River retreat

Landscaping wasn't the only project that Joan had in mind for the home. She loves to create original crafts and pieces of artwork out of objects that would otherwise go to waste.

"I dabble in all kinds of crafts, and I can't throw anything away," she says. "My husband is always after me to get rid of it, but there's a use for everything."

From outdoor chairs made of twigs to dried, hollowed-out gourds to house the birds, Joan finds ways to make her projects both useful and aesthetically pleasing.

One problem with having such a beautiful home on the river is that animals also find it appealing at inopportune times. One evening when Joan was relaxing in the hot tub in the gazebo, she noticed a strange smell. When she looked around, she saw a bear at the bottom of the gazebo's steps. Luckily, the bear walked away, but Joan now wears a whistle to scare unwanted intruders away when she uses the hot tub.

On another occasion, a bear bent the solid-metal poles of the couple's bird feeders, trying to get to the food. Joan and Andy now take the feeders inside the house at night.

Attracting wildlife

The couple's encounters with wildlife are usually more desirable, however. The Covals can see deer, beavers, and otters, in addition to a heron that visits the river near their home almost every morning. Joan says that although the animals can cause some damage to her plants and landscaping, they are a big part of the land's natural charm.

"It's all right here for us to enjoy and learn how to live with," she says.

Despite the proximity of the river, flooding hasn't been too much of a problem for the Covals. Most of their home is on the second story, which prevents water damage. The biggest obstacle for the couple came when Hurricane Ivan swept through in 2004, causing significant landscaping washout. They had the damaged areas reconstructed, this time with ample drainage pipes to prevent future problems.

On the water

The river and ponds near the Covals' home are usually a source of enjoyment and recreation, however. Andy and Joan's grandchildren love to go river tubing when they visit their grandparents' home. Everyone loads into the car, and after a five-minute car ride, the grandchildren get into their tubes and float down the river. Because the river winds and curves, it takes them more than an hour to float back to the house. By that time, they're more than ready to get into the gazebo hot tub. When they were younger, the grandchildren used the ponds as a place to run their remote-controlled boats, maneuvering around the lily pads that Joan planted.

Small projects here and there have turned the Covals' acreage into a natural masterpiece. Amid the mountains of Georgia, they have created a home where the river is the guiding force, free to wind and flow where it may.