A Year of Housing Changes

I found the task of keeping up with the building/remodeling changes in Findley Lake during 2008 were daunting. Here's a brief update of what has occurred over the last year.

Probably foremost in change and scope was the demolition of John and Barb Henry's house on the point. The new house, still under construction by the Schwartz's, is taking full advantage of the views up and down the lake that the property provides. I hope it will continue to give shelter and respite to generations of families to come.

Continuing on down Shadyside from the Woodland Shores point, one house was damaged by mold/mildew necessitating a controlled burn to remove the superstructure. That house has now been completely rebuilt and should also provide years of enjoyment.

Approaching the south end of the lake, major dock work has disrupted the fine lawn and gardens of the Lewis's. Everything comes with a price and I'm sure that the Lewis's are looking forward to the completion of this necessary repair. It takes a lot of hard work to maintain waterfront property.

One house down has seen a complete exterior remodel including expansion and siding. That's one of the great things about living in Findley Lake. Property owners are constantly improving their homes.

Several homes have opted to re-roof using metal roofing. It's an excellent choice of materials for this area. The past winter saw 306" of snow. That's over 25' of snow. Fortunately it didn't all fall at once but accumulations over several days of over two feet were normal. With metal roofs, you sometimes get unintended consequences when the snow slides off in one massive whoosh. Two interesting situations included snow ending up piled in front of the garage doors and a chimney knocked to a sixty degree angle (and subsequently removed).

Starting up Sunnyside from the bottom of the lake, Mulkearn's new house continues to evolve. Working full time and trying to build a new house must be terribly hard.

The new house which had been built at the site of the former skating rink is soon to have a second floor deck. So far the framing has been constructed. The new deck should provide lovely views both of the lake and of the woods behind the house.

Sunnyside Restaurant has been purchased and reopened. The new name is Addie's and they are continuing the ice cream shop tradition. Currently it is open on the weekends. The new owners are spiffing up and refurbishing the restaurant area and plan to open that at some point soon.

At the corner of Sunnyside and Main Streets, the former EUB church was sold at auction. It is currently being dismantled. The large Jesus painting on the end has been removed, as have the stained glass windows. Anyone interested in buying this memorabilia can contact Gordon Post at Post Scientific in North East PA. The building, when dismantled, will be come a home when the materials are reused.

The north end of Shadyside saw one severe fire this winter at the Ball home. Fortunately the family and pets were either not at home or were able to evacuate safely but the home and contents were a total loss. As of this date, rebuilding has not started although the site was recently leveled.

For those who have followed my blogs on home exterior colors in Findley Lake, the new/remodeled homes have continued the pattern of muted shades. The most popular have been shades of moss green/light olive, with light gray/slate a close second. Trim color continues to be white.

All in all, it's been a year of change in Findley Lake.

Alas, Poor Pink Garage Door

Alas, we knew you well. Today's ride around the lake found a pristine white garage door had taken the place of our beloved, quirky pink garage door. The new "look" is clean and lets the beauty of the lot and lake flow around the weathered slate sided cottage, very gentle on the eye and inviting. I guess we'll have to give directions now using the Red Sock-Nosed Deer Mount one house down. If you haven't seen that distinctive decoration, take a drive down Shadyside. Gotta love it!

It was gray and kind of rainy/snowy this morning. We had been seeing deer and turkey regularly on the sides of the ridge along Sunnyside, but the animals and birds kept a low profile today, conserving energy.

Siding Anticipation

For all those following the Findley Lake siding decor story, I am hoping to have something to report soon. Ed Mulkearn's new house has a lovely wrap-around deck now. A little bird told me that the exterior decor was probably going to be "Buckskin", but that could change. Obviously weather has not been conducive to painting. That also affects the pink garage door on Shadyside. It's a nice landmark when the door is closed. The weathered slate siding just looks great on the house. The other houses look cold, waiting for better weather to get the exteriors finished.

Some Questions Answered This Week

Referring back to some previous posts:

The pink house on Shadyside is being sided in a weathered slate vinyl siding. It looks great ! Trim is white. The garage door is still pink but it's interesting this way. Love the siding color and I find it so attractive that I may use it on our hunting camp.

Private skating rink on Shadyside is officially known as the "Woodland Shores" skating rink. For a great article about two Olympic skaters bringing world-class skating to Findley Lake, check out http://www.findleylakeinfo.org under the news button. Read the "Tapestry" cover to cover (both sides) on the internet there and keep up with local news.

Regarding our Findley Lake resident Bald Eagles, Dick Miga would like to receive written observations of your sightings. Please send the date and location to Dick Miga, 38 Elm St., Fredonia, NY 14063. I expect he would like to hear anecdotal information as to whether the lake is frozen over, adult or juvenile (judged by head and tail coloration), etc would probably be welcomed also.

So far, this winter has been relatively easy to take. Much of the snow has melted off and even now, the temperature is above freezing. We keep having big booms as the ice falls off our upper roof onto the lower one, then slides down it with a rumble before falling off. I almost hesitate to put the dog out tonight. Would hate to have him crushed by an errant roof-burg.

It's a shame that grass showing in Cleveland and Erie cuts down on the skiers at Peek 'n Peak. Some of the best skiing is when the temperatures are mild. Come on skiers, take advantage of the easy drive and come skiing in Findley Lake.