LJ' S BLOG #2

As long as I can remember, my dream was to have my own land, but this land was to be in Alaska. I wanted a snug little cabin with a big fireplace, lots of trees, and water all around. But as I got older, I realized this particular dream would never come true. Mainly because as I got older, the cold weather, snow, and ice became an enemy. I almost dread winter anymore. I can hardly wait for the first snow, but after that I'm ready for Spring to be here. I thought my dream had partially came true when Nance and I purchased Shagbark II from Gramps and Granny. Life at the lakes was great. We worked hard, played hard, and ate good. But as we became more involved with the politics and people at the lake, I have become quite dismayed. Everyone seems to worry about what the next person is doing, what rules are being broken, and who can tattle to create the most havoc. Then we purchased the two additional lake lots right on the lake shore. I thought this might satisfy my dream, and it did for awhile. It kept us busy clearing the lots and my mind off the politics of the lake. But, as time went on, the lake people keep fueding over nothing in particular, new rules are made all the time that everyone breaks, so life at the lake is fast becoming a thing of the past for me. When there are few people at the lake, it is so quiet and peaceful. That's when I love it. On holidays, its a madhouse. People racing around on 4-wheelers, golf carts and anything else you can imagine. No peace and quiet.
So for some time Nance and I had been talking about some land away from everyone and everything. I had no idea of how and where to begin looking for that special land. So one day I just plugged in "Missouri Real Estate" on the google search engine and what popped up? 37 acres with a pond and rustic cabin, now known as "Shagbark III". I e-mailed the realtor to see if we could possibly look at the land. We could, and we did. We jumped into the jeep and off we went. I was kind of leery at first, as we followed the realtor to the property in his car. When we got there, he jumped out and wanted to ride the rest of the way with us as he didn't think his car could get back to where the cabin was. He was right. The jeep went right to it. It was kind of a cool day, but we and the realtor walked a good part of the land. Thru timber, scrub brush, across creeks, it was pretty wild land. The cabin(shack) was not to important to us. We wanted room to roam. Our dream now is a walking path combined with a 4-wheeler trail, complete with rustic bridges across some of the creeks and gulleys. It will truly be a challange. But there will be no people to argue with, no rules, just peace and quiet.
Before I go any further, I want to say something that needs to be said. I am the luckiest person in the world to have a wife like Nance. She is an adventurer like me. We have tried to rubber raft down the mighty Nodaway River when there was no water in the river, we have camped on the Continental Divide in a tent, we have gone on trails with the jeep that made us wonder what the hell we we're doing. She shares in all the work, helps mow, cut down trees and haul them away, and helps doing anything else that needs done. A true trooper. And what ever time is left, she works on her own dreams and projects. Tho some of the projects don't seem to get completed without some prodding on my part, her intentions are good.
How many women of this day and age would go out to a timber with no electricity, water, or telephone, have an outhouse for a bathroom, cook meals over a campstove or open fire, sleep on an air mattress with the mice and who knows what else running around, AND LOVE IT? Not many!!!!!!!!!
The next blog will be the first nite experience at the new shack.
Later
LJ