Well, I'd like to thank Renee for taking the time to give such a detailed review. We're sorry she and her family did not have a more enjoyable stay. I will respond to all of her concerns, to be fair to her, but particularly for the sake of all our guests and families who are waiting to arrive this Summer! I'll admit to the Spring weeds problem (explanation below), which is my fault--Dee and I have been traveling for her work all of May (Australia), and I failed to envision the possible weed growth in 3 weeks, since I mowed just before we left. Very sorry. My son, living next door, has assured me he has been out and mowed. But to be clear, we do not have a "city" yard. We have a country yard, not-quite-full of trees (large and tiny), spring wildflowers, and two gullies full of last Fall's leaves. (We do not burn them, but store them in the gullies to reduce soil erosion into Lake Sara.) We encourage the growth of new trees wherever they "volunteer" and plant themselves. At one time, before Lake Sara was built after a horrible hospital fire in Effingham in the 1950s, this entire valley where the lake is now was an extensive forest. Much of that forest has been preserved and protected by our lake authorities. But many property owners on the lake have clear cut their lake lots--despite rules against it--and the total amount of trees growing around the lake has declined. We are working, steadily but determined, to recreate the woods on our Redbud Cottage lot. You will see hundreds of young, volunteer trees--mostly Redbud trees--as you drive onto our property. More little seedlings--oaks and hickory mostly--are beginning to reclaim our front yard which falls down to the lake shore from the cottage. So, it might feel to a returning guest like we are losing yard space. (Though I'm pretty sure that's because of my un-cut weeds in the gully, enjoying the Spring rains.) What we are doing is adding trees. But, the flat ground down behind the beach and the dock, which includes the fire pit area, is as open as it ever was. If the grass was overgrown during this stay, I apologize. That, I suppose, is where parents would have little children play, where they can climb in and out of the water and stand by the fire, when you have one, to warm themselves. (We provide the firewood.) The rest of the front yard slopes down from the cottage, past the hammock, and would be good for light sledding if we ever got snow again. We have 4 reclining lounge chairs down by the shoreline for adults, and chairs by the fire pit. Our fixed dock, with a picnic table, has room for extra folding chairs, and tie-downs and buoys for storing a boat or two along side. And our old-fashioned floating dock sits out in the cove, waiting to be conquered by young swimmers. Our little sandy beach slopes very gradually out into our cove, and is great for little beginning swimmers, or waders. The chairs around the deck table are uncomfortable? Sorry, I'm afraid that is a matter of taste. They are not new, but neither are they worn. We do try to keep our costs reasonable for families with children, so you won't find new items every year. The kayaks & canoe? Well, Renee is correct that 1 or 2 are older, and might be replaced. (It's a judgement call.) But, we have FIVE kayaks for guest use, and 2 of them are new, more stable fishing kayaks. I'm sorry if they were not as clean as you hoped. I will try to do a better job. The quiet coves around our lot, off the busiest areas of Lake Sara when the summer boaters are out, are great for kayaking and canoeing. Finally, the issue of "Guests cleaning before they leave," and the cleaning fee. This is, in my opinion, probably the most important issue Renee raised. I'm happy to be tiring in replying. First, we have the best housekeeper in Effingham County, and probably most of the surrounding counties. When a guest family leaves our cottage, she has 4 hours to work to clean our cottage so that is is as clean and disinfected as any hotel room you might stay in. And she's cleaning a 3-bedroom house, with 2 full baths, that maybe was recently occupied by up to 6 adults and a number of children. (And, to be clear, we LOVE having children here. That's what Lake Sara is all about, in my opinion. Having grown up out here, I might be a bit biased.) So, she's got a LOT of work to do, including all of the sheets & towels from 3 king beds, and others linens families might have used on the couches, etc. And, all you have to do is to glance back through our many lovely reviews, and notice how many times our guests use the phrase "spotless", or "very clean" to realize how lucky we (and you) are to have this woman as our housekeeper. So, what do we ask of our guests? "Please do all of your own dishes before you go. And try to leave the kitchen in the shape in which you found it." The point of that request is, she's got plenty to do without having to wash guest's pots & dishes. We have a dishwasher for that, and provide the soap pods. And she'll end up re-cleaning the counters and all, even if you take time (as we hope you will) to leave them presentable. So, our "cleaning fee" helps to pay for about half of what our wonderful housekeeper is paid for the great work she does. We simply ask that you not make her job any more difficult than it already is. Can you at home, after you have guests (often plus children) visit for a weekend (or a week), really clean your entire house in 3-4 hours to a level where you'd be happy to have your in-laws visit next? That's what our housekeeper does here every week, sometimes 3 times a week. Our cleaning fee helps us to defray that cost, and to keep paying her, as best I can figure, what she deserves. I write at length here--my apologies if I have overdone it--to try to explain our situation as VRBO homeowners to all of our guests. I am--we are--very sorry that our return guests, Renee and her family, had a disappointing stay. I believe that most of that was caused by my being away, and not tending to our yard in Spring. Again, my apologies. Our climate here in central Illinois usually means that we only mow our yard about 4 times a year (since we do not fertilize), and I'm sorry to have been gone while weeds went wild. But, having grown up here on Lake Sara as a young boy, with 5 siblings to swim and play with every day, with plenty of peace and quiet and plenty of books to read and games to play (and with no TV, but that is an argument for another day), I had an idilic childhood. We fished and swam and enjoyed wood fires and s'mores and bathed in the peace and quiet. And worked, under my Mom's direction, to keep the place nice. We hope to recreate some of that experience for you couples, and for you families with children. Only we (and our housekeeper) do the work now. All you (should) have to do, is come with your family and enjoy your time. Please review our reviews to see other couples and families who have done so. Kind regards, David (and Dee) Hartmann The Redbud Cottage on Lake Sara