HammerTime "Our New Vacation Spot"
May 2005

At some point many of us get a wild ideal about the need … or desire, for a second home. Jackie, my wife, and I have thought and talked about it several times. We've dreamed of winning the lottery and the vacation home we would like to buy with the winnings. Heck, if you have cable T.V. or a satellite dish, you can watch entire shows dedicated to the selection process for a vacation home.

Last night the couple they interviewed on the Travel Channel were looking for a modest second home … or vacation home, as we like to call it. I didn't know what to think about that couple. They were only in position to budget $750,000.00 for their vacation home. Dealing with such a budget must be a nightmare, but Jackie and I will never know. Instead we were faced with more realistic concerns related to our decision.

I've never talked with a realtor that didn't tell me there were three key words to remember in the real estate business … location, location and location. So where would we want to spend our spare time? Jackie enjoys fishing and so do I. We also wanted to be sure we had a place with a view, but we were sure we wanted a spot with plenty to do in the immediate area. Rustic wilderness, quaint shops, nice restaurants … blended with an occasional trip to the fast food establishment. Oh, did I mention the need for a few antique stores and flea markets in the vicinity? No doubt, location is important and one suitable location would be hard for us to find, but could we afford multiple locations? We decided we couldn't afford not to have multiple locations. In fact, we felt multiple locations were a must.

From there we started the search. We must have looked at fifty different choices within a two-week period and then we found it. It appeared to be the perfect choice and was within our budget. With this little jewel we could enjoy our morning coffee as the sun peeked though the tall pines and melted the fog off the lake. If that wouldn't be enough to suit us, we may choose to wake up to the sounds of wild turkey gobbling as they fly off their roost or how about the gentle sounds of the clear waters of the river rippling over small shoals? The locations would be endless.

We just finished the first outing with "Our New Vacation Home" and it was a blast. This time we chose a location close to Walnut Ridge and we drove to the office each morning to. In the evenings we made it back in time to fish, build a campfire and relax. The mornings started over with coffee and a scenic walk with our labs before the fifteen-minute drive to work again. It was fun and relaxation at its best!

Our decision seems to have been the perfect one, for our spur of the moment lifestyle. Next weekend we're staying at home since the Stork is suppose to drop off Luke, our new grandson. Of course we've already made plans for another outing. In fact, our second location choice is a diamond mine. Well, the diamond mine is ten or so miles away, but we will still have a beautiful lake view, excellent fishing and how often do you have a chance to look for diamonds and keep them … if you're lucky enough to find one?

I'm confident we made the right choice when we decided multiple locations were a must. I'm not sure what the future holds or how long the excitement will last, but I am sure about a three things; 1.) I would get bored if we only had one location. 2.) Used travel trailers are available to fit almost anyone's budget. 3.) Arkansas has more than fifty different state parks and we're waiting on information from Missouri and Illinois With "Our New Vacation Home", Jackie and I plan on visiting several different locations this summer. Maybe we'll see you there.

Charles "HammerTime" Snapp

Email: snapps@arkmo.com

Website: www.arkansaswaterfowl.com

State Parks of Arkansas