Lake Martin Voice Realty
Video Update on Lake Martin Tornado Damage
A quick update on the Lake Martin area tornado damage: I started out yesterday (April 28, 2011) by riding a 4 wheeler around the Lake Martin Amphitheater area and into Children’s Harbor. Several of the Russell cabins to the east of there are now totally gone. Some had been removed by Russell Lands before the storm, and they were planning on selling the lots there. But now it’s pretty much leveled on that side of the slough.
Then we got in the boat, took shots of the Cocktail Slough, then went around to Windermere. Windjammer Road, etc. seemed to be hit the hardest. Oddly enough, there were 2 water patrol guys in that slough, one of which pulled us over and said they were watching for looting, and asked our business in the slough.
Next we went over into Blue Creek. I heard on WSFA that Stillwaters was hit, but it looked almost unscathed from the water. The tornado really went north of there, where Rush Road and Sims Road turn off of Impy Road off of 34. Mind blowing.
For everyone who has called asking about our cabin, it’s fine – thanks for asking. Three of my fellow Lake Martin Realtors have lost their homes, but they are ok. There were fatalities in the greater Lake Martin area, and our prayers go out to those who have lost property, but even more importantly, lives.
For more images of the tornado’s aftermath at Lake Martin:
Lake Martin Voice Photos on Flickr
Lake Martin Dock Company Photos
Bald Eagle Fishing In Little Kowaliga
Winter at Lake Martin means the lake level gets drawn down. It gives us a chance to work on our docks, at least. It also sometimes means you get some rare wildlife spottings.
Check out these pictures of a bald eagle that was fishing in the Little Kowaliga area of Lake Martin. My fellow Lake Martin Voice Realty agent John Christenberry was over near Real Island Marina and saw this one capture a big bass.
The eagle dropped it on the shore, flew around a little bit, then came back to it.
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Taking off here
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Now he’s almost gone..
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Do you have any wildlife photos from around Lake Martin? Email us at info at lakemartinvoice dot com. Or, feel free to add them to the I Love Lake Martin Alabama page on Flickr or to our Facebook page.
Sneak Peek! Water’s Edge Lot 1 Home is almost ready!
I’ve been chomping at the bit to get you inside one of the two brand new Lake Martin waterfront homes at Water’s Edge! Both should be completely ready in about 2 weeks, but I just couldn’t wait to let you inside.
A great architect and a dedicated builder make quite a statement with these homes; these are not your run-of -the-mill spec homes. Call me anytime for a tour!
Water’s Edge is located in the Alexander City city limits at the end of Coosa 20 near Willow Point and Parker Creek. The big view you see is looking southeast over Big Kowaliga towards Sand Island. The entry to Parker Creek is to the right, and the old Veazey’s Marina is on the left. Landscaping will be installed in a couple of weeks. Check back for the official listing video of the finished project!
Related post: Announcing Water’s Edge at Lake Martin
Related Video Tours: Water’s Edge Architect’s Notes: Exterior Features
Water’s Edge Architect’s Notes: Interior Spaces
Video from Lake Martin’s Aquapalooza 2010
Aquapalooza 2010 on Lake Martin was not Sea Ray’s “Signature Event” this year, but all reports indicate that it was very well attended.
Here’s a quick video I shot of the early hours of the concert:
Depending on whose estimates you read, anywhere from 15-20,000 people showed up (as compared to 25,000 last year). That’s a lot of folks.
It was a lot of fun. My family (yes – I brought kids) anchored up with some really nice people from Columbus, GA and spent most of the afternoon floating in our tubes. We made it up to the front and hung out at the stage, and saw lots of friends along the way. We made the swim back to our boat just before John Anderson started playing. For those of you who have not made it to Aquaplaooza yet, we’ve decided the raft/tube/float is key.
We want to thank Russell Marine and Sea Ray for what has turned out to be not just one of the best events on Lake Martin, but one of the best summer events in the southeast.
Once again, local photographer and newspaper baron, Kenneth Boone, aka “Mr. Perfect,” has what I think is the greatest collection of pictures from Aquapalooza. If you’d like to see if he caught you in the action, check out his gallery here.
Church in the Pines: Worship on the Shores of Lake Martin
Church in the Pines on Lake Martin is an integral part of lake life for many families. It’s an outdoor, casual, nondenominational, Sunday morning worship service. Guest preachers and musicians from the area rotate through the pulpit, and all ages are invited to attend.
You may have seen Church in the Pines if you’ve driven by boat to Sinclair’s restaurant. It’s just north of Kowaliga Bridge. If you come by car (most folks do), there is parking off Hwy 63 as you turn into Kowaliga Marina.
For the worship schedule visit the Children’s Harbor website.
Kowaliga Marina on Lake Martin: Video Tour
Kowaliga Marina is one of Lake Martin’s oldest and largest marinas. It’s located on the south central part of Lake Martin, off of Highway 63 and next door to Sinclair’s restaurant . It was home to Aquapalooza 2009, featured on Country Music Television (CMT).
Kowaliga Marina has a huge boat showroom, boating and skiing gear, gas docks, plus wet and dry boat storage. Check out their facilities in the video below. Enjoy the tour!
Real Island Marina on Lake Martin: Video Tour
Real Island Marina is located on the southwest side of Lake Martin, near Nero’s Point, the west side of Trillium, and the Real Island / Little Kowaliga area.
Its amenities include gas docks, a convenience store, dry boat storage and a boat ramp. We took a tour of the marina the other day and they were kind enough to let us share it with you:
If you are looking for a waterfront home or lot for sale in the Little Kowaliga area, Real Island Marina would be a marina that you would use a lot.
Related article : Lake Martin Marina Spotlight: Real Island Marina
In Memory Of David Naile
The Lake Martin area lost a friend and businessman when David Naile died Tuesday, April 13, 2010, at his home.
All services will be held at:
Leak – Memory Chapel
945 Lincoln Road
Montgomery, AL 36109
Visitation: Thursday, April 15, 2010 - 1:30 PM
Funeral: Thursday, April 15, 2010 – 3:00 PM
Obituary: Montgomery Advertiser
The family requests that any donations be made to the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Nail’s Convenience Store will close Thursday at noon and re-open Friday, April 16, 2010 at 6:00 AM. After that it will be business as usual.
A Few Words About David
If Kowaliga is ever incorporated into a real town, I think David Naile should be posthumously named Mayor Emeritus.
When David retired from the state and ran his convenience store and storage businesses full time, he put Kowaliga businesses on the map. When I was growing up, there was Spike’s gas station, but I can never remember anything going on there. Other than stepping over that lame German Shepard, gawking at the stuffed rattlesnake, and buying Fun Dip, there wasn’t much pizazz.
David’s “Nail’s Convenience Store” was and is a Lake Martin anomaly. While many corner groceries out in the country are dimly lit, poorly staffed, and have questionable inventory, Nail’s was and is the opposite – bright, clean, high ceilings, and full of friendly people. Finally, folks on the Kowaliga side of the lake had a decent place to get gas, the paper, and even some good beer, wine, and groceries.
I also am thankful to David for leasing me my office space. I enjoyed getting to know him and talking to him about business and Lake Martin in general. David was a tireless promoter of the Kowaliga area, an eternal optimist about the prospects of growth and opportunity here. He was always thinking about the next step, the next small business that he could help to get started to improve “our” little commerce center.
I mourn his passing. I grieve with his family, but I’m glad that David’s businesses will continue.
Also, I will ask you, reader:
Are you discouraged?
“That God decided to save His people gives us confidence that ‘neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Rom. 8:38–39). If you trust Christ and feel discouraged this day, be comforted in your knowledge that the Lord has you in His hand and will never let you go.” – Ligonier Ministries
“3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
4 what is man that you are mindful of him
and the son of man that you care for him?
5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
You have put all things under his feet,
7 all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field,
8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea,
whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!” – Psalm 8:3-9
Vintage Lake Martin Ad: Kowaliga Beach
Check out this old ad for Lake Martin’s Kowaliga Beach. I think it was from the 1950s. You can’t rent a cabin on Lake Martin for $60 / week anymore.
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Thanks to reader sprink56 of the Club Sea Ray forum for supplying this picture of a vintage newspaper ad of Kowaliga Beach on “Beautiful Lake Martin.”
You could rent a cabin for $5 a night. Can you believe it? It says this was for an Open House at Kowaliga Beach, even gives directions to Lake Martin and brags about the road being paved. I can’t tell if this is from the original opening or just a seasonal opening.
Can anyone help out on this that was around back then, or worked for Mr. Toppy?
If you know, please comment below!
Related Posts:
Pictures of the Old Kowaliga Indian, Restaurant, and Kowaliga Kubbard
Pictures Of The Old Kowaliga Indian, Restaurant And Kowaliga Kubbard
Christmas time gives way to project time around the Coley home. My wife started cleaning out the photo trunk on Saturday and needed my help to cull the many hundreds of photos I have saved over the years. Since there was a marathon of Bruce Lee movies on the G4 channel, I obliged her in sorting those that could be thrown away. Many of them are useless, anyway, like my 48 out of focus shots taken from inside New York’s Hard Rock Cafe I took I was in eighth grade.
Some of them were keepers, though. See below. For some reason I took two pictures of the old Kowaliga Restaurant – before it burned to the ground and they rebuilt in its current location. It burned in June of 1999. I am guessing I took these pictures of the Kowaliga Indian around 1993. In this one you can even see the Kowaliga Kubbard.
For those who never knew it, the Kowaliga Kubbard was sort of a convenience store without gas. They also had a little kitchen in there. They served sandwiches and burgers for lunch, but breakfast was by far my favorite. They made big huge buttery biscuits and all that goes with them: eggs, grits, sausage, everything. And when you needed more jelly or whatever, you just walked back into the “employees only” section and grabbed some more. They didn’t care.
The above shot shows the lake view. This was before the days that ole Kowaliga had to be glassed off to protect him from vandals, or at least from we kids that would hang on his arm. I know that I have had my picture taken while doing that, but I can’t find the photo.
You also can see the catwalk that leads into the old restaurant entrance. This is where the kids would hang out while waiting for a table, or if you were too loud and your parents sent you “out.”
Circa 1993 – 1996 was the golden age of Kowaliga to me. The Kubbard was rolling. The restaurant was booming. There were still enough local people in there that it felt like it was “ours.” Yet by then I had met enough out of towners to realize that folks from Montgomery – and – even as far away as (gasp) Birmingham – appreciated its worth. Plus by then it had expanded into that glass atrium / bar area.
But the most critical contribution to its zenith in my mind was that I was friends and / or relatives with a lot of the wait staff. There is nothing more impressive to a future wife than to be able to score a margarita in 45 seconds when there are 75 people waiting out on the deck who are supposed to be ahead of you.
Then again, for all my sentimentality, I must admit that I can’t imagine Aquapalooza 2009 being handled by the old facility and the old ways.
Hey reader – do you have any old pictures of Lake Martin landmarks like Kowaliga Restaurant? Leave a reply in the comment section below, or post them to the Lake Martin Voice Facebook page, the I Love Lake Martin photo group on Flickr, and let us all take a look!
