That’s where Haley stepped in with all sorts of facts she discovered on the Energy Star website. Did you know that energy use in the average home is responsible for twice as much pollution as the average car? And the average home has 30 light fixtures, so lighting accounts for nearly 20 percent of energy costs.

Haley learned we can use Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) to help out. They use two-thirds less energy than standard bulbs, and they last six times longer. Each bulb can save us about $25 in energy costs over its lifetime.

Of course, Haley came up with some facts that don’t directly impact our family budget, too. I have to admit they’re pretty impressive. If each U.S. household replaced just one incandescent light bulb with one that earned the Energy Star label, our country could save $600 million in energy bills. That’s enough energy to light 7 million homes and prevent greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1 million cars.

Turning a CFL on and off frequently can shorten its life, so we chose to replace lights in the fixtures that we use the most. That means I need to sign off and get to work. I seem to be the only one in our home who can change a light bulb. At least herons don’t need to get a ladder, even for the two-story foyer!

This family farm is ran by Mrs. Olmstead who takes care of it for her in-laws, who also live on the property. Mrs. Olmstead is a special needs teacher who is passionate about blueberries and opens the farm each summer to allow families to come and pick their own fresh berries.

We had so much fun! When we got there, Mrs. Olmstead gave us each a bucket and pointed us in the right direction. We were followed by some friendly dogs who seemed excited to see some new faces. We spent a while picking the berries and just enjoying the early morning weather. Once we had picked close to three gallons of berries, Mrs. Olmstead was friendly enough to package them for us for the quick trip home. She also shared a few secret family recipes with us, just in case we had some berries left over after we baked our pie.

Once we were home, we all worked together to wash the berries and bake the pie. My kids were so excited to be involved and it was great watching them work together.

We enjoyed the homemade pie after dinner with some vanilla ice cream. It was so delicious, and I could really taste the fresh, juicy blueberries. There’s nothing like fresh berries in a homemade pie! And the kids enjoyed it so much that we decided to take Mrs. Olmstead’s recipe and use the leftover berries the next morning.

Spending the day with my family at the blueberry farm was great fun. My kids really enjoyed it, and are already asking to go back! I would highly recommend that all of my friends and neighbors here at Heron Bay make a trip to the farm a summer tradition. Not  only do you get to spend a wonderful fun day with your family, but you get a yummy pie at the end of that day!

Back to Brayson homes – this is the best part: These homes start at $189,900, and some are ready to move into right away. That means you could come live in Heron Bay with all the wonderful amenities at a very affordable price, and you could get here while it’s still warm enough to enjoy the outdoor pool and mushroom fountains. The model home, which is loaded with tons of extras, is for sale, too. It’s $229,990. Even with the excellent pricing, Brayson Homes never skimps on quality or service. After all, they’ve built more than 10,000 homes over the last 30 years, so they must be doing something right.

That is it for now - Haley has finally chosen an outfit to wear on this afternoon’s walk. Give me a wave if you see us about. You’ll recognize me as the dad with the most carefully dressed little girl – oh, and we’re the only walking, talking Herons around these parts, too.

I made the decision to try out the Oak Trail, which is an easy walk. I wasn’t really looking for exercise as much as I was trying to enjoy the natural surroundings. So, I was incredibly pleased to see that the trail markers tell me specifically what animal and plant species to look out for on the trail. I began my hike down the wooded path, eager to see a White Oak tree standing tall. Just often enough, I ran into trail markers, making the path quite easy to navigate.

I was about half way through when out of nowhere one of my kin popped out of the woods to say hi! It was a wild turkey, and I had no idea that any were even in the area. It was great to catch up and tell him all about the family and how we are now living at Heron Bay and loving it. He told me that he and his friends have run into Heron Bay residents while out and about, but had no idea that we were now in this splendid community.

All in all, it was a fantastic summer afternoon, and I recommend that all of my neighbors try out the nature trails for themselves – you just my run into one of my kin folks!

Even better, I’m thinking Lakefront Park is going to be a place to hang out with our new friends and neighbors. If Saturday’s grand opening was any indication, they enjoyed the park as much as we did. Apollo Entertainment provided a variety of foods – hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hotdogs and even jerk chicken (personally, I’m not a big fan of chickens, but I have stopped short of calling them jerks). Haley and Spalding especially enjoyed the Repicci’s Italian Ice. Between them, they tried every flavor and kept cool for the afternoon. The pavilion has a speaker system, and someone brought along an IPOD so we could listen to favorite songs. I even saw some of the little ones dancing along.

Haley wants to have her next birthday party at Lakefront Park, and Helen has already e-mailed her family about a reunion there. It may turn out that I have to be out of town that particular day, whenever it is. But other than that, I foresee spending a lot of time with old and new friends there, year round. It’s just one more great thing about living in Heron Bay.