It seems that the "perfect storm" hit Lake Lanier last year. First, were the effects of a two year drought which not only left little recreational water but almost left the city of Atlanta without drinking water (oh, those endangered mussels in Apalachicola are special creatures). Then to make matters worse, the mortgage "crisis" hit. The good news is that lake levels are rising (although still a far cry from full pool) and prices for lake front homes for the first quarter of 2008 were, on average, 2.5% higher than the first quarter of 2007!