Photo of the Week #13 – Lake Holiday, Shenandoah Valley, Virginia 2005

This location holds many wonderful memories for me. This man-made lake (all lakes in Virginia are man-made to the best of my knowledge) is located in the northwestern corner of Virginia, surrounded by West Virginia on two sides. Lake Holiday is actually in an area served by the Cross Junction, VA Post Office. This was my home for three years. I lived in a nice chalet styled house on the waterfront up one of the small inlets off the main lake. While the lake isn’t very large, it is large enough to support water skiing, wind surfing, fishing and a sandy, community beach.

Basically, the lake community primarily supports homes on the west side of the lake. Most of the homes are not waterfront property. The rest of the land in the private reserve can’t be developed without required water, sewer and electricity services. To the best of my knowledge, there is still no plan for that to happen. Thus, this beautiful private lake supports a small population.

The time I lived there, from 1989 until 1992, was a paradox for me. While my marriage of nearly 20 years had just come unraveled and my life was tumultuous and lonely, those three years on the lake were also some of the most peaceful, serene and creative years of my life. They, unfortunately, led into another period of unrest.