For over twenty years, my sister and her husband have owned a beautiful piece of land on the shores of Lake Anna. It’s not our home, but it feels like home. It’s one of those places that holds a history—not in stone or storybooks, but in shared summer memories: Gary, the boys, my sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews. It’s our own version of the Kennedy compound—just smaller, slightly more chaotic, and far more likely to feature boating mishaps, wine spills, and invented games like the legendary Sticks and Cups, masterfully honed by my brother-in-law and the kids.
This house—this lake—is our happy place. A family place, a laughter place, a memory-making place. It’s tradition and spontaneity rolled into one—an anchor in our otherwise moving lives.
And let’s talk about Lake Anna itself. The water here is famously warm, thanks to the nearby nuclear power plant. You’d think that would be unsettling—cue the sci-fi nightmares of mutant creatures lurking in the depths—but oddly, I’ve never feared what lies beneath these waters. The only monsters I encounter are the reckless boaters who cruise by too fast, sending waves crashing into my float and—gasp!—spilling my Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay. That, my friends, is the real horror story.
It was wonderful to be able to host the family reunion this year and we couldn’t have done it without your help! Thanks so much for all your hard work to make the place look great!!!!