There are times when I wish that I had ponied up the extra few pennies for caller ID. Such a time was New Year's Day. There we were, the Kaffezakis clan, snug as warm bugs in a warm rug in our warm house enjoying the warm glow of the fireplace when the telephone jarred us from our pleasant warm reverie (warm being the operative word). On the line was the disembodied voice of Scott Lee extolling us to action – "Bryan Stuart has gone crazy - Polar Bear plunge in thirty minutes at the beach." With no time to think (actually Becky thought it through and astutely avoided hypothermia), the kids and I donned our warmest bathing suits and we all headed to the beach. Heeding the call to action (Bryan and Scott are true leaders – though I noted that Scott was not wearing a swimsuit, hmmmm....) and fortified by liquid courage (at least me), about ½ dozen strong plunged into the 48-degree water, commemorating the first officially sanctioned crazy BLHA act of the year. Later, I met some of our new neighbors and found out that they, too, rang in the New Year by christening their dock with plunges. I think they'll fit right into the community.

I continue to be amazed by the talent and spirit in the community. One night we can be at the Northern Star Café in Norcross with a dozen of our neighbors enjoying the sounds of the Gospelites, the next week at the West Gwinnett Aquatic Center for a swim meet, standing as the lyrics of our national anthem are brought to life by our own Alana Fox (Jim, has it really been 10 years since I first heard you serenade our children at the park with your guitar?) Speaking of the park and new City Hall, I only hope that the walls are adorned with homegrown artwork.

As the weather warms up and our thoughts turn to love, spring cleaning and gardening, we have an opportunity to make a positive or negative impact on the environment and our lake. Remember, whatever chemicals we put on our yards, outdoor furniture and boats, will wash off and end up in water bodies (streams, rivers, lakes). The gentle use of fertilizers is strongly encouraged. As more and more backyards are cleared and seawalls are constructed there is less buffer and less opportunity for filtering of harsh chemicals before reaching the water. Less is more in this case. Leave the fertilizing of the lake to our professional lake manager. Otherwise, an over-fertilized lake can lead to a less appealing and greener water experience.

Speaking of lake managers, we are recycling lake quality managers and I am pleased to introduce our new Lake Quality Manager, long-time resident Dudley Simpson. Dudley is no stranger to the care and protection of our lake as he held that role back in the early 90's. Dudley served in the U.S. Marine Corps in WWII in the Pacific theater. After fifty-two years in the firearms, fishing and law enforcement industry, he retired in 2000 to enjoy the beauty of his backyard and to land a fish or two. Given that this is a no wake lake (speed limit < 5mph) and his vantage point at the corner of Paradise Cove and the main channel, when he says slow down, I'd listen. The no wake rule is to both protect the shoreline from erosion and "force" us to slow down and smell the roses. What better way to savor the moment? As Dudley wrote me "We love Berkeley Lake and will work hard to keep it pristine and fun for all families."

As we struggle to fatten our bass (I should have such a problem), the general consensus of the professionals is that we adopt a catch-and- remove mindset to reduce competition for food in the lake. To that end, I offer the following flavorful Greek recipe (although truthfully I found this on the internet) on what to do with the catch. Bon Appétit!!