I love sitting in the sun. I especially love sitting in the sun on a beach. Unfortunately for me, I only get to do it one week out of the year when I take my annual vacation in Kelowna. Not so for many Calgarians. In fact, for the thousands of folks who are both lucky and smart enough to live in one of Calgary’s lake communities it’s like being on vacation all summer long. Of course, we only get a couple months of summer in Calgary, but most lake communities offer a variety of recreational options in the winter also; like skating, ice fishing and tobogganing.

Our feature story this edition, entitled Lakeside Living, takes us on a tour of some of the Calgary area’s more popular lake communities; from some of the first man-made lake developments like Lake Bonavista, to brand new settlements like Auburn Bay, Chaparral and Mahogany. As an added bonus, our intrepid staff writer, Pepper Rodriguez, made the 15 minute drive east of town to check up on progress at the granddaddy of local resort-style communities – the town of Chestermere.

Whether you live in a lake community or not, summer means fishing season. And that means time for serious and not-so-serious anglers alike to take to the local rivers, streams and lakes to try their luck. Of course, it’s not all luck. There’s skill involved too. Plus you need the right equipment and bait. And it really, really helps if you know where to go. We’ve got it all covered in this edition – so if you don’t catch anything, you definitely can’t blame us!

Of course every fisherman or sun worshipper still needs a homebase, and we’ve got that well-covered as usual with show home profiles of homes from four top builders. From Sabal Homes’ very popular laned homes in Copperfield; to Cedarlgen’s affordable two-storey Summit model in Cranston; to the one-of-a-kind Laratta show home in Hawk’s Landing at Priddis; and even the spectacular $1.7 million Kinsmen Children’s Hospital Home Lotto offering from Shane Homes —  if variety is the spice of life, then we’re red hot this month!

So read on — whether you’re just laying back soaking up the sun or waiting for the big one to bite, New Home Living is a perfect way for you to pass the time.