Our Facebook page seems to be producing the most traffic so we decided to stop updating this blog and focus on the Facebook page.| We recently had the distinct privilege of being invited to a ceremony where Andre Costa took an oath to re-enlist in the United States Marine Corps. This ceremony was held in our neighborhood on the lake. My wife and I feel we have a very unique neighborhood where everyone gets along and helps each other, due in large part to the military presence. There were approximately 20 people in attendance, a mix of civilians and military. Several things stood out during the ceremony. Even though the ceremony took place in an civilian setting and not aboard a military installation, the level of seriousness was most impressive. Sgt. Littlefield was in charge of the ceremony and it was evident from the start that he had a protocol to follow. My wife and I noticed the perfect placement of the Marines’ hands, the set concentrated stare of their eyes, their erect posture and their level of commitment. We were also impressed with the recognition given to Mrs. Costa. The level of detail and professionalism carried out by Sgt. Littlefield is something we will not forget for quite some time. It is this dedication to detail and professionalism performed by people like Sgt. Littlefield that makes our neighborhood, our state and our country as great as it is. Ralph and Debbie Southerland |
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 304 Ramonas Lake Court will have a new resident by the end of May. She is a Marine that is relocating from California. Her brother, who is stationed at Lejeune, was helping out with the home inspection. |
 Normally a culvert in front of an empty lot indicates upcoming new construction. Could it be that 306 Ramonas Lake Court is next? |
 Andre gave us a heads up last week: Howie and Jaynie will move in at 207 Antioch Lakes Road by the end of the month. |
| A call for volunteers went out from Charlie a week back. The call was for assistance in cutting the common areas in order to save some money and to apply that savings to a project to illuminate the gazebo at night. The common areas were trimmed by the neighborhood volunteers for the first time and look outstanding. The idea is to continue this savings and apply the money to projects that will benefit all the residents of our outstanding neighborhood. Please contact Andre or Charlie if you can help. |
| There is also a call for volunteers to assist with the yards of our deployed military. Please contact Andre or Charlie if you can help. |
| Thanks to Marcy for the landscaping at the entrance! |
| This is absolutely the best neighborhood! |
| The neighborhood became aware that the the gazebo and dock were in need of cleaning and repair. Since the weather is quickly improving and thoughts are turning to fishing, swimming and numerous outdoor activities, some of the guys got together to tackle the situation. The dock gate was repaired and the railing reinforced, loose boards repaired and a complete cleaning was done. The gazebo was cleaned as well and the wasp and mud dobber nest were removed. The entire shoreline and common area by the dock and gazebo was also cut and trimmed. Thanks go to Charlie, Andre, Jay C., Jay S., Rodney and Ralph. Natalie stopped by with bottled water and a little pick-me-up. Jay C. was the official photographer for the event. |
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 The snow started sometime after midnight so it was a close call. But it was a bit of a surprise to wake up to snow the day after Christmas. |
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| It’s only a couple of days away, when you’ll hear the faint jingle of bells, the muted clatter of reindeer hooves on the roof and you’ll notice that the cookies are gone. |
| In the meantime we took a little evening walk in the neighborhood and took a few lengthy exposures. A couple of houses with lights were not lit…Sarah, Andre? The forecast calls for some snow Christmas night. We shall see. |
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 Let there be light: and there was light. That’s a phrase I have been waiting to complete for 13 months. In October of 2009 we requested that the street light at the end of Ramonas Lake Court be turned on. This request was placed with the developers of The Lakes at Antioch. We followed up on several occasions but still no light. Progress Energy never received authorization to activate the light. After a year we just gave up. Recently it was mentioned again to the developer but to no avail. |
 Enter the new members of the Lakes at Antioch Home Owners Association. Just a week or so after Charlie starts calling Progress Energy, we have light! Now Charlie will tell you that he went through more red tape that he thought possible and he was extremely persistent since it took multiple calls a day. (Progress Energy also found some issues and it took extra time to repair.) This is the very reason that we need an HOA especially with the level of involvement that this neighborhood has: neighbors caring for neighbors. Our HOA is accomplishing things right from the start! |
 Extra thanks also go out to Charlie and his brother James for the clean up of the construction debris from two locations. Making a “deposit” that the builder couldn’t ignore was just so funny I couldn’t stop laughing! This was another issue that had been unresolved for over a year and yet once again our new HOA comes through. |
 …and there was light. |
