Gainesville, GA

Well, we did a complete about face in where we were going next.  We were planning on going to Thurmond lake to check it out on the way to Chapin, SC, but when we did some research on the web, we found that the lake is mostly surrounded by national and state parks, with not much housing, so we reversed our decision to pass up Lake Lanier in GA, and thats where we are now.  Oh, and my extremely mechanically talented husband fixed the USB cable enough so we can get internet, while we wait for the new one to arrive. Awesome~!
I really like this lake as a potential retirement spot. Its 45 miles from Atlanta, the water is warm and clean, and there are quite a few marinas with restaurants right on the water.  Plus the lake is very large with lots of nooks and crannies. We'll do some more investigating and maybe spend some of the winter here if still  like it that much. We've just been hanging around for the most part, although yesterday there was an "Aquapalooza" on the lake, so we took the truck over to the party and had lunch at a restaurant on the water.  We have been to an Aquapalooza before, which is really one big organized party on the water, with games, music etc. Its a pretty fun day!
    I have a cousin who lives near Atlanta, so we are trying to hook up with him tomorrow, if he can get some time off.  It would be a bonus if we lived close to him too, since he's a lot of fun.