Home- where the deer and the ticks play

We have been looking for some land for a while now back home. Specifically a large tract of land to build our dream home on one day... our scavenger hunt for the perfect acreage is complicated because the entire tri-county area down there has just skyrocketed in regards to real estate prices. Every since the announcement was made that Kia was going to build a brand-new manufacturering plant in West Point (on the western-most portion of Harris Co), every redneck in HC has upped their price per acre from West Point to Warm Springs to LaGrange to Columbus. It is so hard for me to swallow the fact that land in the country is going for $10+ an acre! At that price, you just cannot find much less afford a decent sized piece of property for building a home, having 100% privacy and room to hunt too. We rode around last Sunday with a real estate guy that specializes in large tracts of land sales, timber mgt, forestry mgt, the whole nine yards. We specifically looked at one HUGE tract just into Meriwether Co about 4 miles north of Pine Mtn... He toured all over the dense, wooded property that was previously owned by Mead for timber growth. It has been owned by a group of investors and used for hunting for the past few years... We are pondering the idea of making an offer... We could almost get lost in there. So many decisions to be made, career choices, lifestyle changes, etc. The best part of course would be NO traffic!! All of this was still fresh on my mind that evening as I am in the middle of the produce aisle in Publix franctically removing a tick from Mike that has buried itself behind the waistband of his boxers. Yes, Mike attracts ticks like you wouldn't believe... Me, on the other hand, no ticks yet (knock on wood). How in the hell do those things always wind up on his waist?? Now that is the million dollar question..