Deer, Deer, Deer Everywhere

The deer seem to be everywhere in the past few weeks. I counted seven in my front yard a few nights ago. Several of them have been wondering around the neighborhood in broad daylight.

This one was seen with her fawn on Lake Capri near Adriatic.

A few days later this one was seen on Lake Sorrento Drive. Unfortunately, the camera focused on the magnolia instead of the deer.

Lake Sorrento at Dusk

Here are a few photos taken at dusk on the Sorrento dam, August 6, 2012.

Ice Cream Social

The neighborhood ice cream social on August 5th was a lot of fun. Thanks to the volunteers and residents who helped make it a success! 

While the party continued inside the clubhouse, others enjoyed the beach despite the cloudy weather.

Before and After: Lake Capri 1938 and 1972

These are a pair of old Department of Agriculture aerial photos of the Lake Capri area taken before and after the neighborhood was built. The first one is from November 1938 and shows mostly farmland and woods. Rockbridge Road runs from the top to bottom, Union Grove runs off to the left and the Yellow River snakes across the top right.

 

The second photo from the same perspective is from February 1972 and shows the neighborhood layout that we know today, although there were considerably fewer houses in those days.

Summer is Here

Summer is finally here. Gardens are growing, blueberries are in season and the trees are lush and green. Here are some photos taken during an early morning walk along the Lake Sorrento dam and Yellow River.

Blueberries!

Mr. Porter's garden.

The path to the river looks a road through the jungle.

The Yellow River

Another view of Mr. Porter's garden.

Great Heron

A great blue heron wading in Lake Capri.

Snapping Turtle!

This gigantic snapping turtle was found crossing Lake Capri Drive near the old Van Green property. As my wife Stacy walked towards it, it turned and charged! Stacy (an exotic animal vet tech) managed to grab it by the tail and drag it to safety. Needless to say, it was grumpy!

The Beach Is Looking Good!

The new sand on the beach has been spread out and it looks great. The early morning light in this photo makes it almost look pink, but it's bright white in the midday sun.

Many thanks to the Lake Capri residents who help maintain the beach and the surrounding area. It looks beautiful.

Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area

Many residents are probably unaware that Lake Capri Estates borders the Arabia Mountain National Heritage Area, which was created in 2006. The National Heritage Area includes Arabia Mountain, Panola Mountain, the Monastery near Conyers, all of Lithonia and the area of DeKalb County that borders our neighborhood. Their mission is to protect and bring attention to greenspace, granite outcrops and historic buildings in the area. While this will not outright stop the construction of more cheap "cookie cutter" subdivisions near Lake Capri, it is a big step toward preserving the undeveloped areas around us and protecting the water quality of our lakes. You can see their website HERE and see an incredibly detailed map of the area HERE.

Their map shows two archeological sites off of Riviera Drive (the yellow stars on the map). Do any of our residents have any details on that?

Northern Water Snake

I'm no expert, but I think this may be a northern water snake. They are regularly seen basking on the rocks along the dam. This one slithered back into the lake before we could get a clear photo of it. Northern water snakes are nonvenomous and harmless to humans. They eat small fish and amphibians.