Haven: At Poconos lakeside, settled in

The Poconos house features plush chairs and couches, a pool table, more than a dozen beds, numerous storage closets, indoor and outdoor dining areas, two decks, a hot tub, a hammock, two gliders, and a fire pit for toasting marshmallows.

"We're Camp Cottone," boasts homeowner Carol Cottone.

For two years, Carol and her husband, Jay, searched for a vacation getaway where they could spend time with their three children, nine siblings, nieces, nephews, and friends.

In 2004, the Cottones found their "fun house," which also happens to be a spectacularly beautiful place.

The three-story house on nearly an acre was built in 2001 on a side of a hill sloping into Lake Wallenpaupack. The lake in Pike County was built in 1926 to provide hydroelectric power and flood control. With a 52-mile shoreline, it is also a recreation destination for boating, water skiing, swimming, and fishing.

The Cottones' house is in a leafy cove on the lake's south shore. "We wanted to be on the Philadelphia side," Carol says. "Our commute is just two hours." She and Jay live in Berwyn. The north shore attracts New York residents.

Homes on Lake Wallenpaupack are required to be built at least 75 feet from the water's edge, guaranteeing a green belt around the lake. On a recent Friday afternoon, before guests arrive, Jay and Carol watch their dog, Jackson, romp on a lush lawn and around the ash, pine, and spruce trees. Out on the lake, several boats, including a kayak and blade runner, are moored to their dock.

Carol Cottone grew up vacationing on Lake Wallenpaupack. Years later, when their children were small, she and Jay rented rustic cabins on the lake.

The Cottones, who were sweethearts at Conestoga High School, married in 1982. As their daughter, Megan, and two sons, Ryan and Dylan, grew, the couple were eager to own a vacation place large enough for extended family.

The four-bedroom, dove-gray house with detached garage was three years old when the Cottones bought it in 2004.

"I would have built something more woodsy," says Jay, who owns a commercial construction company. But he appreciates the maintenance-free stone and the faux-wood-grain siding on the exterior.

The couple kept the oak floors and the forest-green kitchen cabinets, and even liked the red walls in the master bedroom. They upgraded the heating system and installed a bath in the bunkhouse, the nickname they gave the fifth bedroom, on the lower level of the garage.

They furnished the sitting area by the stone fireplace with a long leather couch and sturdy wooden armchairs with red-and-white patterned cushions. The multiple beds are covered with cheery quilts. An antlered light fixture hangs above the pool table and an impressive set of antlers by the front door serves as a hat rack, but, "no," Jay says, "I'm not a hunter."

He and Carol, a partner in an executive-search firm, use the home on weekends year-round. Photos lining the staircase show the couple and their now-grown children in the winter, skiing on nearby Camelback Mountain. "Fall is the best season," Carol says, with the cove's trees blazing with color.

Even with extra beds in the bunkhouse, some weekends when there are more than 20 overnight visitors, "people are in sleeping bags underneath the pool table," Carol says. Everyone helps out with shopping and cooking, she says.

On a recent Friday, the Cottones awaited the arrival of a special guest, their new grandson, Matthew.

The 5-month-old slept in a crib in the bunkhouse. Carol and Jay are sure he will love "Camp Cottone."