Gaines Bend is a little farther down the road than most communities on Possum Kingdom Lake, and that’s part of the point. There are no resort gates or crowded amenity centers. There are houses along the lake, cattle across the fence, boats at the marina, and a lot of country in between.

Some families have been here for generations. Others got here last year. Kids still roam, neighbors know one another, and summer weekends revolve around the lake. It’s a community, but it isn’t a resort.