While at the wedding we took some time to visit our Hawaii family and also cruise the islands.  It was fantastic!  If you have the chance to take the cruise to the outer islands, please do so!  But, it was great to return to Indiana and Lake Maxinkuckee and enjoy the rest of the year swimming, boating, raking leaves and now braving the winter weather! 

I am looking forward to serving all of you in 2009 with both rentals for your special occasion and perhaps with a purchase of a home or selling of your current property.  I am believing and hoping that this is the year the real estate market and economy will take off and soar!   

Here’s to a healthy and prosperous year to all of you!

Happy New Year to everyone! 2008 looks to be an exciting year! This week we had the most beautiful snow; thought I’d share a little of it with you folks! We have had some pretty cold days and nights, but now it is to warm up again this weekend. Lake Maxinkuckee is definitely cooling down and if it stays cold long enough it should freeze over soon.

Christmas shopping is over and now it becomes rather quiet in the Culver area. The shops are not open as many days during the week and activities center more around what is going on in the churches and schools. The cottages are all taking a rest from the hubbub of putting away summer toys and raking up leaves and trying to protect your bushes and trees from the deer in the winter! There is a quiet peacefulness to the lake and it is rather nice and comforting.

There are a few cottages available to be purchased and now is a great time to look as it is nice to ‘feel’ what the cottage is like in an ‘off’ season. Some of the greatest times at the lake are in the winter when you can tromp on the ice or do some sledding and skating. It feels different to ‘walk on the water’ instead of being in a boat! This is also a good time to plan the summer vacation and book in your summer rental. Please give me a call to either look at a cottage to purchase or one to rent!

The town is gearing up for Fall, too. October is always fun to drive through the town to see all the scarecrows on display. Every year there is something unique and different to see on the lampposts! Esther Miller of the Painter and the Poet has done some wonderful stories and paintings of the scarecrows. Come to Culver for lunch and take a tour down ‘scarecrow lane.’

This is a good time of year to plan ahead for the next summer season. There are cottages for sale that would be great to get now and have ready for the 2008 season. Now is the time to book ahead if you want to rent something on the lake. It takes a lot of juggling between the tenant and the owners to get the times straightened out so everyone gets to use their cottage when they need it. Call Aloha Realty, Inc. and have Sherrill help with your purchase or rental.

The next season…winter!

It is fun to take advantage of the different events at the camp that are free to the public. Every Saturday evening the Woodcrafters do a wonderful reenactment of the local Indian lore. It is at 9:00 P.M. and is held at the Council Ring in the woods. It is called the Council Fire and is something young and old alike would enjoy. Authentic costumes and stories are told. Also, every Sunday evening at 6:00 the entire camp does their full dress parade. It is a sight to behold and is very impressive. It is held in front of the riding hall. On July 27 and 28 the town and lake residents are treated to a beautiful Moonlight Serenade. The naval band goes out on the lake in the 3 masts schooner called ‘The Ledbetter’ and plays classic summertime music as the audience enjoys the performance from their boat or lakeshore. The East Shore is serenaded on July 27 and the West Shore on the 28th.

Other great summer events in Culver include the Culver Lake Fest on July 20-22. There are wonderful food and craft booths, entertainment and terrific fireworks on the 21st. The Culver Fireman’s Festival and Culver Lions Club Corn Roast is an annual event and is on July 28th in the park and at the firehouse. This year the Maxinkuckee Players is presenting the classic play, Annie. Their plays are always fantastic and will be presented on July 27 at 7:30 P.M., July 29 at 4:00 P.M., Aug 1,3 &4 at 7:30 P.M. and Aug. 5 at 4:00 P.M.

Of course the shops and restaurants are busy and the shops have interesting Culver souvenirs for your summer remembrance. The Culver Marina also has a neat store with all kinds of nautical and Lake Maxinkuckee gear.

Come and enjoy some time in our quaint little resort village!

Memorial Day weekend initiated the beginning of the summer season on Lake Maxinkuckee in Culver, Indiana. The town of Culver and the lake were buzzing with activities as cottage owners were busy opening of their homes and trying out all their water toys. Believe it or not, the water is actually pretty warm-at least our dogs thought it was perfect!

Looking for that summer getaway as a rental or perhaps a cottage to purchase of your own? Give Sherrill a call at Aloha Realty. I’d love to show you this very special slice of heaven!

“Lake of sparkling waters, so the Indian said.Springs – cool and clear to refresh the weary head.

Sunrise and sunset dancing on the waves…

The gentle breeze speeds the sailboat along its merry way.

Fish jumping, minnows skipping, water lapping, are music to my ears.

As I remember happy days of Maxinkuckee Years

-Sherrill

I have been fortunate to spend my entire life at Lake Maxinkuckee. Being a year around resident is especially exciting. Each season the lake takes on an entirely different feel. In the autumn the air is so clear and crisp and has a wonderful refreshing smell. The trees reflect in the water and the colors seem even more vivid as the lake serves as a pristine mirror. As kids we would pile up the leaves and make leaf houses and jump in the big piles. We would stay out as late as possible playing hide and seek and kick the can.

Ahhh…then winter! Your nose would freeze in the dry air! The ice on the lake would boom and explode and shake the house! It was exciting! The first thing we would do when we got off the bus would be to hurry out to the lake to keep our skating spot shoveled off. We loved to play hockey on the lake and fox and geese. And if the ice froze all at once and was super clear, it would be fun to skate along and watch the fish swimming.

It seemed spring happened suddenly. All at once the ice would be gone and if we were lucky it did not end up in our front yard! The water was so sparkly clean…it looked good enough to drink! The smell of the fresh water was invigorating. The longer days made it fun to ride bikes and hike in the woods across from our home until almost bedtime.

Memorial Day weekend was always the big weekend to put in the pier and get the boats all set. Such anticipation and excitement! All of a sudden the lake was so busy with boats and people everywhere! It was like one continual holiday to me! From morning until evening I would go from one swimsuit to the next as I spent the entire day doing something on the lake. It was great to have more kids to play with and we were always dreaming up something to do. We would spend hours pretending old inner tubes were horses, jumping up and down on them and using them as diving boards. We made our own little sailboats from old plywood, went turtle hunting and had turtle races, sat on the bow of our little fishing boats as we raced up and down the lake shore with our 5 horse motors. It seemed summer should last forever, but Labor Day weekend seemed to end it all and then the cycle would start all over.