Ready for Guests
One last weekend working at Lazy River Cottage and now we are officially ready for guests. Our first guest arrives in a few days. We want to thank all of our guests that took a chance on us by booking while we were still under construction. Thank you for trusting us with your vacation plans. We hope your time at Lazy River Cottage is filled with wonderful memories.
Floating Dock
The floating dock was installed this past Monday. My dad pulled the pieces up the river from the Desoto Falls boat ramp for the installer. The installers did a great job. It was worth the wait and we are thrilled it was completed and able to be installed before our first guest arrived.
The floating dock has a 30’ walkway from the sitting deck to the 9’x12’ swim platform. The swim platform has a ladder to enter and exit the water.
We love the floating dock, but the view from the dock is our favorite. To the north, the open water is calm and relaxing. The red boathouse to the south‘s age is unknown, but it is estimated to have been around for about 80 years. The family that originally built it bought the land almost 100 years ago from Mr. Smith that built the dam at Desoto Falls and developed the subdivision. It’s a pretty neat piece of history.
Our kids could not wait to try out the new swim platform. They have been so good to help us these last 8 months so we gave them the afternoon off on Saturday to play in the water. It took a few minutes, but they decided the ladder was the easiest way to get in and out of the kayaks. Also, they preferred the keyhole life vests we bought for our guests over the vest kind we usually make them wear while kayaking.
Furniture
We were ecstatic to receive the call last Monday from the furniture store that our leather sectional for the cottage had arrived. It was ordered in January and had taken a few months longer to arrive than they originally told us. We were so excited that we were going to have the house complete before the first guest arrived.
I went to Mentone early Friday morning and my dad and I went to pick it up from the furniture store. We removed the sofa and loveseat from the house and proceeded to bring in and set up the new sectional. That‘s when I realized the furniture company had ordered the sofa opposite of what we had requested! Yep. It doesn’t fit. One side is longer than the other and they got them swapped on the order. I wanted to cry. The disappointment was real, but like always, we just made the best out of it.
We ended up returning the sofa the next morning and re-ordering it correctly this time. So, in about 8 months or so we’ll have a new leather sectional in the cottage. Until then, we shampooed and vacuumed the living room furniture from our house and put it back in Lazy River Cottage. It should be clean and comfy for our guests until the leather sectional arrives.
You might say it worked out for the best since my sweet husband encouraged me to get new living room sofas for our house so we don’t have to be without in the coming months. Fortunately, the furniture store had some in stock that were perfect. It all worked out in the end. You just have to be willing to roll with it.
Outdoor Updates
We added a few more outdoor items other than the dock. We put 7 chairs around the fire pit and added 5 stacking chairs to the sitting deck by the water. We figured stacking chairs were best on the sitting deck to leave plenty of room to maneuver kayaks to and from the storage area.
We added the life vest storage building by the steps at the back porch. If they are hung up at the end of each day they should dry out and not get moldy. There are 4 adult, 4 youth, and 4 child size keyhole life vests in the building for guest use. There is also a bucket in there in the event you need it to put out your fire pit fire at the end of the night.
We put up our Lazy River Cottage sign at the end of the driveway. We even put a small solar spotlight on it so it’s easy to see if you arrive after dark.
We put smart switches in for the lights on the front porch. They will come on at 5:30 PM and go off at 11:00 PM automatically daily. You can still turn them on and off via the switch inside the front door, but we didn‘t want anyone arriving at a dark house.
The outdoor post lights to the water are also on a smart switch. They come on at dusk and go off at 11:00 PM daily. These lights can be dimmed to 40% via the switch at the end of the stairs from the back porch. This switch will also turn them on and off, but I’ll admit the switch prefers to dim as to turn off. So, if you choose to turn them off on your own, it may take a few tries.
Lastly, there is a basket in the living room by the back door with six navy blue towels for guest use outside. Please use these towels for river fun and do not take our white bath towels outside.
Interior Updates
Friday, our custom plantation shutters for the half bathroom were installed. They look great and provide the perfect mix of privacy and natural light.
After we got the downstairs bedroom cleaned out, I realized the chest looked empty and bare. I had to return a few throw pillows last week to a store and happened up on the cutest wooden fish. I thought they would be perfect for that area. I added a lantern from our house and I think it’s just enough.
Christmas
I love fall for the beautiful leaves, spring for the beautiful flowers, summer for lots of water fun, and winter for Christmas decorating. Yes, I’m one of “those“ people. As I ran through Hobby Lobby last week looking for the house numbers for the cottage, I just had to walk down the isles they were beginning to stock for Christmas. I couldn’t help myself. I had to buy a few items for Lazy River Cottage‘s tree and garland. It’s going to be decorated from November 29th - January 4th. I can’t wait!
Letting Go
It’s been a rollercoaster of a year planning, designing, and building Lazy River Cottage. As I walked through the house one last time before leaving Sunday, it felt a little bit like your child’s first day of kindergarten. You put so much love, time, and effort into the project and you know it’s time to let go and allow others to make their own memories at the cottage, but it’s hard to let go and walk away.
Today, as I received messages from some of our guests displaced by hurricane Ida, I knew the cottage was going to be exactly what we had hoped for families, a place to escape from the chaos of the world, relax, and make memories in the midst of what life throws at us. We hope you and your family have the opportunity to stay at Lazy River Cottage and make wonderful memories that last a lifetime.
Future Blogs
The construction is over, but the fun has just begun. Stay up to date on Lazy River Cottage as well as food, fun, and festivities in the Mentone area with our weekly blog posts. We look forward to sharing some of our favorite things about this beautiful area of the country with you and your family.
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Check out our website at www.littlerivervacay.com for more information about Lazy River Cottage in Mentone, AL.
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