Thanks gents...it is truly an awesome blessing that we are experiencing. I, unlike the skillful and tenacious DIY'esness of guys like Eddie Walker and Meadowlark, rely on the performance of a 2 man crew that does this stuff for a living. As Eddie mentioned in his "Building My Lake" thread, it is rewarding when the vision turns out better in reality. My contractor does exactly what Eddie does...thinks about how to take my vision and move it up a couple more notches. I have nix'd very few of his suggestions. One outstanding idea was to cut back into the trees another 30' and add a road that starts at the boat launch/bldg site, follows the perimeter, tucks into the woods at a peninsula, then pops out the other side at the dam, goes across the dam, and comes back about 1/2 way the length of the pond, terminating at an open knoll where the sand beach will be located.
A pano-shot from the front edge of the proposed yard at the building site. Launch is immediately left, out of frame. Road begins there and follows the left perimeter. Dam is just left of center, around a slight bend, some 700 ft away. Knoll and beach at open area, upper right. The balance of the perimeter at the far right is going to be left shallow 3 - 4 ft. About 1 - 2 ft deep will run up into the timber. This is designed and reserved as a wetland zone, perhaps a half ac total.
