At Lakeside, The Meaning is in the Message

At Lakeside, The Meaning is in the Message

By Leonard Shapiro

The several dozen messages, printed on small placards planted on both sides, hit you coming and going down the private driveway at Lakeside, the property on Zulla Road purchased more than 30 years ago by the late Magalen “Maggie” Bryant and still owned by her family.

The first sign on the right coming in best describes her own lifelong philosophy over her 92 years as a highlyregarded business woman, philanthropist, conservationist, horsewoman, wife, mother and so much more until her death in 2021.

“If you do not dream,” reads one of her favorite expressions, “your dream will not come true.”

Those messages, some whimsical, some serious, some historic, some slightly profane and many often used by Mrs. Bryant herself, are posted every few yards all the way down to picturesque 15 acre Ardara Lake. Not far from the water’s edge, there’s also a pavilion with picnic tables, Adirondack chairs scattered around and an outdoor fire pit.

Over the years, it’s been frequently used by the family, friends, the Middleburg Boy Scout troop, area garden clubs and other local businesses and groups. They’ve had parties, weddings and an occasional political rally. And those signs are always there to greet anyone heading down the driveway toward the lake.

“She had a whole collection of things she would say to us,” said Mrs. Bryant’s son, Carey Crane, who counts among his favorite signs one that reads “shoulda’, coulda’ woulda’” and another that says, “13/12.”

“She used to quote her bankers all the time,” Crane said. “They’d say to her ‘we don’t know if you could do that.’ She’d say ’13/12.’ In other words, you might have 12 votes, but I hold the 13th, and that’s the only one that counts.”

He’s also enamored with “He told me I couldn’t so I did. They told me I shouldn’t, so I will.”

“That was sort of mom’s motto,” Crane said. “And another one of her favorites was ‘if a frog had wings, he wouldn’t bump his ass.’”

There’s are two hockey hero’s quotes—“Skate where the puck is going to be, not where it’s at” and “You miss 100 percent of the shots you didn’t take,” (Wayne Getzky). There’s golfer Gary Player’s line that,“the more I practice, the luckier I get.” And Ronald Reagan—“Trust, but verify.”

On the way out the front gate and returning onto Zulla Road, the final sign on the right is well known to anyone whose ever been on a horse.

“Kick On,” it reads.

Maggie Bryant always did.