I can't lie, I write this review completely biased. My grandfather, Papaw Bishop, built this lake (or "pond", it was a lake to me as a child..as large as I saw my Papaw) himself. As he did the rock house you pass on the way that my mother grew up in and I spent every summer of my youth in with all my siblings and cousins...and we lived there in middle school. It was then that I got my first babysitting job for the sweet couple who built this cabin. I had many of my "firsts" on this property..I caught my first fish in this pond, I got to feel the accomplishment of fetching dinner from this pond when Meemaw cooked up our bountiful plenty from a days hard work that actually started the night before when we would go out in the dark with our flashlights and old coffee cans digging for nightcrawlers to allure the mightiest of bass.. I caught my first firefly on this property that gave my room a twinkle all night in an old canning jar to the sound of an army of crickets singing their song in perfect harmony, I saw snow for the first time here, I watched animals be born here, I wandered this property for hours on end only to find my way home when I heard Papaws special whistle..and my heart would swell with pride at the look on Meemaws face when she'd marvel at the buckets of blackberries we returned with that she would magically turn into the best cobbler and preserves you ever tasted. On the long road trips here every summer, even if I were asleep, I knew we were close when Mother would slow down and roll down the window...I could smell it, I could hear it, I could taste it...it was the closest to heaven I ever felt.
That being said, revealing my biased stance, it also seeds in me what should be the harshest critic. But instead, with raw nerves exposed, I simply can't say how grateful I am on every level to the owner, Ginee, for how tenderly she attended to every detail and made this precious opportunity for us to visit our past. My mother and aunt, who is in poor health, got to come with my kids and siblings to this walk down memory lane..and the love and care for this property they've shown our old homestead so shined in the crevices and layers that unfolded after our chapter, made it that much sweeter. She's thought of every detail and couldn't have been a more gracious host. The ice cream waiting in the freezer and best dogs ever waiting on the porch made me feel the heart of our past beating ever so strong. Thank you Ginee, thank you.