Outdoors
Outdoor Deck
THE DECK: The outdoor deck provides a spacious area to move about outdoors and enjoy the natural scenery. The lake is always visible from this area, especially when the leaves are off the trees. The deck wraps around two sides of the house, with one side being fully under an overhanging roof and the other side in open air.
PRIMARY SEATING: There is a table with four chairs in the open-air portion of the deck, which has large, center umbrella that can be raised as a sunshade. There is also a raised table with two wood chairs under the covered portion of the deck. Throughout the rest of the deck are a wood bench, two additional wooden chairs, as well as a small wood table.
ADDITIONAL SEATING: A few metal chairs are stacked next to the grill to provide more seating, if needed. Plus, the chairs along the kitchen counter can be taken outside to add more seating around the raised table. Please do not keep those kitchen chairs outside when not being used since they are not meant to be exposed to the weather. There are also two, small, plastic chairs usually found on the covered portion of the deck that are practical for young children to use on the deck, in the yard, and at the beach area.
ENCLOSURE: The deck is entirely enclosed via a full railing and a latching gate at the top of the steps near the entry door, so kids and pets are able to roam freely on the deck without fear of wandering away or falling off. Two metal bowls are also kept on the deck for food/water for pets.
SMART LIGHTS: The four lights on the deck are smart lights, operated by remote control or by using voice commands. The dimming option on these lights can be very useful for the outdoor setting. See the Smart Lights section for more information.
GRILL: There is a large propane grill on the end of the deck, just outside the sliding door closest to the dining area. It includes multiple burners under the hood, plus a side burner. Please place the cover over the grill once it has cooled off after each use.
TIKI TORCHES: There are a few tiki torches attached to the outer railing of the deck. A multipurpose lighter can be found in the kitchen pantry, and extra fluid is kept in the shed.
AMERICAN FLAG: The United States flag waves year-round from the edge of the covered portion of the deck. Following the rules of the flag, a solar-powered light illuminates the flag at night.
Hot Tub
THE SPA: The hot tub sits on a raised platform off the patio, resting under the corner of the deck. It is covered and turned off while not in use during the summer months, and it is drained of water entirely in the winter. Unfortunately, the deck does not completely shield the spa when it is raining, but it can still be used if you do not mind the sporadic drops of water falling overhead.
PREPARATION: To prepare the spa for use, there is a breaker switch that needs to be pushed up in the top of the electrical panel found along the side of the house, near the spa. Once the power is enabled, lift up the middle of the cover by the top of the spa steps and press the “Jets” button on the left of the user panel to start up the hot tub. The panel will display the current water temperature after a few moments. The initial water temperature will depend on the ambient temperature and how long it has been since the spa was last used. Once turned on, the water heats at a rate of about 5 degrees per hour, and a comfortable temperature for use is generally 99 degrees or more. Always keep the cover on the spa while heating it in order to expedite the process.
COVER: The spa cover comes off very easily using the holding rack on the left of the tub. Move the rack bar over the center of the cover and fold the outer side of the cover over the bar. The rack can then swing the cover off of the spa with a little bit of force applied towards its base. Please place the cover securely back on the tub immediately after use to help maintain the water temperature and prevent debris from getting into the tub.
AIRFLOW: There are three dials around the edge of the tub for adjusting the airflow to the jets. These dials are to be kept on “Min” while not in use to insulate the water from cooler, outside air, but they can be turned to “Max” when the spa is in use. Turning them towards Max puts more air into the jet flow, increasing the effect of the jets. Before existing the spa, please be sure to set those dials back to Min.
LIGHTING: The light built into the tub no longer works, but a free-standing puck light offers an improved replacement. That puck light is kept along the left edge of the spa, under the cover. The accompanying remote is not waterproof, so it is kept inside a sealed bag. The light can be powered on without the remote by pressing the button in the center of the light, but the remote offers the ability to change the light’s color or have it rotate through colors. The light has a weighted magnet on it to help keep it submerged — toss it in the water and let it provide a soothing light show.
Patio & Yard
FEATURES: The wood patio outside of the den has two lounge chairs and a hanging bench swing, offering a covered, shaded area to relax outside in the summer. The patio is not enclosed on any side, so it is directly accessible to and from the yard around the house. There are two, sliding-glass doors that directly connect the patio and the den. Please see the Hot Tub section regarding the spa on the corner of the patio.
LIGHTING: The two wall lights on each side of the patio are smart lights. The remote dimmer just inside the glass door closes to the hot tub will allow you to control the wall lights from the patio, and since an Alexa device is just inside the doors, voice commands can be used for the lights if the nearby door is slid open. Flashlights and a lantern are kept in the kitchen pantry, and spare batteries can be found in the table along the great room wall.
ADDITIONAL SEATING: There are a few plastic chairs stacked by the storage shed, and several camp chairs are kept inside the shed. The camp chairs are also useful at the beach area, and a few of them are low-rise chairs intended for use at a beach. Please return the camp chairs to the shed after use so they are kept out of the elements, and please restack the plastic chairs next to the shed prior to the end of your stay.
GARDEN HOSE: During the summer months, there is a long garden hose that remains attached to an outdoor spigot and is kept in the grass to the right side of the driveway. It can be used to fill the inflatable pool, and it should always be used to clean bodies and items that get dirty or sandy before entering the house. Please recoil the hose to that area after each use. The water is shut off to the spigot in the winter.
NATURE TRAIL: There is a small nature trail that runs across the side of the Deklewa property and through the nature preserve behind the house. It leads from Pine Drive to West Alpine Lake Road, stretching along the hillside in the direction of the boat house. It is appropriately named “Short Cut Trail,” and a small sign with that name is positioned at the bottom-end of the trail to make it easy to identify from the main road. From the Deklewa property, the trail is best-accessed via the fern-filled opening in the trees that faces the lake, then turning right onto the trail.
Yard Activities
HAMMOCK: There is a one-person hammock securely affixed to two sturdy trees along the edge of the backyard during the summer months, providing a peaceful spot to enjoy the outdoors. The area is usually in the shade due to the surrounding trees. While not in use, we ask that you keep the hammock with the pillow-side facing down so that the surface area to lay on does not get soiled from falling leaves.
FIREPIT: A raised firepit is kept in the backyard throughout the year. Pieces of firewood are kept just off the same corner of the yard, with additional piles of wood available under the porch and next to the storage shed. A multipurpose lighter is located in the kitchen pantry to help get a fire started. If you are asked by Alpine Lake security about a permit to burn a fire on the property, the right-hand drawer of the small table along the great room wall contains the orange permit. Please place the cover back on the firepit once you are sure that the fire is fully extinguished and the pit has cooled to a reasonable temperature.
ROASTING: There are several roasting sticks — many with forked prongs and some with cast irons — kept in the shed for cooking marshmallows, hot dogs, mountain pies, or similar over the open fire. There is often an unfinished bag of marshmallows in the kitchen pantry, but you should bring your own food for roasting, to be sure.
INFLATABLE POOL: A small, inflatable pool for children to use in the summer is kept in a cardboard box in the small closet near the entry door on the main level. The pool can be placed on the deck, on the patio, or in the yard. It inflates rather easily, and it can be quickly filled with water by using the garden hose. Please fully empty and deflate the pool by the end of your stay, and please store the pool in its box in the entry closet so that it does not get damaged.
YARD GAMES: The outdoor shed also contains a badminton/volleyball set, a bocce ball set, and a beanbag toss game. You are encouraged to bring your own lawn games (cornhole, ladder toss, etc.) to have an option for more outdoor activities in the immediate vicinity of the house. You are also free to take the games in the shed to the common areas on the resort to have more space to play or to attempt to attract more participants from the resort.