It was the summer of 1987 when the land came up for sale. The old country estate that had sprawled across the green Arkansas valley was being parceled out after the death of the owner. The combination of its remote location and completely undeveloped nature coupled with the urgency of estate settlement meant that the price was already more than reasonable. And because my lawyer father had done legal work for the estate, part of his compensation included an even lower cost and the first choice of...