Hot Springs or Die

This is a blog my Dad wrote about his dream to retire on lake front property. He entitled it "Hot Springs or Die".....

"Someday. Everybody's got one. "Someday I'm gonna buy a new car". "Someday I'm going back to college to finish my degree". "Someday I am going to find the right person and get married". What's yours?
For me, ever since I was about sixteen years old, it has always been "someday I am going to live on the lake". I don't know why, but I have always been drawn to the lake. I don't mean living near the lake. I mean living on the lake. I'm talking about lake front property where you have your own boat ramp and fishing dock right outside your back door.
Doesn't seem like too much to accomplish. Doesn't seem like too lofty a goal. Plenty of other people have done it and they are living the life I keep dreaming about. I've been saying someday for over 35 years now and I'm not there yet. However 10 years ago I took the first step.
For once in my life I was at the right place at the right time. It was Hot Springs, Arkansas. A chance to buy lake front property in a resort community that had been in bankruptcy for years. A new developer had come in, bought up all the lots, and was pouring money into the resort to try and revive it from years of neglect. He needed to sell lots to keep the money coming in and the price was right. Finally after years of looking at lake front property that I could not afford, a piece of my dream was about to come true. And it did, but it is only a piece. I don't know that I will ever be able to afford to build a house on it and retire there. Because it is a private community, there are restrictions. You can't throw up a shack, or move in a double wide, or anything close to that. If I'm ever going to live there, I've got to make more money than I'm making now and save every penny I can."
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My dad never made it to the lake, and I think that is the hardest part for me as I sit here today and try to write this blog. I know how much this meant to him. This was his dream. In April our family will meet there for a small memorial service and plant a tree in his honor. Here are a few pictures of his property.

This is the lot that the house would sit on





This is the view from the lot





And the golf course.... where he planned to spend just as much time as he did on the water.