LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly

The Wellfords' dock is decorated with signs reflecting a variety of interests.

LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly

Corbin Wellford made directional signs, noting the distance from the dock, to his and wife George Ann's favorite places.

LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly

Corbin and George Ann Wellford use their dock in River Creek Estates every day to relax, swim and play darts.

LAURIE EDWARDS | Laker Weekly

Corbin and George Ann Wellford play each other at a game of darts on their Wirtz dock.

Walking the gangplank to Corbin and George Ann Wellford's dock, it's obvious you're entering Virginia Tech territory. A water ski hangs from the rafters, painted with the phrase: "All Hokies welcome! Wa-hoos by invitation only!"

The Tech fan is Corbin. He's been following the university's athletic programs most of his life.

"I never attended college," said Corbin. "I had a brother that went to UVa [University of Virginia] and one that went to Tech. ... I just picked one."

George Ann isn't as dedicated as her husband. She said she'll root for Tech, UVa and pretty much every Virginia and North Carolina team.

But the love of Tech is apparent everywhere on the couple's River Creek Estates dock. Corbin's former license plates, all bearing some Tech reference, hang along one wall.

Another bears a framed T-shirt chronicling UVa's less-than-stellar 1990 football season, surrounded by 11 Hokie bumper stickers. Corbin said he's had the shirt in storage for about 20 years and finally got around to framing it this year.

But the dock isn't all Hokie paraphernalia. An outer wall of the cabana features a slew of signs covering everything from Jimmy Buffett to Pontiac GTOs.

"Every time we travel, we look for signs," said Corbin.

"And people have given them to us," added George Ann.

One sign, reading, "Beer" "Helping ugly people have sex since 1862!" just showed up one day. The Wellfords found it atop the dock's table. Corbin said it took them about a year to figure out which of their friends left the gift.

Much of the dock's decor is fairly new. When the Wellfords wed two years ago, George Ann suggested Corbin spruce up the dock at the property he's owned since 1971. He went full tilt.

"[Then] I said, it's tacky enough, I went ahead and put a lava lamp up there," said Corbin.

A dozen of the signs, nailed to one of the pilings, were crafted by Corbin. He cut wood into directional arrows and painted them with the names and distances to some of their favorite places.

Of course Blacksburg, home of Virginia Tech, is among them. There are St. Petersburg (Fla.), Tarpon Springs (Fla.) and Cherry Grove (S.C.), some of the places friends invite them to visit. You'll also learn it's 16 miles to Walmart and 7 miles to the ABC store.

"I'm a regular visitor to Walmart and I go to the liquor store once a week," said Corbin.

He started on the arrows about two years ago. Corbin said it quickly became an obsession. He even brought the materials to Nags Head, N.C., when they participated in a St. Patrick's Day parade one year, said George Ann.

The Wellfords use their dock every evening, coming down to have a cocktail or a beer and play darts using an electronic dart board mounted to the cabana.

"We have absolutely no skill," said Corbin.

"That's not the point," said George Ann. "The point is to have fun."

Sometimes they venture down earlier in the day. George Ann often takes a dip in the lake, and Corbin comes down for a respite from yardwork. He'll sit on one of five swings mounted to the rafters and sip a Diet Coke.

Corbin said he got the idea to build the wooden swings from Isla Mujeres (yes, there's a sign for it), an island off the coast of Mexico.

"At the tiki bars, instead of having bar stools, they had swings," said Corbin.

But all these personal touches are coming down. On Monday, the Wellfords will say goodbye to the dock when they close on the sale of their house and relocate to Oriental, N.C.

"Our friends can't believe we're doing this," said George Ann. "We say, 'If not now, when?'"

The Wellfords said they'll miss lake life, but they've both lived here for about 40 years and it's time for a new experience.

"We're going to open water, which should be fun," said George Ann. "It's an adventure."

Corbin said the dock is high on his list of what he'll miss most.

"I'm gonna miss the boathouse," he said. "You can't have boathouses down there. It's flat and it obstructs the view."

Soon, the Wellford's dock will feature new decor as a new family settles in and makes its mark. Corbin smiled at the thought.

"The [new] owners, I think, will really love it," he said.

Corbin and George Ann Welford

Home: River Creek Estates near B20

Family: George Ann has two children and four grandchildren

Dock size: about 1,200 square feet

Date built: 1999 by Smith Mountain Dock Building

Amenities: one boat slip for their Freedom 240 DLX pontoon boat, swings, diving board and dart board