We Found THE Place

I admit it; I’ve been in a funk. 

Since circumstances beyond my control forced the sale of most of the farm Mom, Dad, and I bought 45 years ago – the farm where Annie and I raised our six sons and have lived for more than 20 years – I’ve been in a funk.

Yes, you could say I’ve been depressed.

But now that’s over.

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Since the sale, every time I go outside our house I am faced with the fact that the beautiful farm where so many of the wondrous things of my youth took place – where Annie and my sons and I had so much fun and learned so much – belongs to somebody else…well, three somebody-elses.

And it would have broken Mom’s and Dad’s hearts, just as it breaks mine.

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One day, a few weeks after the sale, Annie and I were sitting on the front porch, sipping a cup of coffee.  We were trying to relax but I just couldn’t lighten up. No matter how I tried to let everything go, the stress would barely fade.   I said, “I’ve got to get away from here.  I’ve got to find a place away from everybody…a place where I can relax and not be constantly reminded that I couldn’t do one of the few things Mom and Dad said they wanted from me after they were gone.”

After a while, Annie said, “We could use some of the money we inherited from your parents and that we got from the sale of the farm to buy a place. You and the boys could stay there and hunt, or just hang out and relax.”

We talked it over some more and my frustration began to ease a little.  I asked myself, “Could it really work?” 

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We decided we would look for a place, but it had to be just right.  Of course, we couldn’t afford exactly what we wanted.  We just didn’t have enough money to buy a million acres out in the Rocky Mountains, high-fenced to keep people out and stocked with game and fish.  Oh, and there would be houses for all our kids and their families.

Yeah, that might be a little out of our budget.

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We agreed the property should be remote, at least to such an extent that we would rarely see another person driving by.  We would like it to either have a cabin on it or have a spot where we could build one as time and finances allowed.  We really wanted it to have natural water which could be a nice pond, or a live (year-round) spring, or a live creek.  We’d like the water to be close enough to the cabin site that it could be used to supply bathing and drinking water.  Of course, a well would do, but…

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I had a few conditions of my own that we more or less agreed on. 

I would like the cabin/property to be either off-grid or have the potential to be off-grid.  It’s just something I’ve been fascinated with for a long time.  Over the past decade or so I have collected a 12 -volt, 300-watt wind generator and ten 12-volt 100-watt solar panels.  I wanted the property to have the potential for everything to be powered by those.

I wanted it to be in an area with lots of wildlife so that Annie and I could drink our coffee on the porch every morning and watch deer and turkeys drinking out of the creek or eating in the yard.  I really wanted to find a place in an area where bears live.  Bears are not nearly as dangerous as many people think they are and I’ve always heard that bear grease makes the best shortening for biscuits and piecrusts. 

Yes, I’d like to have a bearskin rug for the living room too.

Bears were not a must-have, but they were high on my “would be nice” list.

As in most things in life, Annie and I were willing to compromise on some things, at least a little.

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We both spent time perusing real estate sites on the internet.  Properties that had what we wanted were plentiful, but properties that had what we wanted and a price we could afford were in short supply…as in virtually non-existent.

We found several properties that came close enough to perfect that they piqued our interest, so we went to look at them.

One of the first of those was in Reynolds County Missouri.  It was forty acres, partly wooded and the rest was cleared but was growing up in blackberry briars.  Best of all, it had a couple creeks that looked like they might flow year-round, and they had several pools that would be perfect for our grandkids to play in.

It didn’t have a cabin but the biggest thing wrong was that it had a road slicing through the middle.  There may have been half a dozen cars or trucks that passed while we were there so I thought maybe I could tolerate that little bit of traffic.

Annie and I walked it twice as we talked it over.  Then we called the real estate agent to make an offer.

The property had just gone under contract and was off the market.

Dang it!

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Another place had some beautiful rock formations on it.  There were awesome views of the tree-covered mountains to the west.  I could almost see us sitting on the back porch, drinking coffee and enjoying the view.  Probably 80-90% of the property was steep and covered with brush and loose rock just made for causing kids (and old, fat men) to slip and fall.  I slipped and fell on loose rock hidden under grass and weeds…twice. 

Yeah.

Oh, and it had a road cutting off about five acres of the best ground.  Worse, a neighbor had fenced some of that five acres in…which could mean a court battle for possession.

Nope. Not for us.

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Annie called about another place that had a cabin and live creek, was remote, and had deer, bear, and turkeys.  Deer?  It had a history of big bucks taken off it.  It was a place I had called about a couple weeks before, but it was already under contract then.  The listing Annie found didn’t show it as under contract.

Contracts do sometimes fall through so, maybe?

According to the description: “Timber Springs cabin is a setting that can be hard to find in the Ozark hill country.  This tract is complimented by an impressive year-round spring flowing from the ground right in front of the cabin.  Electric is run to the cabin, a full bath is plumbed, recently updated trim work and even a window unit make this the ultimate hunting camp.  All (that) is needed is a spring box set and some piping and you are on your way to luxury!  Easily accessed off the well-maintained county road, there aren’t any issues with getting equipment or supplies in or out.  The timber composition is of high quality and mainly consists of white oak, red oak, post oak, some cedar, and other hardwoods. The spring flows from the NW to the SE and goes over ¼ mile through the property creating some impressive bottoms that could easily be converted into quality food plots.  Over 1 mile of trails were recently cut in and meander all over the bottoms and one takes you up to an impressive hardwood ‘flat’ that doubles as another quality hunting location.  With a favorable topography, this property lays out great and has loads of workable land.  There is a rich history of a healthy deer herd and some high-quality bucks have been taken.  This place is full of character and represents the makeup of the Ozarks in so many ways.  Numerous rock outcroppings and small bluffs skirt several of the ridges, making for an enjoyable and beautiful hike around your new private sanctuary.  With so many features and an established infrastructure, this place will be hard to duplicate.  Don’t miss it, call for your private showing today!”

The agent said lots of people were calling about it, but it was still under contract. The website hadn’t updated to show it pending sale yet.

Dang it again!

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From time-to-time we found other places interesting enough to check out.  For one reason or another, they weren’t what we were looking for. Too close to town or a road; recently logged; asking price had been raised since the ad was placed (Really!); or other things.

On Saturday, July 18, we headed out to view a couple properties that sounded promising.  We were unable to tour the first one on our roster as the agent had gotten her wires crossed.  She said she would be ready for us in the afternoon.

We went on to Marion County, Arkansas to meet Zeke Barrett.  Annie and I had both previously called him about the property I described above with a cabin, live creek, big bucks, etc. which was already under contract.

Zeke showed us around a nice forty-acre place with a couple clearings and a small pond.  It was very nice.  As we were riding around the property in Zeke’s side-by-side, I reminded him that I’d asked him to call us if he found a place that met our want-list for spring, cabin, woods, remote, blah, blah, blah.

He said something to the effect that, “I have one that would be perfect.”  He described it.  It sounded ve-e-ery familiar.  My wife and I thought the same thing.

Annie started asking him questions in an interesting way she has.  I chuckled and interrupted her to say, “Zeke, I think she’s trying to ask if there’s any way we can go see it today.

Annie added, “Since we’re already in the area.”

The agent glanced at his watch and answered, “Yes. Yes you can.  Would you like to go see it now?”

Is all around a pig’s hiney pork?

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Zeke explained that the property had been under contract but the financing had fallen through.  He started describing it and my wife and I realized that it was the one we both called about and had wanted to look at…but it was already under contract.

Although neither of us reacted, Annie and I exchanged, “this could be it,” looks…and smiled hopefully. 

The agent unloaded his side-by-side after parking beside the road.  We climbed in with him and started down the ½ mile easement road leading in to the property.  The easement road was in much better shape than any other we had taken in our hunt for a place to call our own…and some of the public roads too.  Although it could use some work and some limbs cut back, I wouldn’t be afraid to drive a car down it.

On the property we made a slight turn to the north and could see a clearing ahead.  As we drove into it, there was a deer blind beside the road.

OK, that’s one plus already.

The cabin’s lines were straight and the front porch faced the babbling brook about forty feet away.  We walked to the creek only to see the live spring with water flowing out despite three weeks with no rain.  I cupped my hand and scooped up some of the clear, cold liquid.  “M-m-m-m, this water is sweet!” I proclaimed.

Behind the cabin was the power line right-of-way.  Annie and I saw exposed rock so we climbed the gentle slope to get a look at the little cliff.  The short section we looked at had a couple small caves in it.

The agent took us along the almost mile-long trail around the property.  We drove along the creek, seeing minnows old enough to prove that it never (or very rarely) ran dry.  The woods were full of healthy, mature trees.  Many of the trees looked to be 100 years old or more.

Back at the cabin, I held up my hand for everyone to be quiet.  “I don’t hear any human noise.  No cars, no trucks, no trains.  No nothing.” 

I savored the moment.

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As Annie and I got back in our car to head for home, we said our goodbyes to Zeke, promising to talk it over and get back to him if we decided to “go for it.”

…and we did.  The sellers agreed to our offer and we are making final arrangements to become the new owners.

Annie and I have been discussing our plans for the place.  One of us mentioned that we should name the place. We discussed some potential names.  Then, as I thought about the spring and the delicious, cold water it produced, it him me.

When Mom and Dad were first married, they lived on a farm with a name that was comforting and felt…well, like home.

Sweetwater.

In honor of my parents who made it all possible, and celebrating the delicious spring water, we will forever call our place Sweetwater.

Yeah, that’s it.

Mom and Dad, do you like it?

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