Turner Family Loves Lake Wedowee

Small Town Life

 by Melissa Turner



Turner and her family enjoy the lake year round and it has definitely become her home away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

As a child, I used to spend my summer days swimming and skiing on a lake, and spent my summer nights sleeping in the fresh lake air. It was the one of the best times of my life. After my trips to the lake, I always knew that I would want to have a place on a lake when I grew up. It would be my castle, the lake house, because no matter what was happening in the world, when I was at the lake, I never felt so peaceful.

 I remember once, for school, we were told to write an essay on the future. I recently found this essay while cleaning out an attic. I wrote about owning a cosmetic company, having robots to complete every task, having a bubble bath that would give me all the nutrients I needed to survive, and of course, having a house on the lake. Now, most of those ideas for the future have not happened (yet), but the one thing that has happened, and perhaps the most important thing to me (aside from the robot dream) was having our own lake house.

 Our place on Lake Wedowee is my dream house because it is a place for all my family and friends to come and visit and enjoy. For me, Lake Wedowee is a place where memories are made. Whether I’m by myself or surrounded by dozens of people, the lake itself feels like a member of my family.  

 

Melissa Turner (center in Navy uniform) has participated with her family in the Fourth of July Boat Parade for two years. Her group has been planning this year’s entry for months now.

 Life isn’t always easy, nor is it always fun, but I know that when I drive up to our house on the lake, the stress and worries from my week melt away. As I sit on the boat, watching the sun set in the distance, the entire lake turns a deep pink along with the sky, and the reflection of the sun blinds me momentarily.

 Holidays stand as the highlight of the year for me, especially the summer holidays like Fourth of July. The Lake Wedowee Boat Parade, an event so big and festive that it has to be planned all year, just to planned again once it’s over, for me, makes for the best possible way to spend the Fourth of July.  

It’s the little things at the parade, like seeing the smile on your father’s face as he realizes his original Navy uniform still fits, the laughter of friends and family as they dress up in their best patriotic attire or even seeing the excitement as the entire lake community comes out to show their patriotism, and the minutes throughout the evening when you can see the fireworks illuminate the sky, make for moments that will always be frozen in my mind. 

 After all the festivities filled with family and friends, what is most important to me about the lake, is that feeling I get when I step outside onto the back porch. The wind blowing, the ripples in the water and the peace of knowing that Lake Wedowee is a part of my life!

Lake Wedowee means to me is a new feature for Lake Wedowee Life. We would love to hear why you love Lake Wedowee. Please tell us in 500 words or less and be sure to include pictures! Email us at news@lakewedoweelife.com. We will pick one submission per issue to feature in Lake Wedowee Life.