[Orion]

If you love being at the Lake, and like boating, then you get immersed in both every weekend you go up. There's a lot of talk about inconveniences, but I don't really see it. The only difference is an extra transfer of groceries from your car to your boat (not even that if you shop by boat!). If you forget something on the mainland, you still need to go to the store to get it...on an island, it just means another boat ride!

Of course, a lot depends on where your island is relative to conveniences and calm-water travel. There are some island locations where you can get locked out by bad weather and other's where that is never the case.

You also need to consider mainland access so you need to own or rent a dock or rack on mainland. From what I've seen, any added costs for services are more than offset by higher mainland waterfront taxes and I haven't really seen any huge disparity in service costs. The extra quiet without motor vehicles, the friendships and neighborlyness of other islanders, fewer bugs, less access for riffraff, all makes it worth it to me.

Being away from it during the winter makes the desire to be there in the Spring all that much stronger. I wouldn't trade island life for anything.