We’ve had some cold nights already at the lake with temperatures dipping to near freezing, and there are still many winter months to come. This would normally be the time of year to hibernate indoors where it’s bright and homey. But this isn’t any normal year. The new normal is all about spending as much time outdoors as possible.
At Blue Heron Lakehouse we’re fortunate to have an advanced air-filtration system with a HEPA filter that keeps air moving throughout the house. But we have some truly great options for spending time outdoors—or nearly outdoors—in the fresh air, starting with our Boathouse.
Inside the Boathouse it’s warm and cozy thanks to a wall heater and ceramic tower heaters, and you can fold yourself into a cushy sectional.
OUR BOMB BOATHOUSE
The Boathouse is our party cabana, with a crescent-shaped bar (newly installed in 2020) backed by cabinets loaded with barware and outdoor dishes, a dishwasher and a full-size refrigerator. It’s practically on top of the lake, with window walls with sliding doors on two sides offering lots of air flow. Inside it’s warm and cozy thanks to a wall heater and ceramic tower heaters, and you can fold yourself into a cushy sectional for conversations or to surf the Web. (Our Internet Eero mesh system extends to the Boathouse.)
If you open the sliding door onto the Boathouse Terrace the space becomes an indoor-outdoor setting, and a large overhang means you’ll never get wet even if sitting outside alongside the Boathouse.
WINTER STORM-WATCHING
Storm-watching from the coziness of the Boathouse offers an up-front seat to the action as clouds gather and waves build into whitecaps before dashing against the shoreline, just feet away. But you don’t have to be here during a winter storm to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors on a cold day (or night). Our fire table—which we just installed this year on a deck in front of the Boathouse—has become a favorite gathering spot that makes it easy to enjoy being outdoors even when it’s cold.
There’s one more option for staying warm outdoors during brisk weather. Our 8-person hot tub, overlooking the lake, is an inviting swirl of warmth on chill winter days. We have it on good authority that teens have been known to dare each other to wintertime dips in the lake followed by mad dashes back to the comfy confines of the hot tub. But for most of us soaking in the warmth of the hot tub is just a great way to enjoy that yin-and-yang sensation of warmth and coolness while watching the interplay of weather systems rolling across the lake or a winter blue sky mirrored in calm waters.
My favorite time in the hot tub is first thing in the morning before everyone else is up. There’s something magical about being the first to greet the new day as the sun seeps over the foothills, birds flutter around the feeders and the stream burbles on its way to the lake. Who cares whether it’s cold out? All is right with the world when you’re warm, cozy and immersed in nature.
