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 ONE
OWNER'S ACCOLADE:
As a former subscriber to Coastal Living,
and currently Cottage Living, I am writing to suggest to
your magazine as an article on unique living experiences
in Northern Michigan.
My husband and I would vacation every year in Northern
Michigan and most years our children and their families would
join us. As time went on, and the families increased in size,
we outgrew most of our rental opportunities. Since retirement
was in the near future, we began to look for a place to buy
that we could maintain now and hope to spend summers at after
our retirement. We happened on a wonderful place on Crooked
Lake near Petoskey and Harbor Springs, Michigan. We became
"boat house" owners in November of '05. The community
is called Windjammer Cove.
This unique condominium consists of living quarters built
above a 2 boat garage and 2 car garage. We are living right
over the water! It is "boating made easy" with
trex decking forming our own private dock, and automatic
garage door openers to make our entrance or exit by boat
or car a breeze. No more dragging all the provisions out
to the dock for a day's boating. Now we are able to walk
downstairs, hop in the boat and take off. The condo consists
of approximately 2,000 sq. feet, built on 2 levels with views
all around. It has the outside appearance of a Victorian
cottage, but is built with all the amenities of a "new
cottage".
We have a deck on each level, fireplace in the living room,
hardwood floors, full dining room, state of the art kitchen
with granite counter tops, all facing the lake, and a family
room and full bath all on the 2nd level. On the 3rd level
are 2 large bedrooms, connected with a sitting room, for
extra sleeping capacity for family or friends and 2 more
full baths.
Crooked Lake is part of the Inland Water Route in Michigan.
Every day we can boat in a different area that has a flavor
all it's own. Connected by rivers to other lakes, we can
journey all the way to Lake Huron from our boat house or
trailer our boat a short distance to Harbor Springs, Michigan
to put in at Little Traverse Bay and travel the shore lines
of Lake Michigan, stopping in Charlevoix, Traverse City,
Suttons Bay or Leland, Michigan, to name a few. Depending
on our journey, we sometimes boat through traditional draw
bridges, locks and unique swinging bridges - all of which
are still operated by people whose families have lived on
these unique waterways for generations.
Winter time finds us at local ski resorts; Boyne Highlands,
and Nub's Nob. Both ski resorts are less than 15 minutes
from our cottage and with snowmobiles, cross country skiing,
and snow shoeing. In addition to the downhill runs, there
are plenty of wintertime activities to keep us busy.
In looking for a seasonal home, we found that boat docking
space, in close proximity to homes was at a premium. Many
areas of the Great Lakes water levels varied, and wind and
rock made it hazardous to safely dock your boat. Other condo
units we looked at sold dock space over and above the cost
of the condo, making it cost prohibitive and difficult to
use. Here at the Windjammer, our boat is safe and protected
from the weather at all times and is actually part of our
living space. On the grounds is a full service marina where
friendly employees are available for all our boating needs.
The Windjammer is only in its first phase of construction.
All of the first unit owners are from Ohio. My husband and
I are professionals in Cincinnati, Ohio. We have 3 children
and 6 grandchildren, living in southern California and St.
Louis, Missouri. The grandchildren love to fish from our
decks, taker their paddle boat out into the lake or play
on a sand bar.
There is plenty more I could tell you about the wonders
of Windjammer Cove on Crooked Lake in beautiful Northern
Michigan and my wish is that you might like to share our
story with your readers.
Sincerely,
Kathleen L. Gilgrist
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