Steuben county has 101 Lakes, their natural beauty, close proximity to larger cities, interstate access and value make this area attractive to tourists and people who want a seasonal vacation home. Typically people who can afford vacation homes want to spend their time at those homes playing and not installing and maintaining landscaping, this need was ideal for me when I got serious as a landscape/design install contractor. I don't know that I could have ever done any other job this long and been this satisfied, I love my job, taking a piece of dirt and transforming it to meet and often exceed client expectations is super groovy.
My shop and home are one in the same, we use approximately 3 or so acres of the 25 we own for business purposes, about 10 acres are swampy, there is a nice 1 acre, spring fed pond that is great for fish, turtles and a swimming hole on hot summer days, a perfect location for skinny dipping. I designed the house, beach bar, barn and gardens, they are all evolving. The gardens and small nursery are used for display purposes, showing potential customers various plants, hard scape and ideas. It is an eclectic look with Caribbean or Florida styling. Working from home has its good points and bad, I am never late for work but having 8-10 employees around all season limits privacy.
It is great to be able to work occasionally in St. Lucia or Florida and I would like to pursue a semi-retirement career consulting and designing wherever the wind blows me. I never really wanted to live in Indiana but I have been fortunate to satisfy my wanderlust during the winter months, making staying here more palatable. Being able to take time to cruise the lakes, have parties, enjoy terrific nature, peace and quiet, low traffic, little crime and high dollar value of the midwest are all reasons I choose to stay.
Last Spring I went out on the Lake James chain with my cousin where I was able to photograph
some old projects, things we were about to start and the carnage of a fire that devasted an area on Lake James called Lone Tree Point. This was the beginning of my landscaping season for 2009.
This home on Jimmerson Lake was our winning entry for The 2007 Builders Association Parade of Homes. There was extensive stacked flagstone retaining walls on the road and lake side, snap cut stone staircase leads to the lake, the hillside planting of burning bushes flames bright red, from late summer until frost. The house won first place in all judged catagories, including landscaping.
Fire destroyed five homes on Lone Tree Point, Lake James over the winter, the homes close location to each other allowed the blaze to jump from one home to the next.
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