Lake Geneva
Life at the Water's Edge

Sometime in the winter of 2004, the idea of a coffee-table book about Lake Geneva came to Mike Keefe while he was on a trip to Colorado. He was trying to explain to the "uninitiated" just what it is about Lake Geneva that holds so much attraction to so many people. Generations of families have made the Geneva Lake area their home, and to this day it is almost iconic in the minds of many in terms of what a summer or weekend getaway should be. The level of attraction is difficult to sum up, especially because everyone seems to see the lake in a different way: quiet or busy, restful or hectic, casual or formal . escape, oasis, focal point, year-round home, second home, vacation place . and on and on. In fact, the descriptions go on to the point that Mike knew no simple verbal answer would ever suffice. Increasingly frustrated by his struggle to explain why this area is so extraordinary — and why many spend millions of dollars to become a part of it — Mike decided to launch a project that ultimately became the book Lake Geneva: Life at the Water's Edge. And who better to produce such a work than a local guy — brought up on, and in, the lake — who ultimately, and perhaps inevitably, became a local real estate entrepreneur?

Written by Andria Hayday and photographed by Tom Keefe and other local talents, the book celebrates the scenic beauty of the lake, but it offers much more than a "tourists' view." It presents the lake through the eyes of its year-round residents and devoted "weekenders" — the people who make Lake Geneva what it is: diverse, always interesting, and often surprising. Architectural features take readers directly inside some of the lake's most spectacular and intriguing homes. Personalities featured in the book run the gamut from socialite Abra Wilkin to business mogul Dean Buntrock (retired CEO of Waste Management) to cartoonist Joe Martin and Dungeons & Dragons creator Gary Gygax. "Believe me," says Mike, "you can't get more diverse than a group like that."

With a full-color, hard-cover format, Lake Geneva: Life at the Water's Edge features 192 pages of lavish photography — much of which has been shot exclusively for this project or has never been seen before. Roughly 10x10 inches, the book will be available in late August for $39.50. To reflect his own appreciation for the area, Mike is donating 100 percent of profits from the book to local charities.

Order your copy today