Introduction Where the Heart Is The lake house. The mere words evoke images of sun-dappled woods and sparkling waters, breezy screened verandas and the promise of lazy afternoons. Often our most treasured retreat, the lake house has become a metaphor for relaxation, escapism and family kinship. Above all, it''s the place where we can cast off our city shoes and worries, sink into an old porch rocker and be ourselves. Perhaps when Henry James said that the most beautiful words in the English language were "summer afternoon," he was envisioning a lazy day at a lakeside home. In many parts of North America, summers at the lake house are an enduring institution, a part of our natural gravitation to the outdoors. Whether it''s to the seashore, the bay, the lake or the river, the common element of this summer migration is the need to be near water. A need that''s perpetuated by the children who spend summers jumping off wooden docks, learning to mimic the call of the loons, and being lulled to sleep by water lapping on the shore. Lake house communities began to evolve before the turn of the last century. The allure of pine-scented woods and crystal-clear lakes was discovered by men of leisure who ventured far from their city homes to hunt and fish, fell in love with the land and staked claims to shorefront properties and islands. Before long they built houses. Some were grand stone mansions with servant wings and wide staircases. Others were more modest cabins built of wood and shi