that can be converted,” Dawson said.

Lake houses have been versions of homes in town for a long time now, Dawson said, with each house being designed so someone could live there permanently.

“But at the same time, it needs to be a lake house and have qualities that lake houses have and the functionality of lake houses. The value of the land is so much differ-

ent than it used to be. What’s on there has to work in a different way than strictly a vacation home,” he said.

“The paradigm is that every single house on Lake Martin should be a Russell cabin, and that’s the starting point when planning a house at the lake.”

Home designer Chuck Frusterio said the coronavirus pointed out that it’s important for lake homes to allow versatility on multiple levels.

“People are spending more time at their lake houses – staying eight months instead of six. Now, they might be there weeks at a time because they are working remotely and homeschooling their children. Any house should be versatile enough to absorb changes in lifestyle,” he said.

The best square footage for the money is to build a one-level home with a lake-access basement, he said.

“The lake house is downstairs, and if it is a fulltime home, the more formal or traditional house is upstairs.”

The price of building materials greatly affects the size and finishes, especially in a second home or vacation home, Frusterio said. With lumber costs on the rise, the square footage of a lake home has decreased by some 25 percent. That means smaller bedrooms and closets without sacrificing space in the common living areas.

“What you need in a lake house is space for people to sleep and storage for the linens,” Frusterio said. “Not many people literally hang up clothes on hangers in a lake house. They take T-shirts, bathing suits and sweat pants to the lake; they don’t need a walk-in closet. In the space of a walk-in closet in town, they can put bunks that will sleep four at the lake. What they need is drawer space.”

And as COVID-19 moved more entertaining outside, the outdoor kitchen has grown in scope, as well as importance, Frusterio said.

“Even suburban houses now have larger outdoor living

The Sanctuary will offer 15 waterfront lots on 200 acres

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spaces. Outdoor kitchens are more popular, but there is at least a place for the grill or the egg cooker where guests can be more a part of it. An outdoor covered area that is screened is a must now,” he said.

As lifestyles continue to adapt to flexible parameters in the wake of COVID-19, low inventory has pushed the real estate industry to make more home sites available to enthusiastic buyers at Lake Martin.

Existing lake homes often sell before they officially go on the market, so many buyers have turned to building. Even then, lot sales Many homeowners now are at record highs, and premier locations go request dedicated office for premier prices. space in the floorplan To fill the inventory void, several new neighborhoods are launching lot sales now or later this summer, with more announcements to come.

Phase 6 at South Ridge Harbor will open 15 lots this summer, and Ridge Run will open another 11, said Russell Lands Vice President of Real Estate Sales Steve Arnberg.

“In 2020, 60 properties were sold in The Ridge. In South Ridge Harbor, there are only three unsold lots in the three phases that have been released so far,” Arnberg said.

The Ridge phases are not being released in chronological sequence. Phase 6 is the fourth release.

Road building is in process in the new phase area, and lots are expected to release in May or June.

“We want the road in before people go in to look,” Arnberg explained.

Of the 64 waterfront lots released in the first phase of The Willows in 2016, only eight remain unsold. The last of the waterfront homes at The Willows, Phase 5, released 11 lots.

“We feel like we have a good supply for this year,” Arnberg said. “White Oak Landing is in Phase 2 and is in the final design for the third and final phase, which will add another 18 lots there. Those lots come with a house package.”

Arnberg said he also expects Russell Lands will make an announcement about a major new project very soon.

Look for an update at lakemagazine.life.

On the east side of the lake and inside the city limits Closets are smaller of Alexander City, Miner’s Cove includes cottage home at the lake and include more drawer space packages through Toland Construction. Situated on land with mature trees and just minutes from U.S. Route 280, Phase 1 at Miner’s Cove includes 17 waterfront lots. Boat and are offered by Pettus, as well. houses, piers and seawalls are permissible with developer At Kennebec, a LakeTown developed on Alabama approval. Contact Virginia Pettus about Miner’s Cove at Power property, five lots remain unsold. Buyers may 334-549-3933. choose their own plans and builders. Kennebec is on the The Point at Lake Martin also will be offered by east side of Lake Martin, but another LakeTown developPettus. Nine waterfront cottages built by Holland Homes ment, Talisi Cove, is located on the southwest shoreline. will be available, and the development is convenient to A gated community, Talisi Cove offers a variety of neighgolfing, restaurants and marinas, as well as Auburn. borhood amenities, including a swimming pool.

The Sanctuary on Lake Martin, encompassing nearly With these adaptable options and more flexibility in 200 acres, will add some 15 waterfront homes to the east- jobs and school, fulltime living at the lake has never been ern shore. Homes here will be built by TMP Construction easier or more accommodating.

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LAKE 43

lamberthandlamberth.com

256-234-6401 6 Franklin Street • Alexander City

Mon - Thur 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. | Fri 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

44 LAKE

APRIL 2021

THE

RIDGE

Whether you’re looking for a new getaway in the pristine homesites

of South Ridge Harbor, an upscale-farmhouse home in Ridge Run, or a rustic-modern design in Russell Cabins, The Ridge offers all this and more.

Contact 256.215.7011 to discover where lake and life truly meet.

RussellLands.com

APRIL 2021

LAKE 45

Stronger Signals

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STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTO BY AUDRA SPEARS

In the early days, Lake Martin’s attraction as an escape destination hinged, to some extent, on its remoteness and lack of technology. The lake was a place where the word ‘connection’ was synonymous with teaching the grandchildren to water ski and making s’mores around the fire pit – not cellphone reception and internet access. Today, the lake’s connectivity relates to advances in technology, as the global shift to Zoom meetings, school online and internet shopping makes fulltime lake life amenable for young, active families.

With real estate sales breaking records in the lake area, new home developments and neighborhoods are on the fast track for moving dirt and breaking ground to create inventory to meet demand. The growing population at Lake Martin shops, works, learns, chats with friends and relatives, runs businesses and more through a Wi-Fi connection. In contrast to their parents who retired to a quiet life at the lake; busy, active

46 LAKE

families can live anywhere if they have a good internet connection.

While families hope to live the outdoors dream their parents had – boating, wake surfing, hiking and swimming at the lake – their lifestyles and livelihoods require a different picture inside. In addition to bedrooms, bathrooms, beautiful views and plenty of living space, they need high-speed internet to make their dreams come true.

Reliable internet service has been a government priority for several years, said Alabama State House Rep. Ed Oliver, who represents District 81, encompassing more than three quarters of Lake Martin’s 880 miles of shoreline. The biggest boon to highspeed internet at the lake in recent years has been the availability of federal money through reverse auction, he said.

“We are working with Tallapoosa River Electric Co-op and Central Alabama Electric Co-op in part-

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nership with Point Broadband. Through a reverse auction, they made bids on census blocks and got money to build it out for broadband,” Oliver explained. “It’s just very simple. If you have internet, people will build a house there. If you don’t have internet, they will go someplace else and build a house there.”

Butch Brock of Point Broadband said fiber has been installed around much of the area on the lake’s southeast shoreline, and within two years, he expects that crews will be laying fiber down state Route 63 to neighborhoods on the west side of Lake Martin.

The lake area falls in what Brock called the middle miles of the grant coverage area, and additional funding for reliable internet in the lake area could come from commercial and residential development.

“We are working with Chad Odom at Lake Martin Area Economic Development Alliance, Alexander City Mayor “Woody” Baird, Alabama Power and Rep. Oliver and others on the opportunity zone in that area,” Brock said. “Alabama Power is talking about building out the fiber down state Route 63 for their own use, but in partnering with folks like us at Point Broadband and other internet service providers, especially in rural areas, they could be building for increased capacity.”

Developers and homeowners associations in the area also could invest in the project, and in doing so, could help to bring high-speed internet service to their neighborhoods, Brock added.

“There are some homeowners associations that have invested in it, where they have approached us. They want to be able to work from home and have kids schooling at home. They will make an investment in the home buildout, and when we design, we can show them what it’s going to take to get to the parcels. It’s a win-win partnership. They are making an investment. It increases the value of the lot to have high-speed internet available.”

The FCC was in search of companies that would accept a 10-year contract and money to go in and set up a broadband infrastructure with the knowledge that it would take two to six years to build-out that infrastructure or see a return on the project. This made it possible for rural areas, which might otherwise be less attractive to these companies from a profitability standpoint, to

have high-speed reliable internet.

“Point Broadband purchased literally dozens of census tracts in east Alabama from Eufaula to just north of Piedmont. A major course of those tracks is in Tallapoosa County,” said Oliver. “The first step to make all of this possible was a bill that was passed last year that gave broadband companies a right of access where there is utility access already, and that paved the way and took years off of what it would take to get fiber optic cables assembled otherwise.”

For families building and buying at Lake Martin, it means better connectivity at every level.

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LAKE 47

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LAKE 49

A Pocket of Peace STORY BY BETSY ILER & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

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The Malzahns' house is oriented toward the big view on the point of the lot, just as the original cab was sited

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French bleu antiques blend beautifully with contemporary craftsman finishes in the South Ridge home

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A cupola channels light into the large living space and lends a cabin feel to the Malzahns' lake home

Lake Martin is a pocket of peace in the fast-paced world of college football for Kristi and Gus Malzahn.

Originally from Arkansas, the couple purchased a lot on Dawson Point at South Ridge in 2017.

“We looked at several places, but this was where we just wanted to be,” Kristi Malzahn said.

The property had been part of the old Dixie Sailing Club grounds, which occupied the area south of The Ridge neighborhood for some 50 years in the late 1900s and early 2000s. When the Malzahns closed on the purchase, an old Lake Martin fishing cabin stood on the point lot. Built in the mid-1900s, many of these simple green cottages had lived another life as homes in the mill districts in nearby towns but were moved to the lake after World War II. Lacking insulation and air conditioning, the few cabins that remain are used only in the warmer months of the year.

In its sailing club days, the Malzahns’ cabin had been leased by the parents of Birmingham architect Taylor Dawson, whose first architectural project was a bed-and-bath addition to the cozy Lake Martin cabin. When Russell Lands built a neighborhood on the former sailing club grounds, the street where the Dawson family had lived was named Dawson Point.

“In our contract to purchase the property, we agreed to take down the little cabin and start construction on a lake house within two years,” Malzahn said. “We knew the cabin was not a long-term residence, but we waited until the two years was almost up before we took it down. We just loved it. We

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loved being here.”

When they bought the lot, Lake Martin was a convenient escape for the Malzahns, as Gus had recently started his tenure as head football coach at Auburn University, but the couple had more than a shortterm getaway in mind when they chose the Dawson Point property.

They wanted a lake home that would accommodate them in retirement, as well as fuel vacations with their children and grandchildren. To create the dream home, they turned to the one architect who knew the property better than anyone else – Taylor Dawson.

“He had experience on the land. He knew the property and the view,” Malzahn said.

“My father and some of his friends started the Dixie Sailing Club there,” Dawson said. “We were able to get the cabin on that lot about 50 years ago.

Really, it was just one step ahead of camping out, just one big screened porch. It has multiple views. No matter where you look, you’re looking at the lake.

“I tried to approach the Malzahns’ house with no preconceived notions but finally realized the way to site the new house was the way the original cabin

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was oriented – toward the point, not the bridge.

“The challenge is in how to balance the natural light, so there are no dark spots in the house but also no glare and in creating a large space but still keep it cozy.”

Taking what the Malzahns loved best about the old cabin to another level, Dawson focused his design on large, cozy spaces and the view. Situated at one of the southernmost points on The Ridge peninsula, the lot enjoys a nearly 360-degree sightline at the end of a long, narrow driveway. The house is not visible from the road, but over the rise and through the trees that line the drive, it emerges into view like a soft blanket, invoking a sense of peace and sanctuary that grows as the house is approached.

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Bible verses engraved on bricks are tucked into corners throughout the house

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The living space offers a variety of settings for gatherings large and small

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That sense of peace is purposeful and planned.

Starting at the front door, the Malzahns placed bricks in corners, on dressers and in cabinets throughout the home. Engraved with Bible verses, the bricks are subtle decorative elements that welcome guests and ground the family’s home in faith.

“It’s really who we are and how we try to live.

When someone comes into our home, we want them to know that this is us. This is where we are and what is important to us,” Malzahn said.

When they could no longer avoid the cabin removal clause in their contract, the Malzahns began the planning and construction phase of their life at the lake. Fourteen months later, they moved into the cab-

in-inspired Dawson Point lake house. Malzahn enlisted the help of her friend, Joan Asbury of Wakefield Home in Opelika, to blend her penchant for French country antiques with Dawson’s contemporary craftsman design.

“We loved what Taylor did. There’s all this light, and every bedroom has a lake view,” Malzahn said.

“Joan knows what I like, and she knows just what to do to make it look good.”

In Lake Martin style, Dawson placed a glass window in the simple entry door on the driveway side of the house. Even from the front step, Lake Martin takes center stage, as this vantage point offers three distinctly different lake views: a picturesque slough

The painting in a sunroom off the kitchen set the color palette for the home's interior

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to the east; open water to the west; and through the door, a spectacular long view of the islands that dot the Overlook shoreline to the south as the lake wanders its way to Martin Dam. In the entry, Malzahn spread a soft blue and white rug from Wakefield Home in Opelika in front of an antique hutch she found at French Bleu Antiques in Atlanta. The combination introduces the subtle creams and soft blue shades that are the home’s signature colors. While an open hall on one side of the entry leads to the master suite, a guest room and access to upstairs, the kitchen opens to the opposite side of the entry.

Thoroughly functional with upgraded appliances

and a roomy galley working space, the kitchen focuses on casual dining. The island, approximately 10 feet long and 4 feet wide, is topped with a slab of cream-colored ceramic tile with a vein of soft gray that flows seamlessly through it.

“I love the look of marble, but that just wasn’t going to work for our family. We needed something more durable, so this gives us the look of marble but will stand up to the use,” Malzahn said.

Stout bar stools on the long side of the bar sport backs with a white and brown burlap-look upholstery with white leather seats that are easy to wipe clean. Large nail heads on the bar stools are repeated in other furnishings throughout the home. Like the

Watching the sunsets at the lake are a favorite way to relax for Gus Malzahn, who loves the home's outdoor spaces

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The infinity-edge pool offers a water-level view of the lake

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The ceramic tile countertop slab from the kitchen is repeated around the tub and shower in the master bathroom

French bleu tones, the nail heads carry Malzahn’s design elements from room to room, lending the feel of a shared-space cabin to the home.

A large island sink makes cleanup quick and easy when the family has finished breakfast and is ready for a day on the lake.

On the galley side of the island, Malzahn maximized storage space with cabinetry above the traditional upper cupboards. For easy access, the Malzahns installed a gliding ladder that can be removed when it isn’t needed.

The living space walls are horizontal nickelgap paneling washed with watered-down Sherwin Williams Shoji White, which reflects the light from the windows on three sides of the home. The floors downstairs are dark stained oak. A row of transoms above the windows maximizes the natural light, and a windowed transom cupola in the center adds interest to the high ceiling. In these big-water-view rooms, the window placement creates the illusion of the home sitting right on the water.

The versatile living space offers seating options for large and small gatherings alike. Matching cream covered sofas flank the fireplace in neutral tones 60 LAKE

while accent pillows range from cream to soft blues and the occasional bright blue hydrangea. The pillows and other accent elements add lively pops of color that invite conversation. In one corner, a large round table, surrounded by eight chairs upholstered in the same style and fabrics of the kitchen bar stools, can accommodate meals and meetings for a small crowd. In another corner, four easy chairs around an antique European wedding table offer a suitable setting for more intimate discussion.

The cascading doors of a NanaWall open the south side of the living space to a covered and wrap-around Alabama flagstone deck. Two steps off the covered deck lead to a second, open-air flagstone patio, an infinity-pool deck and seating in front of a tall chimney. The lower level deck also includes an outdoor kitchen just off the main house kitchen. More tables, chairs and loungers offer plenty of conversation options when the Malzahns entertain. Electronic screens convert the covered deck to a screened porch, but Malzahn said they are rarely used.

“There is always a breeze here, so there are never mosquitos. It gets so windy that we don’t keep the cushions out, and we added weights to some of the

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The south lake view is visible through the front door

The Malzahn family finds inspiration in their faith

furniture to keep the wind from moving it around,” she said.

To keep cushions readily accessible, the couple hired Eric Ward to make large storage boxes that blend into the exterior walls of the home. The boxes also serve as buffet tables when the Malzahns entertain.

It’s the home’s outside features that most appeal to Gus. When he can escape to the lake, he likes to hang out in the infinity pool, which offers him the unique perspective of a lake level view. He especially likes to watch the sunsets from the southwest corner of the deck, where Lake Martin’s Big Water tapers toward Martin Dam. With the main rooms and entertainment spaces finished for guests, Malzahn is taking more time to look for the right pieces that will finish the private rooms of the house.

“We got the main rooms done, but then, I kind of took a break. I would get here and just want to relax.

This is going to be our retirement home, so I didn’t have to get it just right all at once. I decided to take my time, and I can just be here and enjoy it. That’s really what it’s for,” she said.

Upstairs, Dawson clustered four bedrooms in casita style on the east and west sides of the house to offer privacy for visiting family.

“The casita style kept the integrity of the original cabin, too,” Malzahn explained.

Banked with transom-styled windows, each bedroom has its own bathroom. The rooms on the second floor are designated for the Malzahns’ two daughters and their families. Married 33 years in May, the Malzahns have two grandchildren and recently learned a third is expected this fall.

As the couple is in the midst of moving their main residence to Central Florida, where Gus will be head coach for the Knights, they look forward to visiting their quiet escape on The South Ridge’s Dawson Point often. It is here on Lake Martin that they rest, relax and share the peace of being who they are with those they love.

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hile working as project manager for the Historic Downtown Streetscape Beautification project, Brent Megginson of Thomasville, Alabama, quickly fell in love with Wetumpka. After befriending many and becoming a familiar fixture during the daily construction activity, Brent took steps to leverage his Alabama Home Builders License of almost 20 years and formed inSight Construction with partner John Capell, establishing headquarters right in the heart of the city.

Having worked in the construction industry for his entire career, Brent has worn many tool belts in every facet of the business, from flooring and kitchen/bath remodeling to supervising new custom home construction. Keeping the family involved has allowed him to bring his brother, Eric, and son, Hayden, onboard with inSight Construction.

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Working Remotely?

Internet service is a top concern for buyers

I

firmly believe that all real estate is local, meaning that I always put much greater stock in local trends than I do national ones. But when my Lake Martin observations line up with what’s garnering headlines across the country, I pay attention.

I recently read a really interesting article that made me think. The March 8, 2021, issue of the Wall Street Journal had an article by Richard Florida and Adam Ozimek titled, “How Remote Work is Reshaping America’s Urban Geography.”

They talked about how the pandemic is affecting where people live or where they work or both. They pointed out that 64 LAKE

a little over a year ago, the number of Americans that worked from home was about 10 percent. If we fastforward to now, after a year of COVID-19 restrictions, that number is estimated to be about 25 percent. They don’t see this as a temporary trend, but as the establishment of a new baseline. In other words, once we as a country get back to normal, about one out of every four Americans will work from home.

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Florida and Ozimek pointed out many effects to this trend, one of which is that people are moving away from cities with high costs of living, such as San Francisco and New York. People are moving into smaller metro areas with relatively lower costs of living, like Austin, Nashville and Charlotte. The migration doesn’t stop there. Rural cities like Bozeman, Montana, and Jackson Hole, Wyoming, also are becoming popular.

There’s even a new term for areas that are seeing an uptick of remote workers: Zoom towns. I LAKE PROPERTY assume you have heard of Zoom,

BY JOHN COLEY the software that many folks use to videoconference. Add it to the list of stocks I wish I had bought in 2019. Zoom is one of the digital tools that allow remote working to be less painful than it has been in the past.

Anyone that was at Lake Martin in March and April of 2020 can tell you what it was like. It was as if everyone had spring break all at once and decided to come to the lake. At first, it was just people looking to vacation somewhere. Then I noticed that a lot of buyers I talked to were, in fact, motivated by the pandemic. Some of them said, “Hey, if I am going to have to quarantine, it might as well be at the lake.”

The next step was to connect the dots to their work schedule. They followed up with, “By the way, how’s the internet service at this house? We are working remotely right now.”

My guess is that Lake Martin gets a lot more remote workers than normal because higher income jobs tend to have a higher percent chance of working remotely.

People want good internet service these days.

I know this all seems like Captain Obvious territory.

It’s not like the internet is a new phenomenon, and – news flash – consumers want fast internet. No one calls their service provider and asks for a slower speed. But the degree to which the pandemic has sped up the transition to remote working is worthy of note.

Back in 2018, I was talking to a developer that was contemplating a new neighborhood at the end of a long road that did not have any wired internet service. I pointed this out.

The developer countered that it would cost $100,000 in infrastructure improvements to speed it up. My advice was to go for it. I reasoned that if the average second-home owner has a choice between lightning-speed internet and a community pool or a tennis court, the choice will be the web every time.

After all, if it allows a homeowner to work from the lake and squeeze in some more family time on the water, it is a no brainer.

The developer disagreed, and sure enough, internet speed was a top question that prospective buyers had.

I agree with the conclusions of Florida and Ozimek. This is not a fad. High speed, reliable internet is a necessity of a utility. If I were a developer or a county commissioner or on the city council, I would put internet service at the top of my priorities list. ~ John Coley is a broker and owner of Lake Martin Voice Realty. Contact him at john@lakemartinvoice.com.

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Innovation and loyal customers keep a lake area business thriving through COVID-19

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In addition to lake-themed items, Lakeside Mercantile offers seasonal home décor unrelated to the lake

Lakeside

Mercantile

I

Cone purchased the mainstay shop two years ago

STORY & PHOTOS BY BETSY ILER

In the two years since Jennifer Cone purchased Lakeside Mercantile near the busy intersection of county Road 34 and state Route 49, things have really changed.

“I had so many plans, I had to reign myself in,” Cone said at the time.

“After 32 years as a speech pathologist, I was looking for a change, and since I was a little girl, I have wanted to own a store,” Cone said.

“My grandmother ran a clothing and department store, and I loved it.

I’ve always loved fashion, decor and pulling it all together.”

One of the first plans when buying the store was to begin selling grab-and-go food items including three flavors of chicken salad and pimento cheese, which was a great success. We knew we were on the right track on the first holiday weekend when we made and sold over 50 pounds of chicken salad in a weekend. The option then presented itself to offer a full line of meals to go. Cone created Lakeside Meals to Go, offering entrées, side dishes, appetizers, and desserts.

Of course, Cone had not anticipated that she would have to curb her business for 10 weeks during the global coronavirus pandemic, but it was her expansion plans – and her loyal customers – that helped her business not only survive the mandated store closure but also thrive when she was allowed to fully open again.

Lake season was just around the corner, and Cone had already ordered the store’s summer inventory when last spring’s nationwide shutdown came. Lake décor, home décor, boutique and gift items, furniture and more made attractive displays in the store, but her customers could only peak at them through the windows or in line when purchasing pick up food orders.

“My customers said they wouldn’t let me go under,” Cone recalled.

They pointed to items and asked for them to be gotten for them to purchase along with their food items.

The lake area population boom that occurred when schools closed and businesses sent employees home to work brought an even greater expansion in Cone’s food business. Because she sold food items, Cone was allowed to reopen her store with limited hours and shoppers. Being open three half-days per week helped her food business grow exponentially, as there was limited food available in the area. She brought future daughter-in-law Kinnlie Davidson on as sous chef, and the store’s food

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Cone and Davidson keep clothing lines in the boutique

business boomed.

“I am so proud of selling so much food. These are family recipes; they’re not from cookbooks. We use fresh meats and vegetables.”

In addition to mainstay casseroles, like poppy seed chicken and baked ziti, she added tomato basil shrimp pasta and cheesy chicken broccolini, as well Cone's love as desserts, appetizers and, in of retail grew winter, soups. She added other from a shop her frozen meal items with limited grandmother availability for variety – homeused to run made chicken and dressing with gravy one and shepherd’s pie.

Cone also made changes at the store to maximize kitchen space. She added freezers, and Davidson took over the food production side of the business.

“Kinnlie and I each have lines that we keep in the boutique now – mostly current trends and laid-back casual but also some dressy things for going out to eat around the lake,” Cone said. “We have bags for the lake and the boat, and I found a source for some affordable hide bags. Those just came in.”

She broadened the store’s offerings of lake area products and expanded the inventory of home décor that is not just lake oriented. Customers shop at Lakeside Mercantile for birthday and wedding gifts.

“The store has carried the same handmade Amish

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furniture product line for several years now, and people are still adding to their sets.

Maybe they bought a couple of chairs last year, and this year, they’re adding an accent table or loungers. Maybe they put in a fire pit and want chairs to go around it now,” Cone said.

When she saw a need for ice cream and coffee offerings in the southeast area of the lake, she added those items as a service to her customers.

“The ice cream and the coffee didn’t really make money, but they were something extra I could offer my customers. Now we have The Creamery coming in, and Nirvana Latté has opened around the corner. I sell the ground coffee in the store now, and I sell other desserts. I don’t want to compete with other businesses in the area. I want to support them,” she said.

Each of the three business endeavors at Lakeside Mercantile could stand alone as small businesses, but each one also draws customers to the others.

“You can stop in for food, try on new clothes, buy a gift for someone or something for the house and enjoy the experience, all in one stop, and I love that,” Cone said. “I love that I am running this store, and I love that my customers love it.”

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Suzanne Vinson Owner

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This pretty yellow wildflower is an early bloomer and a welcome sign of spring

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Trout

Lily A small native lily is one of the season's first flowers to peak through the forest floor

NATURE OF THE LAKE

BY KENNETH BOONE

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O

One of the first spring flowers to bloom on the forest floor around Lake Martin, the Trout Lily is a beautiful, delicate and diminutive native flower.

But what it lacks in size, it makes up for in numbers.

Trout Lilies form colonies, so if you see one, you’ll likely see many more nearby.

They typically bloom during the first weeks of March in moist hardwood areas like oak bottoms or along creek banks. By blooming before the hardwood trees leaf out, these plants take advantage of the sunlight on the typically dark forest floor. The Trout Lilies in this article were photographed on March 6 along the John B. Scott Forever Wild hiking trail, just below Martin Dam. This lily is an Alabama native in the Piedmont – where Lake Martin is located – and the more mountainous Alabama regions to the northeast. By the way, the name “Piedmont” comes from the Italian word for “mountain foot” or foothills, a very appropriate term for our geographic region since the Appalachian mountain

Trout lilies have nodding blooms at the end of stems that turn toward the ground

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range ends in Tallapoosa County.

Trout Lilies are also found in hilly and mountainous parts of the eastern U.S., from Canada to Georgia and west to Mississippi, Oklahoma and Minnesota.

The Trout Lily is petite for a lily, usually between 6-10 inches at maturity. This plant is delicate and easily squashed by a careless walker, which is a big deal because it takes seven years to mature.

This lily gets its common name from its leaves, which are pale green or gray mottled and spotted with darker greens, browns or even maroon colors. Some people think it looks similar to the coloring on a trout.

It is also known as American Trout Lily, Adder’s Tongue, Dog-Tooth Violet and Yellow Dogtooth Violet, and sometimes, it is spelled “Trout-lily.” The name dogtooth refers to this plant’s bulb’s appearance, which is small, white and pointed.

Botanists know the Trout Lily as Erythronium americanum, which means “American Trout Lily.”

The Lake Martin area is home to two subspecies of American Trout Lily, Erythronium americanum americanum and Erythronium americanum harperi, which is also known as Harper’s Trout Lily and Harper’s Dogtooth Violet.

Harper’s lily has a much smaller range in the deep South, limited by Georgia to the east, Tennessee to the north and Louisiana to the west. The two subspecies look very much alike.

The Trout Lily is edible in small quantities, though it is not very useful. That’s because this plant is also emetic, which means if you eat a lot, it will make you vomit – a fact that could be medically useful if you need to throw up. Emetic agents are often given to people who have accidentally ingested something poisonous.

Even so, Trout Lily bulbs (or corms) are said to taste like cucumbers and are a good addition to a foraged salad. All parts of the plant are also used to brew a mild tea.

Trout Lilies can make huge colonies – some colonies are thought to be more than 300 years old – that can blanket the forest floor in the spring when brown leaves are predominate; however, its early spring colors are short-lived because this plant appears for only six to eight weeks each year before its aboveground parts wither away until the following spring. Because of this, the Trout Lily is known as a spring ephemeral plant.

Trout Lily leaves are bluish-green with a brown or maroon splotchy pattern. The mottled pattern can appear distinct or faded.

This plant’s leaves are stiff and waxy with a lance shape that ranges from 3-6 inches.

The leaves come straight out of the ground

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on a young trout lily, leaving this slow-growing plant with no stem. It has a single leaf and sterile bulbs or corms.

At roughly age 7, this lily will produce two opposite leaves and send up a single stalk topped with a solitary flower.

The yellow, nodding flower has three sepals and three petals. The sepals or outer petals are yellow on the front and may have reddish-purple backs, while the true petals are yellow. The flower throats are sometimes speckled with reddish-purple as well. It is called a “nodding” bloom because the stalk bends over near the flower base and causes the bloom to face downward.

The petals and sepals open and curl backward during daylight hours – toward the sky – to expose six stamens hanging below the flower. At night the flower closes.

The Trout Lily flower includes both male and female organs; however, this plant is not efficient at sexual reproduction. Only one of every 10 pollinated flowers produces viable seeds. Those that do, depend on ants to distribute their seeds.

More often, the Trout Lily reproduces by sending out runners, which account for the close-packed colonies.

Their bulbs can be as deep as a half foot to even a foot underground, but the mother plant will send out threadlike roots for several inches that develop new bulbs at their ends. Those bulbs eventually become new Trout Lilies, and the colony spreads.

The backs of trout lilies often show purple color on hook-ended stems

Some information for this article came from auburn.edu, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s wildflower.org, ediblewildfood.com, tulsaworld.com and wildadirondacks.org.

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Protect the lake during construction

R

esidential construction on Lake Martin ticles, clay takes a long time, typically weeks, is on a tear. According to John Coley to settle out of the water column. It is not only at lakemartinvoice.com, “… In 2020 unsightly, turning the water a reddish-brown the inventory went down in waterfront lots color, but also harmful to the aquatic environmore than in homes – there was a 76 percent ment. Clay turbidity reduces light penetration in decrease from the five-year average. Waterfront the water, thus disrupting the natural growth of lot sales increased 146 percent in 2020 from aquatic organisms that act to cycle nutrients and the prior year. So it was a far more incredible generate natural food for fish. It’s also not fun increase in lot sales than home sales (a record to swim and boat in and can be dangerous. The breaker) in 2020, if you can believe that.” turbidity tends to hide obstacles, such as rocks, LAKE WATCH This is a double-edged sword, with good and stumps and logs that lurk just below the water’s

BY ERIC REUTEBUCH bad consequences. The good relates to jobs, surface. increased tax revenues and increased demand for goods and In the Build Responsibly article mentioned above, I listed services for our area’s economy. The bad includes increased seven bulleted procedures that a builder needs to follow to boat traffic, increased wake-induced shoreline erosion (see prevent polluted runoff from flushing into the lake. They Lake magazine September 2020) and increased potential for include obtaining an ADEM permit, installing needed BMPs pollution of our Treasured Lake. (best management practices, such as silt fencing), maintainThe first two negative impacts are fairly obvious. I’ll ing BMPs, etc. For lot owners and builders, information elaborate on the third, increased pollution. Residential conon permitting, proper BMP placement and maintenance, struction need not have a negative impact on the lake when management of the construction site, required inspections done properly. There are regulations in place that, when and reporting is available on the ADEM Construction properly followed, eliminate most of the negative effects.

Stormwater webpage at adem.alabama.gov/programs/water/ Pollution occurs when irresponsible actors do not follow the constructionstormwater.cnt. Scroll down the page to see rules. An example was detailed in my Lake magazine article Priority Construction Sites. All lots along the Lake Martin titled Build Responsibly (July 2019). The article also listed shoreline are Priority Construction Sites and have more strinconstruction regulations that protect the lake from pollution. gent requirements and increased protective measures against Note, these regulations are not optional – they are enforcenonpoint source pollution from construction sites. Thank able. you, ADEM. Adverse impacts from lakeside construction consist priLakeside construction sites are typically on fairly steep marily of increased runoff during significant rain events. The clay soil slopes and require regular BMP maintenance, such slopes around the shoreline tend to be somewhat steep, so as silt fence repairs, additional application of bare ground when it rains, runoff containing red clay flows quickly into cover (straw), and potentially, a double, or even a triple silt the lake. The amount of runoff is amplified when the land is fence to catch eroded soil (clay) from entering the lake. stripped of trees, underbrush, leaf litter and humus. Due to With thousands of construction projects popping up the very fine particle size and electric charge of clay soil par- throughout the state, there is no way ADEM personnel can

Silt fences, straw and buffer zones help to keep silt from washing into the lake

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adequately monitor them all. Thus, it is up to us to be the eyes and ears of our lake. If you see irresponsible building practices along the lakeshore, typically a broken down silt fence with muddy water flowing into the lake, submit a report to ADEM. It is quick, easy and can be done anonymously. Note that typically what is seen in the aftermath of a heavy rain event is a blown-out silt fence with muddy residue over it, a muddy trail leading down to the lake, and muddy clay-stained water in the lake.

ADEM has a Complaints portal on its homepage (right side of the page) at adem.alabama.gov. The first thing to do when bad construction practices are seen polluting the lake is to take several digital pictures. Then, go to the ADEM Complaints portal and fill out the form; it’s straightforward and relatively painless. Be sure to upload the digital picture(s); they are truly worth a thousand words. ADEM personnel will come and inspect the site, determine if violations have occurred and, if so, will notify the property owner of the violations and the required remedies.

Enforcement may involve warnings, fines and/or shutting down construction (if the builder refuses to fix the problem).

In the example presented in the Build Responsibly article, the system worked.

After an ADEM inspection, the builder promptly installed silt fencing between the construction site and the lake to catch eroding clay/dirt from entering the lake – a happy ending. Kudos to the responsible water watcher, to ADEM and to the builder for correcting the problem.

Another major consideration during the design/build process is to incorporate low-impact development features into the residential design to minimize impervious surfaces (concrete, asphalt) and minimize runoff and nonpoint source pollution. That is a whole other topic that deserves a full article. Features to consider are lakeside buffer zones, rain barrels, rain gardens, pervious pavement

(gravel, pervious pavers), to name a few. Take a look at this excellent resource produced by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System for ideas and guidance so that a new home has minimal impact on the lake: Alabama Smart Yards available through ACES as an educational program (see facebook.com/AlabamaSmartYardsAlabamaExtension for details). For a pdf, go to the ACES store at store.aces.edu/ ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=13591.

We’d love to have you join the Lake Watch crew so that we can have more eyes and ears looking out for our Treasured Lake. Come aboard at lakewatch.org.

Eric Reutebuch is president of Lake Watch Lake Martin.

Learn more at lakewatch.org.

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APRIL 2021

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LAKE 77

The Egg: Flavorful & Fun

W

hat is it about spring that gives us that burst iled egg contest. of extra energy and focus to become physiEgg essentials are always good to know any time cally fit, take action and create change? Is of the year, particularly during Easter. Here are some it the longer days, flowers blooming, warm air? Spring answers to common questions: is the season of rejuvenation and renewal. Spring is a Are dyed Easter eggs safe to eat? Yes, if they good time to let go of the old and bring in the new. You are stored in the refrigerator, hidden above ground can apply this to gardening, routine habits, traditional and away from dirt. Cracked eggs, dirty eggs or eggs cleaning, organizing and achieving inner peace and that have been unrefrigerated for more than two hours happiness. should be thrown out. Dyed eggs should be washed and The 2021 Easter holiday may especially bring a placed back in the refrigerator and eaten within seven sense of rejuvenation and renewal compared to a year days. ago, when most of us could not see our families or Can I eat eggs after the “sell by” date? Yes, it friends. As for all holidays, it is good to stay mindful is best to purchase eggs before the “sell” date and use and balanced when planning menus and activities. them within three weeks of the purchase date. Eggs This Easter, involve the entire family. Plan as many should always be stored in the refrigerator at less than outside activities and meals as possible. Take a walk or 40 degrees Fahrenheit. When purchasing eggs, make go hiking. Play adults versus kids in soccer, softball or sure they have been stored in the refrigerator and are volleyball. Create a scavnot cracked. After arrivenger hunt. Plan an Easter ing home, refrigerate egg hunt that uses the eggs as soon as possible Cauliflower Potato Salad maximum space available and store them in the 5 eggs, hardboiled and chopped to incorporate extra steps same carton that shows 1 large head cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces into the day. Plan a healthy the expiration date. The 1/4 cup dill pickles, finely chopped menu to include dark leafy egg rack on the refrig6 pieces of bacon cooked and chopped, reserve a greens and lots of colorful erator door is not the slice for topping produce to round out the best place to store eggs 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise main course. And Easter because the temperature 1 tablespoon granulated sugar baskets are a must. is much higher than 1 teaspoon salt Rethink the basket to inside the refrigerator.

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper include toys, dyed eggs Do hardboiled 1/4 teaspoon paprika and crafts. Include seeds eggs spoil faster than 1 tablespoon vinegar for planting a garden, gift fresh eggs? Yes, when 1 tablespoon yellow mustard cards and some traditional eggs are boiled, the 1 cup chopped celery chocolate. I suggest buyprotective outer coating Fresh dill for topping ing really nice gourmet is washed away, which chocolate for the chocowill make the egg more Boil or steam cauliflower about 4-5 minutes or late lover. Less is always susceptible for bacteria until fork tender. Do not cook past fork tender more. Eggs are the focus to penetrate the shell or the potato salad will be mushy. Add remaining for the Easter holiday and and contaminate the ingredients and stir until well combined. Cover the should not be overlooked. egg. Hardboiled eggs salad and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours. When Decorate hardboiled eggs should be stored in the ready to serve, garnish with fresh dill, chopped with glitter, tie-dye and refrigerator and used bacon and a sprinkle of paprika. lots of color. Have a devwithin seven days.

78 LAKE

APRIL 2021

What makes hardboiled eggs difficult to peel? Fresher eggs are more difficult to peel after they are boiled. There is an air cell inside the egg at the large end. The longer the egg is stored, the larger the air cell will become. As the egg contents contract, the air cell enlarges, and the shell becomes easier to peel.

This is the reason slightly older eggs are better for boiling.

Why does the inside of the hardboiled egg turn green?

Overcooking can cause a green rim around the yolk. This is caused by a sulfur and iron HEALTHY LIVING compound in the egg

BY JULIE HUDSON reacting on the yolk’s surface. The green color could also be caused by a high amount of iron in the water. Although, the green yolk may not look appetizing, it is safe to eat.

I have included some unique recipes that incorporate left over hardboiled eggs. ~ Julie Hudson is a registered dietician at Lake Martin Wellness Center.

Avocado Egg Salad

2 hardboiled eggs, chopped 2 hardboiled egg whites, chopped 2 small avocadoes, pitted and peeled 1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 2 tablespoons chopped green onion 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the hardboiled eggs and egg whites, avocado, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, green onion and mustard. Mash with fork. Season with salt and pepper to taste. This salad is best when eaten the day it is made. Serve as a sandwich, on crackers, with vegetables, on toast or in a wrap.

Greek Yogurt Egg Salad

1/4 cup Greek yogurt 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 1/4 teaspoon salt to taste Pinch of black pepper 4 hardboiled eggs, chopped In a bowl, stir all ingredients together, except for eggs, until mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Add the chopped eggs and stir to coat well. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

Serve on whole grain bread, crackers or lettuce wraps.

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LAKE 79

Potato Salad

CHEF’S TABLE

BY CHRIS MORINA

Ingredients

4 large Yukon potatoes, cooked, unpeeled and cut into large chunks 1/2 cup of small-diced fennel 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary 1 tablespoon chopped scallions 1 batch tofu mayo Salt and fresh cracked black pepper to season Pickled radish and pea shoots to garnish

Tofu Mayo Ingredients

1 block firm tofu 1 clove garlic 1/2 cup canola oil 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Tofu Mayo Directions

Combine all but oil in blender, slowly add oil.

Assembly Directions

Combine potato salad ingredients in a medium bowl; add tofu mayo and stir to combine. Season with salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

Garnish with pickled radish and pea shoots.

~ Chris Morina, executive chef and general manager at SpringHouse Restaurant, earned a bachelor's degree in restaurant and hotel management from Auburn University and worked with Southern food icon Linton Hopkins at Restaurant Eugene in Atlanta before moving to Mourad and other Michelin-starred restaurants in San Francisco.

80 LAKE

APRIL 2021

APRIL 2021

LAKE 81

Wine & Chill The best wines to relax with at the lake

82 LAKE

APRIL 2021

T

his time last year the flu-like alcohol range. Most big reds are in the range symptoms of the Wuhan coroof 14-16 percent alcohol by volume. navirus were just beginning Do you ever think about the wine you are to show up. The first confirmed case drinking, the nuances of color, the aroma, appeared in late January, but it wasn’t the way it feels in your mouth? Try it. It until late February that the first U.S. death isn’t necessary to go into a trance. Just slow was reported in Washington state. In down. Forget the phones and traffic and mid-March, Montgomery County reportwhatever else might be causing stress. We’ve ed Alabama’s first case of COVID-19, had enough of that. It’s time for a breather, resulting in several schools switching to and the wines you are familiar and comfortonline instruction. Athletic events were canable with might be the most relaxing. This is celed and self-quarantining engorged lake not the time for experimentation. We’ll try traffic two months ahead of usual. That was new wines another time.

FROM THE CELLAR the tip of the iceberg.

Here are several that you might want

BY HENRY FOY On April 9, the statewide mask manto become familiar with sooner rather than date is scheduled to expire. The citizens later. They are red wines but try not to let of Alabama will be allowed – possibly encouraged – to that be a barrier. This is basically FYI. return to normal, hopefully with a sense of caution. Here Surely, everyone knows Pinot Noir. This is the grape at the lake and in the surrounding communities, normal the French call Burgundy and is believed to have been is pretty nice. Relaxing with a glass of wine is a postcard grown there for more than 2,000 years. It is typically moment – carefree, whimsical and full of laughter, just light in color with distinctive characteristics of cheras summer should be. With most restrictions lifted and ries, raspberries, plums and strawberries, particularly apprehension diminishing, it is an opportunity to reflect in young wine. Mature Pinots exhibit more complex and reconnect. traits of figs, chocolate and prunes. Pinot Noir is said to In almost 17 years of writing about wine, not once be difficult to cultivate, and the best come from cooler have I broached the topic of best wines for relaxing. Isn’t regions, like Northern California, Oregon and Washingthat superfluous? I mean, if you’re doing one, you must ton. Contemplating the elegance of a good Pinot is very be doing the other, sort of like air and breathing. There is relaxing. a scientific explanation for why we enjoy relaxing with a The second wine also plays a strong role in glass of wine.

French viticulture. South America is now a domiRemember resveratrol, the antioxidant-like compound nant producer of Malbec, one of the five great grapes that was in the news several years ago because it helped of Bordeaux, where it is often blended with Cabernet lower cholesterol? It is a natural phenol found in many Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab France to make some of the foods, like blueberries, peanuts and the skins of grapes. world’s most revered wines. Malbec is a bit more tannic In addition to lowering cholesterol and blood presthan Pinot Noir but has four times the antioxidants of sure, the anti-inflammatory activity of resveratrol may Merlot and twice as much as a Cabernet. The stress just help with cognitive decline and joint pain while blockmelts away. ing enzymes linked to stress and anxiety. Red wine, of By definition, relaxing is “reducing tension and anxicourse, has a higher concentration of resveratrol because ety.” The wines selected for the photo this month illusthe juice-to-skin contact during fermentation is longer trate what carefree and whimsical wine might look like. than with white wines. That’s another story.

The Frizzante White Sangria with the red dots is 7 perBut not everybody likes red wine, and some peocent ABV and should be served “extra cold on ice.” The ple can’t drink red wine. I know. And that’s okay because Pizzolato Sparkling Moscato is also 7 percent. white wine can be very relaxing especially in the sumThe Barebones Colombard, skull and bones label, mer. Red or white, experts believe that wines produced is 12.5 percent. The blue label is a light and refreshusing sustainable practices are more likely, due to fewer ing Pinot Noir by Lioco (13.6 percent), and the artistadditives and contaminants, to be more relaxing. Frankly, inspired label from the Spanish Care (Caré) family, a that sounds a little “feel good” to me, but vineyard manwhite blend at (14.5 percent ABV), is fun and exciting to agers and winemakers are much more attentive to the use look at. of fertilizers and environmental health than ever before.

It’s been a tough 12 months. As you reflect on that, Most white wines score big with the next factor – raise a glass to healthcare workers and first responders, lower alcohol. It is well documented that lower-alcohol sip and savor. It could be a fun and relaxing summer. wines are more refreshing in the heat of summer. All

these interesting little things about wine can finally be ~ Henry Foy is the owner of Emporium Wine and pieced together to make a big picture. When summer Spirits at 128 Calhoun St. in downtown Alexander City. fully arrives, the crisp acidity and lower alcohol of white Call 256-212-WINE (9463) or email Henry Foy at wine will be refreshing and comforting. If you lean emporiumwine128@gmail.com. toward reds, the lighter, more acidic and lower alcohol and tannins of a Pinot Noir or a Spanish Garnacha will be more appealing. Look for wines in the 12-13 percent APRIL 2021

LAKE 83

Divide & Conquer

Watch for mudlines

Sweet Spot for largemouth Good for Big spotted Bass

A

Good on a cloudy day

s I began this article, the idea in my head was to break down Lake Martin top to bottom and share some of the variations in conditions that I’ve noticed over many years of fishing the lake.

Some areas seem to excel at different times of the year, like fall, winter and spring.

I started by laying out a map of Lake Martin. I saw some of the last things I marked and realized how long it’s been since I actually studied a map of the lake. I have learned so much since those previous marks on the map were made as I am now a professional angler, and they were made, before I started my career.

Since I became a pro, I’ve had to learn to look at unfamiliar fisheries and determine a good area based on time of year and conditions. I also look at fishing reports, articles, etc., which might help me get a better idea of what the lake offers. Revisiting articles I’ve written for Lake magazine over the past few years would be a great way to put it all together.

Lake Martin has more than 750 miles of shoreline.

That is an incredible number considering that I can run the main lake’s length in about 30 minutes in my Phoenix 921.

Lake Martin has many small tributaries and sloughs, which make the lake much larger than it appears.

People can only cover so much water in a day of fishing anyway, so it’s best to break a water body into sections and focus on those sections instead of tack-

84 LAKE

ling the lake as a whole.

Over time, the compilation of experience gained in different sections allows for a better feel of the lake as a whole. This article will divide the main lake into a few sections; and then, treat the larger tributaries as separate fisheries. Most of them have similar characteristics.

Upper Lake

I would draw a line somewhere near the area I grew up in around Bay Pines and call anything north of that line the upper lake portion, a transition area where the lake begins to change from a more riverine setting to a large sprawling reservoir.

The lake is still relatively clear, but with every mile traveled north, it has a little more color. The creek embayments are much smaller than those further down the lake, which can be a positive because it takes less time to fish them front to back. Current is also more noticeable in this portion of the lake and can determine where fish position on the main lake.

Some of the major creeks in this section are Dennis, Wind, Elkahatchee, Sturdivant, Britt, Hillabee and Timbergut. This section of the lake has good fishing year-round for multiple species. I know of several tournament anglers who specialize in this section for a good reason. I think it excels early in the year because it’s more shallow as a whole and has more color.

Those two factors combined mean the water will warm more quickly early in the year. It offers fantastic

APRIL 2021

striper fishing early in the year and makes a simulated spawning run towards the upper river’s shoals.

the islands thinking they were headed to Kowaliga.

Blue Creek and Kowaliga Creek are the two largest creek embayments on the lake and offer good fishing year-round for multiple species.

Mid-Lake Many of the points in the main lake section are For the mid-lake area, I would start by going south short, deep and rocky. To make the turn near the old of the line I drew around Bay Pines and make the Dixie Sailing Club (the Power Line) into southern border of the section somewhere Kowaliga Creek, one must heed caution around Midway Island just north of Blue because the points are elongated and Creek. flat with some abrupt underwater drops.

This section of the lake is more spread These are great places for bass, and out, and the waters are much deeper when usually, fishermen just move out a little compared to the upper-lake section. deeper to get into stripers later in the Some of the larger tributaries in this summer. section are Madwind, Manny and Sandy The mouth of Kowaliga Creek is one creeks. There are also some larger bays, of the broader points of the whole lake including New Hope, Hog Pen, Wicker and another place where wind can build Point, Peru, and Windemere.Often, espeup, which can be hazardous in extreme cially early in the year, a change in waterconditions, but mostly, it’s great for fircolor becomes apparent around Woods ing up the bite in the clear water of the and Youngs Islands.

BIG CATCHES lower end.

Many of the points in this section of the

BY GREG VINSON This section produces the best average lake produce big spotted bass, and because size of fish compared to the rest of the the lake is more open at this point, the lake. I’ve caught more 2- to 3-pound fish wind sometimes creates mudlines that the fish use as ambush points. The stripers often gang up near Pace’s in this section of the lake than anywhere else, but it can be challenging to get a kicker to bite here.

Point when they move offshore in the late spring and Once I moved to Wetumpka, I began learning more early summer. There are some big largemouth bass about this section of the lake, mainly because of risin this section of the lake, but the angler has to cover ing gas prices and convenience. Just crossing the more water to find them. Occasionally, I have caught Kowaliga Bridge brings back a lot of good fishing them on the big rock points, but usually, they stick memories. Kowaliga Creek is by far the largest tributo the sloughs and the back of the creeks. Brushpiles tary embayment on the lake. That’s why I consider the and docks are critical in this section because cover is limited, and they offer a safe place to hide in the clear outer half of the creek more like the main lake. We call it Kowaliga Bay. Past the bridge, things are more water. characteristic of the other creeks on the lake.

I see a gap in fish size through this section of the lake. I’ve caught some of my biggest fish here, but I have also been plagued with catching smaller fish that The Creeks are fun to catch but not worth much to a tournament To understand how the creeks on the lake fish, guy. The “hero or zero” type of bass angler would feel consider a few characteristics that almost all of them right at home here. have. Lake Martin itself is actually just a large embayReminder: In this article, I am not considering the ment of the Tallapoosa River, a tributary that eventularger creeks as much as I am focusing on the central ally feeds the Alabama river, and so on. The creek lake portion. Madwind, Sandy, and Manny creeks embayments are essentially scaled-down versions, and are large enough to be treated separately, and each of each usually fishes as if it were a separate water body. them produces good fish year-round. Keep them in But they offer similar characteristics that can make mind when I talk about the creeks later in the article. establishing a pattern more feasible.

The mouth of any creek is an excellent place to fish on just about any water body I’ve ever fished. It’s Lower Lake a transition point where fish of all species move in The upper boundary for this section is where we and out. It usually offers the deepest water within the left off around Midway Island. The lower dividing creek, so it’s suitable for passing fronts or when the mark would be around the state Route 63 Bridge near fish move offshore. As a whole, the mouth of a creek Kowaliga This section includes Martin Dam. The can be good at any time of year, and as one progresses deepest and clearest areas of the lake are in this secinto a creek, many smaller fingers branch off. Most of tion. Massive rock bluffs like Chimney Rock are sigthese don’t have substantial flow coming into them, nature landmarks and magnets for spotted bass. and I would classify them more as sloughs.

The mouth of Blue Creek is in this section, and The sloughs are great places for the fish to spawn before GPS technology became available, I towed a because they are relatively stable. Like the creek, a lot of boaters out of there that got turned around in

APRIL 2021

LAKE 85

slough will be deepest near the mouth and gradually flatten out towards the back. Often, docks, brush, laydowns and rock will be the best forms of cover, and it’s the angler’s job to figure out how far back the fish are at the given time. Much of this will be dictated by weather patterns and time of year. The points on the mouths of the sloughs are considered secondary points and are good ambush points.

Farther into a creek embayment, there’s a gradual change in watercolor. The nutrients and sediment delivered by the creek channel drive the color change.

Some creeks may have more flow or deliver more nutrients and sediment than others, so the change varies. Overall though, the farther into a creek, the more color the water will have. As the watercolor changes, fishermen change their approach from the more subtle clear water techniques to traditional power fishing.

The color in the water makes the fish less spooky.

As a creek necks down, it’s easier to determine ambush points simply because the fish have a smaller area in which to hide. The forage often is more plentiful per acre in these areas, making them prime habitats for predators.

If a creek has a substantial amount of flow feeding it from the back end, many fish will spend their entire lives here migrating within the creek instead of venturing into the main lake. This is one of the reasons I feel comfortable treating a creek embayment as its

own fishery.

Keep in mind that the back of a creek can be more volatile during changing weather with the shallow water and influx of runoff during a passing weather system. The water can get muddy and cold early in the year, making for tough fishing, but it will often warm quickest during stable weather, and the bite will explode.

When planning on fishing the back end of the creek, pay attention to the weather forecasts. During the warmer parts of the year, the creek channel proper can offer cooler, more oxygenated water, a premium for fish that want to remain shallow.

Often, I use a creek embayment to establish a pattern that might apply to other creeks I haven’t fished yet. Occasionally, a creek pattern can even provide insight into the main lake pattern where larger fish populations live. After all, the main lake is just a giant tributary embayment on a much larger scale.

I hope that this article will help you narrow down your choices for fishing Lake Martin by breaking the lake into sections. It’s a process that has helped me tackle other fisheries but still helps here at home. ~ Greg Vinson is a full-time professional angler on the Major League Fishing Bass Pro Tour. He lives in Wetumpka and grew up fishing on Lake Martin.

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Meet Willow Point's Assistant Golf Pro

M

y name is Paxton Tidwell, and I am the new assistant golf professional at Willow Point Golf and Country Club. I am so excited to be a part of the Willow Point team and even more excited to see what the future holds for me. I was born and raised in Decatur, Alabama, where I attended Decatur High School. I played golf for the high school team but knew I did not have the game for the college level.

I had heard of the Professional Golf Management program at Mississippi State, but I had no idea what to expect. A close friend of mine who is a graduate of the program pitched it to me like this: “You will receive a degree in PGM from the best PGM school in the country.

You will be able to travel anywhere you want and work just about anywhere you want, and it is 100 percent job guarantee.”

That is all I needed to hear to start the process and within a couple months I was a Mississippi State Bulldog.

I landed my first internship with the Northern Texas PGA in Dallas, Texas. I didn’t go to places like Augusta or Pebble Beach because I wanted the experience over the destination. I had always played and volunteered in PAR for the COURSE golf tournaments, but I had never PAXTON TIDWELL seen what it actually takes to run a tournament from beginning to end. While working for the NTPGA, I was part of the Community Service and Player Development team where we were in charge of the Drive, Chip and Putt qualifiers and also the All-American Tour, which consisted of age groups from 10-18. Drive, Chip and Putt was one of the coolest experiences I have had in the golf industry. Seeing kids of all ages celebrate with their parents, whether they qualified or not, constantly reminded me why this game is so special and how much this quirky game has done for me.

For my next internship, I went to Raleigh, North Carolina, and interned at Hasentree Golf Club with Head Professional Phil Leddy, PGA. This is a rather new club, and I wanted the experience, and I got it. My second week into my internship, the lead assistant accepted a sales rep job with STITCH Golf. I was immediately brought inside to learn as much as I could as fast as I could.

Not long after, I was running the “ROMEO” group

(Retired Old Men Eating Out), placing orders with our vendors, and helping to run what would be my only Member Guest to ever be apart of, due to COVID-19.

Everything worked out great, and I learned more in seven months than I thought I ever would.

I was gifted an extra three-month internship, so I decided to keep it close to home this time. Greystone Golf and Country Club with Head Professional Jon Gibbons, PGA was the spot I chose to spend my summer in 2018.

Grey,stone was a great experience where I learned the ins and outs of the outside operations.

My last and final internship was at Oklahoma City Golf and Country Club with one of the best head professionals in the country, Tim Fleming, PGA. Working there was almost like taking a final exam. I did everything you could think of, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I was one of six interns working there, and what I loved most about it was that Tim put us in charge of running the golf operation. In doing that, I learned how to effectively communicate with my team and members, order and re-order stock products (gloves, balls, hats, ball markers etc.), and oversee/manage an outside staff and so much more with member tournaments.

Tim was great at giving us guidance in any situation but never held our hands through the process. He wanted us to learn by trial and error, so we could avoid making the same mistakes twice. Being able to work closely with five other interns who had the same passion and drive for the business has helped me grow into the professional I am today. To this day, those guys are some of my best friends and I could not be more thankful for them and Tim. I have been here at Willow Point Golf and Country Club since December 2020, and I have enjoyed every minute. Everybody has been so welcoming, and I have enjoyed getting to know the staff and the membership. I’m here to help you in any way I can, whether that be with golf lessons, making tee times, or even talking about current events.

Golf has taken me to some really cool places, and I have made some incredible connections that I will never forget. This game has done so much for me that it’s only right that I do what I can to give back. My journey is nowhere near finished, as it is just now starting to heat up.

I am so excited to be here and a part of Willow Point Golf and Country Club and can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me. ~ Contact Paxton Tidwell, assistant golf professional at Willow Point Golf & Country Club by email at ptidwell@russelllands.com.

APRIL 2021

LAKE 87

Legend

63

22

280

To Sylacauga

23

Alexander City

Public Boat Ramps 19

9

Churches

4

Camp ASCCA

Flint Hill Church

Camps & Parks 280

Power lines U.S. Highways

3

22

County Roads Piney Woods Landing

Wind Creek State Park

Pleasant Grove Church

11

COOSA COUNTY

Alex City Boat Ramp

Mt. Zion Church

259 9

10

128

Russell Farms Baptist Church 63

D.A.R.E. Park Landing

Friendship Church

17 20

New Hope Church

Liberty Church

15 Willow Point

24

7

11

Equality

Paces Point Boat Ramp

63

Camp Alamisco

12

Kowaliga Boat Landing

22 The Ridge

55

5

Seman

Camp Kiwanis

1 13

Church in The Pines

24

2

The Amp Ko w

ali

18 80

9

Central

ga

Ba

y

26 90

Union

ELMORE COUNTY Union Church

Red Hill 63

229

Eclectic

Tallassee

20 Kent

88 LAKE

Union Landing

Children’s Harbor

Trillium

34

APRIL 2021

Timbergut Landing

Horseshoe Bend National Park

Jaybird Landing

Lake Martin Alabama Marinas

TALLAPOOSA COUNTY

49

Jacksons Gap 280

Bethel Church

21

Dadeville

57

280

Camp Hill

Smith Landing

Lake Martin Baptist Church 49

6

33. River North Marina 256-397-1500

250 River North Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

4. Russell Do It Center (Alex City) 19 256-234-2567

1750 Alabama 22, Alex City, AL 35010

42. Russell Marine Boating and Outdoors 256-397-1700

19 Russell Marine Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

4. Russell Do It Center (Eclectic) 20 334-541-2132

1969 Kowaliga Rd., Eclectic, AL 36024

52. Real Island Marina 256-397-1200

2700 Real Island Rd., Equality, AL 36026

4. Russell Building Supply 21 256-825-4256

350 Fulton Street, Dadeville, AL 36853

63. Blue Creek Marina 256-825-8888

7280 Hwy 49 S., Dadeville, AL 36853

224. The Stables at Russell Crossroads 256-794-1333

288 Stables Loop, Alex City, AL 35010

2. Parker Creek Marina 7 256-329-8550

486 Parker Creek Marina Rd., Equality, AL 36026

234. Dark Insurance 256-234-5026

410 Hillabee Street, Alex City, AL 35010 www.darkinsuranceagency.com

83. Harbor Pointe Marina 256-825-0600

397 Marina Point Rd., Dadeville, AL 36853 www.harborpointe.net

6. SpringHouse 11 256-215-7080

12 Benson Mill Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

9

6. Catherine’s Market 12 256-215-7070

17 Russell Farms Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

16 Walnut Hill

50

18 Lake Martin Mini Mall 334.857.3900

7995 Kowaliga Rd, Eclectic, AL 36024

Restaurants & Venues

Stillwaters

8

22. The Ridge Marina 256-397-1300

450 Ridge Marina Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

10 2. Lakeside Marina at Bay Pines 256-825-0999

3455 Bay Pine Rd., Jackson's Gap, AL 36861

14

Church of the Living Waters

17 Lake Martin Storm Shelters 256-794-8075 970 Hwy. 63 South, Alex City, AL 35010

2. Lakeside Marina 9 256-825-9286

7361 Hwy 49 S., Dadeville, AL 36853

Pleasant Ridge Church

25

50

Business & Shopping

11. Kowaliga Marina 256-397-1210

255 Kowaliga Marina Rd., Alex City, AL 35010

13 Kowaliga Restaurant 256-215-7035

295 Kowaliga Marina Rd., Alex City, AL 35010 14 Lake Martin Pizza 256-373-3337

5042 Hwy 49, Dadeville, AL 36853

. Kowaliga Whole Health Pet Care & Resort 24 334-857-1816 8610 Kowaliga Rd., Eclectic, AL 36024

Churches 25 Lake Pointe Baptist Church 256-373-3293 8352 Hwy. 50, Dadeville, AL 36853

Dock Builders 26 Lake Martin Dock Company, Inc Marine Contractor License #49146 334-857-2443 180 Birmingham Rd., Eclectic, AL 36024

Advertise your business on our Lake Martin Region Map for as little as $25.

Contact our Marketing Department at 256-234-4281 or marketing@alexcityoutlook.com for more information.

15 Shipwreck Sam's Yogurt & Flatbread Pizza 256-444-8793 smithmarinaonlakemartin@yahoo.com 49

16 The Burritos Corner Mexican Grill 256-307-1887 8605 AL HWY 50, Dadeville, AL 36853

Reeltown

APRIL 2021

LAKE 89

Lake Magazine Distribution ATTENTION READERS: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic some of our distribution locations have changed.

This month, you may pick up the most recent issue of Lake magazine at the following locations.

ALEXANDER CITY Robinson Iron A & M Plumbing Carlos The Body Shop Piggly Wiggly Walgreens Tallapoosa Publishers, Inc. Jake's Moore Wealth Management Carlisle's Emporium Wine Cloud Nine JR'S Hillabee Towers Senior Nutrition Center Noel Boone George Hardy First Realty Dark Insurance Warren Appliance MainStreet Family Care Grace's Flowers Koon's Korner Larry's General Merchandise Daylight Donuts Alfa Valley Bank - 280 Pricare Temple Medical AllState Hometown Pharmacy Lake Martin Home Health Allen's Food Mart (Exxon) Karen Channell - State Farm Insurance Vision Landscapes North Lake Condo

River Bend Store River North Marina Lake Martin Building Supply Petro Sho'Nuff BBQ Hair Design Mark King's Lake Martin Furniture Jim Bob's Chicken Fingers Russell Building Supply Longleaf Antique Mall Playhouse Cinemas Chamber of Commerce Winn Dixie Re/Max Around the Lake City Hall Regions Bank Marathon - 280 BB&T Bank Russell Medical Center Koon's II Tallapoosa Ford Dylan Johnson - Country Financial Holley's Home Furniture Jackson's Drugs Selling Lake Martin - Amy Clark The Sure Shot Shell - 280 Big B Bar-B-Que Russell Do It Center Russell Home Decor Holman Floor Satterfield Inc. Wind Creek Gate Wind Creek Store Willow Point Office Willow Point Country Club Smith Marina on Lake Martin Kowaliga Marina Sunsrise Docks Kowaliga Restaurant Children's Harbor Catherine's Market Russell Lands Corporate Office Russell Lands Real Estate Sales

Center Springhouse Restaurant Ridge Club Ridge Marina NEW SITE Piggly Wiggly DADEVILLE Chamber of Commerce Raining Dogs Studio & Gallery Root 49 Salon Alabama Power Siggers Fusion Cafe Dadeville Library Pearson's Place Flower's & Gifts Dadevile Courthouse Payne's Furniture PNC Bank Home Plate Cafe Valley Bank McKelvey Chevrolet Renfroe's Market Foshee's Boat Doc Lakeshore Pharmacy Russell Building Supply Lakay's Sweet Pickins Century 21, Rhonda Gaskins Farmers & Merchants Bank Jim's Pharmacy Poplar Dawgs Still Waters County Club Still Waters Home Association Russell Lands Realty Fuller Realty Harbor Pointe Oskar's Creekside Lodge Blue Creek Marina Lakeside Marina Shell - 280 Niffers Hwy 50 Eagle Millstone Japanese Maple Nursery

Lakeside Merchantile Walnut Hill Chuck's Marina Deep Water Docks CAMP HILL Link Gas Station EQUALITY Five Star Plantation Equality Food Mart Southern Star Parker Creek Marina ECLECTIC Lake Breeze Realty Mitchell's Upholstery Lake Martin Mini Mall Cozumel Mexican Grill Lake Martin Dock Company Cotton's Alabama Barbecue Russell Do It Center Johnson Furniture WOW Cartering LLC Eclectic Library Real Island Marina Hometown Lenders, Inc. Anchor Bay Marina WETUMPKA Wetumpka Herlad Office TALLASSEE Marathon Tallassee Eagle Tallassee Chamber OPELIKA Collaboration Station Get Lake magazine delivered to your mailbox for just $25 per year. To start your subscription, call Linda Ewing at 256-234-4281.

2018 Top Ten Landau Dealer Manitou Dealer

256.215.FISH (3474) 2190 Cherokee Road Alex City, AL

www.alexcitymarine.com

90 LAKE

APRIL 2021

Lake Martin Business and Service Directory

COACH KRAFT

UPHOLSTERY Complete Marine Upholstery!

Floors ■ Carpets Bimini Tops ■ Custom Seats ■ Mooring Covers ■

■

Patrick Mason 334-283-6759 676 Dean Circle • Tallassee, AL www.coachkraft.com

IN-HOME CARE SERVICES

Our goal is to keep our clients as active as possible in their own homes to promote overall health and well being.

With our personally tailored care plans, you will receive the individual care you need with the dignity and respect you deserve.

Homemaking... Personal Care... Companionship

Lake Martin innovation Center 175 aLiant Parkway • aLexander City, aL

(256) 414-6090

Some of us have to paddle before we can swim.

Small budget advertising can have you swimming laps around your competitors.

LAKE

256-234-4281

Relax. Enjoy. Lake Martin.

Call to order your subscription 256-234-4281

MAGAZINE

APRIL 2021

LAKE 91

Our Advertisers n To Join, Call 256.234.4281 A&M Plumbing............................................................. 26

Homeology................................................................... 26

Rhonda Jaye, Lake Martin Realty............................. 86

Alex City Guide Service............................................. 8

Insurance Solutions Group....................................... 75

Russell Building Supply, Dadeville............................ 44

Alex City Marine......................................................... 90

Kowaliga Whole Health............................................. 91

Russell Do It Center.................................................. 49

Beyond Home Care................................................... 91

Lake Martin Dock....................................................... 16

Russell Home Decor................................................. 48

Blue Creek Iron Works............................................. 91

Lake Martin Mortgage................................................ 77

Russell Lands On Lake Martin...........................19, 45

Brown Nursing & Rehabilitation..........................................8

Lake Martin Realty................................................23, 32

Russell Marine.............................................................. 96

Coach Kraft Upholstery............................................ 91

Lake Martin Signature Construction...................... 39

Russell Medical.............................................................. 2

Comfort Home Services........................................... 44

Lamberth & Lamberth............................................... 44

Satterfield........................................................................ 5

Custom Docks............................................................. 62

Mark King's Furniture................................................ 33

Security Pest Control.............................................. 6, 8

Davco............................................................................. 91

Moore Wealth Management..................................... 95

Singleton Marine......................................................... 76

Docks Unlimited........................................................... 5

National Village............................................................ 38

Sparkle........................................................................... 62

Electronic Technology Group................................... 91

Odd Jobs....................................................................... 47

Sunrise Dock................................................................ 12

Foshee Boat Doc........................................................ 92

Oskars........................................................................... 16

Tallapoosa Board of Education................................ 93

Fuller Realty, Sandra Booker...................................... 8

Precise Pressure Washing......................................... 91

Temple Medical Center............................................. 65

George Hardy D.M.D................................................... 8

Premiere Stone............................................................ 65

Those Lake Martin Guys........................................... 12

Gilbert Welding & Design......................................... 47

Prime Management....................................................... 6

TowBoat US................................................................. 79

Half Moon Market & Interiors................................. 65

ProCare, LLC............................................................... 22

Walmart........................................................................ 91

Harbor Pointe Marina................................................ 73

Renaissance Electronics............................................... 5

Wedowee Marine....................................................... 13

Heritage South Credit Union.................................. 17

Rhonda Gaskins, Century 21 Lake Area Realty....... 3

Holiday Cove............................................................... 22

Rhodes Construction................................................. 26

92 LAKE

APRIL 2021

APRIL 2021

LAKE 93

Parting Shot Photo by Kenneth Boone

"It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end." ~ Ernest Hemingway 94 LAKE

APRIL 2021

State-of-the-art facility combined with over 75,000 sq. ft. of retail space and pro shop.

All-new Can-Am off-road vehicles by BRP. Largest inventory of new and pre-owned boats.

New fishing boat line-up from BassCat, SeaArk, and Crevalle Boats.

Large selection of apparel including new brands-Hook & Tackle and Huk performance gear.

And our top-of-the-line boat brands from Godfrey Pontoon Boats,

Nautique, Sea Ray, Key West, Supreme, Scarab, Bryant Boats, Hurricane, and personal watercraft from Sea Doo.

Stay up-to-date at RussellMarine.net 96 LAKE

APRIL 2021