April 2, 2019. Madison, Mississippi. Sandy.

Three generations ago, Sandy's ancestors purchased a large tract of land in southwest Alabama. Family members lived in Tuscaloosa, Memphis and Jackson. The land was to be used by family members for hunting and recreation. Bit by bit, homes they call cabins were built on the 2000 acre property. Sandy and her husband and children have enjoyed hunting on the property their whole lives. The original purchasers wrote some simple rules for the use of the property. One rule was for the family members/owners would hold a business meeting once a year. The expenses for the place were shared. If family members wished to use the property, they must pay their share. According to Sandy, most families were closely tied together and attended the meetings and contributed their portion of the expenses. The property has never been let out for hunting. Only family members were allowed to hunt and to use the houses. The system has worked well. But now a group of the younger folks are proposing that the place allow other hunters to lease the property. And they want to build bigger accommodation for the hunters. They want the place to earn money so it will be self sufficient. Up till now, the place was simply run. Everyone was responsible for keeping up their own families property. Sandy's family has three cabins on the property that they use and maintain. Some of the cabins are houses while some are just cabins. The only expenses were the utilities and the cost of the caretaker, divided between all the families. The annual expenses were low. The idea of turning the property into a money earner makes sense but is totally against the original intent of the original purchasers which was to keep the land in the family so all can enjoy country property and hunting. But it also makes sense. Land in the country is expensive and hunters will pay a lot of money to find good hunting land. The family must vote. Sandy wisely is taking a back seat. Her point is that she will not be around in 20 years so let the young people decide what to do. It is a nice problem to deal with. Some families are just lucky and Sandy was fortunate to have such a far sighted group. So far, there have been no difficulties within the family but the more complicated the place, the more will be the problems. I hope I get to see the next stage.