And we said, "Yes, we'd LOVE to!"

It's good to have friends.

It's better to have friends with lake houses!

D & B, our dear friends, recently purchased a house at a nearby lake. Now D & B have been favorite travel buddies for a long time, and they're VERY generous people. When they asked us if we'd like to go and spend a long weekend at their new place, of course we accepted. (We could do that because I'm on vacation this week, so rushing back home wasn't an issue.)

We envisioned a little cabin near the water with rustic fixtures and dated plumbing. Perhaps the deck would need a little refinishing to keep our feet from getting splinters (when we walk barefoot on it in the summertime of course). Maybe the bathroom would be damp and cold, and perhaps the bedroom would be dark and creepy.

Um.

We. were. wrong.

Here's what we saw when we drove up.
And then another view with our vehicles in front:

We entered to find an awesome "great room."

Looking from the fireplace towards the kitchen:

Check. out. this. stone. fireplace.

Dining room. Seats eight. (Other chairs in front of window.)

Gorgeous HUGE kitchen with granite counter tops. (I don't have those in my regular house, much less my non-existent lake house!)

Pretty hand-painted tiles.

Cozy breakfast nook.

Master bedroom. View out the window just to my right is simply a.m.a.z.i.n.g. You'll see it below.

Part of the master bath. Marble Jacuzzi tub? Yes, ma'am!

These stairs lead down to a whole other adventure.

The game room with a big flat screen for the "Guitar Hero" players in the family.

The bar/kitchenette downstairs.

Downstairs bedroom #1.

Downstairs bath. Two-sink vanity with TONS of cabinet and drawer space (most of which is not pictured) and a great shower/tub.

Downstairs bedroom #2.

Each floor has its own laundry area. I'll spare you those photos (you KNOW I took them!) 'cuz I'm pretty sure you've all seen washers and dryers before.

But back upstairs, we went out on the looooooong deck that runs the length of the house. There's a brand new five-burner grill that Studly Man helped to assemble and inaugurate at the end of it.

And sweet Snickers joined us for the trip. Doncha just wanna hug him?

Snickers LOVES Uncle Studly Man.

But the best part?

What's that you say?

What's the very BEST part of the house?

Why, the view, of course!

And the view at sunset

D & B will retire here in a few years. For now, it is a lovely place to escape for the weekend or heck, for a whole week! Some furniture and accessories remain on order, so it will become more like home with every trip.

Now, here's some irony. The picture below is the house of D & B's new next door neighbors. Pretty, right?

Take a close look at that gorgeous double front door.

Yep, Studly designed and built that steel entry way about eight years ago. He even stood on the slab of what is now D & B's new lake house before it was completed and sold to its first owner. (Same builder built both houses.) How's THAT for a small world!?!?

We had a great time. We hung paintings and valances and cooked steaks on the new grill. We watched several movies and slept in late. I think between all the cell phones present, we collectively had three incoming phone calls the whole time. Ah.... the quiet.

And ya know what's even more exciting? We have some OTHER really dear friends who have recently bought a house on ANOTHER lake (not quite as nearby, but close), and we've been invited out there, too! In fact, we've tried to get out there, but got sick. SKay, get ready!! We're headed your way. ;)