When visiting Virginia "Ginger" Correll's house this weekend during the SML Charity Home Tour, be sure to look up. Otherwise, you'll miss some of the best stuff.

At Correll's Mountain View Shores log home, she's utilized space above bedroom closets for themed decor. In other rooms, she's placed some of her most-valued possessions atop cabinets.

"I put things up high where the cat can't get to them and break them," she said.

One of her greatest treasures is far from Sassy's reach -- atop the cabinets in her modest kitchen. It's a life-sized ceramic duck. But while it may not be much to look at, it holds years of history close to Correll's heart.

"It was the first thing my parents bought when they got married," she said. "They went to Woolworth's and bought that to decorate their house."

A few years ago, Correll's parents were struggling to find a gift for her.

"My Mom said, 'You already have everything. What can we give you?'" she said. "I said, 'I want that duck.'"

Her mother was surprised, pointing out that it was a Woolworth's purchase and nothing special. But Correll said it was important and special. So her parents pulled it from the attic, dusted it off and sent it her way.

The ceramic duck is an example of the theme throughout Correll's house: family. Most rooms contain at least one item belonging to a family member. It's most apparent in the "children's room," which is filled with toys, books and photos.

"Some of the toys are mine, some are my nephews' and nieces'; some are my great-grandmothers'," said Correll, who has no children of her own.

Part of a great-uncle's immense train set sits atop a ledge on one wall. A few scenes from the set flank the ledge inside shadow boxes.

On the facing wall, a shadow box contains a cloth doll made from Correll's childhood dresses. She recalled, as a young girl, sitting with her mother when she cut swatches from dresses of days past and stitched them together to form three dolls.

Across the hall from the children's room is Correll's "fishing room." She and her family enjoy fishing, so she decorated the room with photos and items that relate.

"It's a combination of ocean fishing and freshwater fishing," she said. "Dad did both."

Above the closet, Correll arranged items into a vignette, using fishing nets, poles, lures, a rowing oar, tackle box and barrel. The fishing buckets included in the display belong to her father.

The fishing room is flanked by its own bathroom designed to mimic one found in a weekend fishing cabin. Bears, sometimes visitors to the woods around such cabins, can be seen throughout, including a photograph of an adult Kodiak and three cubs.

Correll snapped the photograph while visiting a friend in Alaska. They were staying at a lodge and were about to head to their rooms for the night when they spied the bears.

"Here comes Mama Kodiak and her three cubs," she said. "We got to see them play for 15 or 20 minutes."

On the lower level of the house, one of Correll's other passions is on display: old-time and bluegrass music. The main room features several pencil sketches by Willard Gayhart.

"He's the Norman Rockwell of Appalachia," she said. "He does things you can see in the mountains of the south. I have mostly bluegrass and old-timey musicians."

One piece is a portrait of Kyle Creed, a well-known clawhammer banjo player, who settled in Galax where Correll once rented an apartment from him. The portrait is flanked by one of the last banjos he crafted before he died in 1982.

"It was just a fabulous experience when I moved to Virginia ... to hear his music and rent from him," said Correll. "I didn't realize what a special environment I was in."

The "music room" also features a multi-colored bookshelf shaped like a barn fiddle. Correll said she saw it in a store in Alaska and contacted the artist, who lived in Texas in the hopes of having one shipped to her Virginia home. But the artist only made one-of-a-kind pieces.

"So I had this one shipped from Alaska," she said. "I think I paid more for shipping than I paid to buy it."

Like the barn fiddle bookshelf and the life-sized ceramic duck, Correll has chosen items to decorate her house that allow her to reminisce, that evoke happiness and most importantly, that make her house feel like a home.

SML CHARITY HOME TOUR 2008

Eight homes around Smith Mountain Lake will be open for tours today through Sunday to raise funds for eight regional charities. Tickets are $30 and may be purchased at the SML Visitors Center or at any of the Tour homes.

Proceeds from the 18th annual Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour will be split between Bedford Christian Ministries, Bedford Hospice House, Crisis Line of Central Virginia, Free Clinic of Central Virginia, Free Clinic of Franklin County, Lynchburg Daily Bread, Moneta Volunteer Fire Department and Roanoke Valley Interfaith Hospitality Network.

No children under 12 years of age and no children in arms are permitted. There is no handicapped access.

Visit www.smlcharityhometour.com for information.

More: Dream home is a theme home

More: Charities aren't all who benefit from Tour, say veterans

Correll home

From Hales Ford Bridge, drive north (toward Bedford) on Virginia 122 for 2.3 miles and turn RIGHT at the light onto Hendricks Store Road (Virginia 655). *Virginia 655 becomes Virginia 654.

Drive 4.1 miles and turn RIGHT at the stop sign onto White House Road (Virginia 608).

Drive 2.7 miles and turn RIGHT at the stop sign onto Smith Mountain Lake Parkway (Virginia 626).

Drive 0.2 miles and turn LEFT onto Tolers Ferry Road (Virginia 608).

Drive 3.7 miles and turn RIGHT onto Trading Post Road (Virginia 734).

Drive 1.4 miles and turn LEFT at the Mountain View Shores sign onto Capewood Drive.

Drive 1.3 miles to the Correll home, #2436.

Gantt home

Return to Trading Post Road and turn RIGHT.

Drive 0.8 miles and turn RIGHT onto Lakefield Drive.

Drive 0.2 miles to the Gantt home, #1241.

Fuzi home

Return to Trading Post Road and turn RIGHT.

Drive 0.6 miles and turn LEFT onto Tolers Ferry Road (Virginia 608).

Drive 3.7 miles and turn RIGHT onto Smith Mountain Lake Parkway (Virginia 626).

Drive 0.2 miles and turn LEFT onto White House Road (Virginia 608).

Drive 2.7 miles and turn LEFT onto Radford Church Road (Virginia 654). *Virginia 654 becomes Virginia 655.

Drive 4.1 miles and turn LEFT at the light onto Moneta Road (Virginia 122).

Drive 5.7 miles and turn LEFT at the light onto Scruggs Road (Virginia 616).

Drive 7.0 miles and turn LEFT at The Boardwalk sign onto Boardwalk Drive (Virginia 1343).

Drive 0.4 miles and turn RIGHT onto South Pointe Lane.

Drive 0.1 miles to the Fuzi home, #99.

Gusso home

Return to Boardwalk Drive and turn RIGHT.

Drive 0.2 miles and turn LEFT onto Park Place Drive.

Drive 0.1 miles to the Gusso home, #131.

Lampkin home

Return to Boardwalk Drive and turn RIGHT.

Drive 0.9 miles and turn RIGHT onto Scruggs Road (Virginia 616).

Drive 2.1 miles and turn RIGHT just past the Exxon onto Bluewater Drive (Virginia 942).

Drive 1.1 miles and turn RIGHT onto Saunders Farm Road.

Drive 0.3 miles and turn RIGHT onto Winding Waters Drive.

Drive 0.4 miles and turn LEFT onto Parkway Avenue.

Drive 0.4 miles and turn RIGHT onto Vermont Avenue.

Drive 0.2 miles and turn RIGHT onto Atlantic Avenue.

Drive 0.1 miles and turn RIGHT onto Pacific Avenue.

Drive 0.2 miles and turn LEFT onto Marvin Gardens Drive.

Drive 0.1 miles to the Lampkin home, #94.

Heck home
Redden home

Return to Scruggs Road and turn RIGHT.

Drive 4.0 miles and turn LEFT onto Lovely Valley Road (Virginia 833). *Virginia 833 becomes Virginia 668.

Drive 2.4 miles and turn RIGHT onto Burnt Chimney Road (Virginia 670).

Drive 2.5 miles and turn LEFT onto Brooks Mill Road (Virginia 834).

Drive 7.8 miles and turn LEFT at the stop sign onto Virginia 40.

Drive 6.1 miles and turn LEFT just past the Dairy Queen onto Old Mountain Road (Virginia 645).

Drive 1.5 miles and turn LEFT onto Smith Mountain Road (Virginia 626).

Drive 0.5 miles and turn LEFT onto Waters Edge Drive (Virginia 610).

Drive 1.8 miles and turn RIGHT onto Silver Tee Drive.

Drive 0.4 miles and turn RIGHT onto Blackwater Circle.

Drive 0.1 miles to the Heck home, #140 and the Redden home, #145.

Arigo home

Return to Waters Edge Drive and turn RIGHT.

Drive 0.3 miles and turn LEFT onto Golfers Crossing.

Drive 0.1 miles and turn LEFT onto Milestone Lane.

Drive 0.1 miles to the Arigo home, #85.

Directions by water

Lampkin Home

N 37 degrees 04.910'; W 79 degrees 37.771'

Exit the S-curve, keeping Park Place water tower and two islands to your right as you pass R15. Count four docks from the left in the cove directly in front of the water tower. House on the hill has round white pillars and there's an eagle weathervane on boathouse.

Gusso Home

N 37 degrees 04.342'; W79 degrees 37.570'

Exit cove, keeping largest island to your right. Enter the uppermost Boardwalk cove, keeping shoal markers to your left. On left side of cove, home is colonial Williamsburg brick with two chimneys and twin angular staircases down from deck.

Fuzi home

N 37 degrees 04.007'; W 79 degrees 37.539

Return to main channel by passing outside of shoal markers. Round R13 and The Boardwalk's red-roofed tower. Pass community docks and head toward back of cove. House is high on the right, with blue/gray shakes and stone columns.

Gantt home

N 37 degrees 04.310'; W 79 degrees 32.365'

Your destination is Witcher Creek, down past R1. Follow main channel past the dam's guardian islands and head well up Witcher Creek, bypassing the cove marked with no-wake buoys on your right. Home is on the right, hidden by trees, a bit beyond the dock with the glass-enclosed octagonal porch. Mind your wake as the cove narrows.

Correll home

N 37 degrees 03.428'; W 79 degrees 32.539'

Head back toward the mouth of Witcher Creek, bearing right into the last cove on your right before W1. Look for balloon on left shore, deep in left-hand fork of the cove.

Heck home
Redden home

N 37 degrees 01.556'; W 79 degrees 36.474' and N 37 degrees 01.639'; W 79 degrees 36.536' respectively

Head back up the Roanoke, crossing the large bay toward Vista Pointe. Pass marker B1 and aim toward distant house with blue-green metal roof. Heck home is directly across the cove from that; Redden home is around the shoal-marked point to the right, second dock on the left. These homes are right across the street from one another and both are accessible from either dock.

Arigo home

N 37 degrees 00.962'; W 79 degrees 37.333'

Head up the Blackwater, passing three coves on your left. Round BU1 into Bull Run; pass BU3 and then round BR1 (on your left) into Little Bull Run. Golf carts will transport visitors from the community dock beyond marker BR3.