Wow! I’m a little dizzy after visiting this new home by John R. Landers Construction in Lakeview at Heron Bay, so “Wow!” is about the only word I can say right now!

Well, you know me better than that by now. There’s plenty more to say. I’m dizzy because of the spiral staircase just as you enter. It goes for the full three levels of the home. If you think it’s extraordinary to see, you should try flying down those three levels in circles! I waited until Helen and John Landers, Jr., who was giving us a personal tour, were in another room, and I did it! It was supposed to be a secret, but Helen took one look at my wobbly legs later and knew right away what I had done. It was fun while it lasted, but I’m paying for it now. See this spectacular staircase in my photo gallery!

Anyway, this is a home you just have to see and encourage your friends to buy. For $949,000, you get five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a huge breakfast room, formal entertaining areas, casual entertaining areas on the terrace level, stone fireplaces and lots more. Designs are inlaid in the hardwood floors in the dining room, foyer and breakfast room. The tile in the gourmet kitchen has inlaid designs, too, and those cabinets are something else. Helen said she could really do some cooking and entertaining in that room.

Her favorite, though, was the master’s suite, with the tray ceiling, the views and the closet space. The double-sided fireplace makes things romantic in both the bedroom and the bathroom, where another large design is inlaid in the tile floor. Speaking of the bathroom – the frameless shower gives lots of space for a large bird like me to flutter around, and I think the jetted tub is big enough to add some minnows and let the kids practice their fishing. Do you think Helen would go for that?

You should ask John for a tour. He’s often at Heron Bay giving his homebuyers personal service and participating in the construction of his homes in a hands-on style. Or you may want to try the virtual tour on-line. This home is definitely worth more than a fly-by!

My budding environmentalist is at it again. This time, she’s worried about our region’s water supply. Of course, we’ve all been talking about it since last summer’s drought, but Haley’s decided it’s time to make a difference in our family.

When we turn on hot water in the faucet, we collect the cold water that comes out first and set it aside to water plants or even to flush the toilet. Helen fills a pan with clean water to wash our vegetables, and Spalding has shortened the time he spends in the shower by three minutes a day, saving up to 700 gallons a month. He very kindly offered to stop taking showers at all, but we insisted that cutting back to a few minutes everyday was doing his part. Haley wanted her mother to start washing dishes by hand, but Helen promised instead to run only full loads, saving up to 800 gallons a month. As for me, I’ve installed water-saving showerheads in the bathrooms. Each saves up to 800 gallons a month, and I bought the high pressure models, so you really can’t tell a difference.

Haley’s found The Water Family Game online. It was produced in the U.K., so some of the words they use sound kind of funny to us, but the nestlings enjoyed the different activities and learned a lot. I have to admit that I did, too. I didn’t even know you could buy eco-friendly dishwashing detergent, did you?

I hope the weather’s nice this weekend because I’m planning to hit the trails here at Heron Bay. It will just be the kids and me. Helen’s going to stay home with the egg. Haley, precocious little environmentalist that she is, thinks we’re going out to learn about plants and animals. The truth is that Helen is ready for Spalding to get outside and release some energy and for Haley to get some exercise. Too much educational TV book reading and Valentine chocolates don’t make a healthy combination for little girls, apparently.

I haven’t had a chance yet to explore the three new trails that opened last fall. Helen wants us out of the house for awhile, so I think I’ll choose the longest of those three. This time of year, it might be difficult for me to help Haley identify the plants, so I’m glad they have the markers along the way. I appreciate the markers for other reasons, too. They help me decide if trails will be too long and difficult for the little ones, plus, they tell me which way to go. Herons navigate much better from the air than on the ground. And in addition to plants, they sometimes identify animals that can be seen from the trail. I like to know if any of our natural predators are common in an area – like foxes or raccoons. A big bird like myself may not be afraid of them, but I wouldn’t want the children to get anxious. They’d really like seeing some wild turkeys and beavers though.

Visit the trails soon to find out which is your favorite - the White Oak? Buckeye? Fern? Azalea? Hemlock? (I hear that last one is a killer.) Meanwhile, I hope to see you outside this weekend. Happy Trails!