Five years ago, Dennis and Joan were driving through Arkdale, WI when they noticed a sign for a McKeough Land Company development called Kennedy Waters. “It was winter, and we took a rarely driven road to Lake Petenwell,” Joan recounts. “There were 10 inches of fresh snow and it was just dramatically beautiful. It was a wonderland of woods and lake. My husband and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh–we could live here!’”

Joan and her husband quickly bought land at Kennedy Waters, built a beautiful house, and now live there year-round. And although Dennis works out of the house, Joan says it’s like they’re on vacation every single day of their lives.

“We ATV right from our house to the local restaurants and snowmobile right from our driveway to the lake,” Joan says, “So we have a wonderful time.” In the summer, Dennis goes fishing on his 21-foot boat, and they both enjoy their deck boat for sunset cruises and trips to the sandbar.

While Kennedy Waters is far removed from the stress and busyness of modern life, they certainly don’t enjoy it by themselves; according to Joan, she and her husband have a better social life now than ever before: “Everyone, whether they’re here full-time or just a few weekends each year, is so friendly and social. The atmosphere is very inviting because we’re all here for the same reason–to get out of the city and just have fun.”

But Dennis and Joan understand that vacation-style living is also about being able to share it with family, which is why they often invite relatives up to stay with them. And is it just as easy for their guests to fit in with the community? Absolutely, Joan says, because “the attitude on the lake is ‘the more the merrier!’”

Joan and Dennis never anticipated that they’d make such great friends and memories at Kennedy Waters, but they couldn’t be more excited with how things have turned out. They’re so excited, actually, that they’re thinking about extending their stay. “We had originally planned to live here for about 10 years,” Joan says, “But the first five have gone by so fast that we might have to stay even longer.” And why not? These are the best times of their lives–they’re healthy, active, and able to share their Wisconsin wonderland with family and friends.

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