I think I’ve found my new favorite place in Heron Bay: Lakefront Park. It’s got all the human aspects my family has come to love, like a pavilion with fans to cool you off, picnic tables, swings and peaceful pergolas. And of course, we Herons love the lake. It reminds us of the old home place and allows us to see some of our woodland friends.

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.

“Number 1” has so many different meanings. It can be a Jackson Pollack painting, the loneliest number, or the sponsor of the day on Sesame Street. Haley thinks Miley Cyrus is number one, and Spalding hopes that the Braves will reclaim the number one spot in baseball this year. As for me, Helen will always be my number one girl. Helen, on the other hand, says that sometimes the only one I look out for is “number one.”

You’d better bet I was looking out for number one when we moved to Heron Bay. With all the golfing and water activities, it’s my kind of community. Maybe that’s why Heron Bay was Henry County’s number one selling community in 2007 for the fourth year in a row. SmartNumbers, Inc. says 110 homes were closed in the Henry County portion of our community. Eighteen homes closed on the Spalding County side. That makes us among the top eight communities for the entire Atlanta Metropolitan Statistical Area for single-family homes.

Of course there’s much more at Heron Bay than golf and water. A bird can find plenty to do and lots of friends to meet around here no matter how old he is. Good schools (plus the charter school Helen is helping to start), easy commutes and beautiful, well-built homes in a variety of price ranges are among the best reasons to live here. I’d love to hear from you and learn about your favorite things at Heron Bay.

Meanwhile, join me in the chant: We’re number one! We’re number one! We’re number one!

Sunset over the 13th hole at Canongate golf course in Heron Bay.

As of today, I’m truly your newest neighbor at Heron Bay because we’re officially and completely moved in. When I called Helen today to tell her I’d landed safely at the airport, she had just begun unpacking the first box. I can’t believe how much stuff we had crammed into our old nest. Um, home.

Helen and the kids and I have been busy unpacking boxes and meeting all of our new neighbors. But with all the lifting and moving of boxes, I pulled a muscle in my back! Good thing that we were able to fly right up to the Spalding Regional Medical Center’s Urgent Care Clinic located in the Town Center at Heron Bay. A doctor was able to see me right away. Don’t worry, everything is fine. The doctor just prescribed some rest and some pain reliever for my achy back. And it was so convenient to be able to fill my prescription at Bay Pharmacy, right here at Town Center at Heron Bay. The pharmacist and staff were so very friendly. They promptly helped me find exactly what would work for me and also helped the kids find a sweet treat as a reward for all of their hard work today. I found out that the pharmacy offers free delivery to all Heron Bay residents, which is a great help for Helen and me, as she is carrying our precious egg.