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Illustration: Gary Hovland
We built our "someday-retirement" home 40 years ago at Smith Mountain Lake, Virginia, and have been retired there for 10 years now. Each day we go boating is always our "best day," but the end of boating season last year — with its mild temperatures, calm winds, and smooth waters — ranks up there as one of my favorites, for its quiet beauty.
As the morning sun streams through our home's windows on the main channel of the Blackwater River, the surrounding beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains beckons us. We head downriver and into the lake toward "The Mountain," as the lake's namesake is known to locals. The lake is so quiet, we have it all to ourselves. The smooth water allows a blast of throttle wide-open V8 power before we settle into a more sedate 20-mph cruising speed aboard our 21-foot Stingray bowrider. The sky is clear and The Mountain is striking as we squeeze in this one last cruise before winterization.
Upon returning home, a steak-and-wine dinner on our deck ends this wonderful day on the lake as the early sunset paints warm red and gold reflections on the water. We stare, and hope for an early spring.