Moving On

Fifteen months ago we moved (from Houston, Texas) into the top floor apartment of an old house in Ft. Worth, Texas, lugging just our laptops and clothes. Nothing else was needed...and I mean nothing. All of our other  belongings were to be stored temporally in a storage unit. We had visions of finding the perfect house...in the city, no more suburbs for us..... Well, that just didn't happen. So, we bought a lot (yes, in the city), and hired a builder. If you have ever built a house, you know that things don't always stay on schedule. The house was to be finished in April...then May...and now the first of June.


Since we live five months out of the year in Colorado, and have commitments on our June calendar there, we are packing up, and heading north.....and plan to come back in  late June, and finally move in.

Friends, I have gotten attached to this place...and this place, by the way, actually has a name. It's Linda's Place....and it always will be. I knew Linda, she was a friend of my sister's and a huge friend to her community. Very civic minded, she was a Trojan at getting things done in Ft. Worth. Sadly, Linda passed away, at a much too young an age, in October of 2012. Her daughter, who lives far away, sold this place completely furnished and it is owned by a very nice gal in the neighborhood. You can find it on Airbnb,Ft. Worth, Linda's Place.Yes, you too can rent it.

Go through the door on the right and climb up

Too many stairs for you, you say?

Well, then go around back, and take your own private elevator (that I have mentioned before) that deposits you into ...

the breakfast room ,which is right beside the updated kitchen with it's own butler's pantry.You will have to bring your own butler. Mine is going with me :)

Turn around, and notice that you can also eat outside on a spacious deck.

Too large to capture in one photo...the master has nine windows. One guest commented "the bedroom was larger than my entire New York apartment".  I could go on and on, because this place really does have a very special feeling to it.....
 maybe, just maybe...it's the music floating up the stairs. For you see, Clark lives downstairs. Clark is a concert pianist and practices every afternoon. Twice he was a finalist in The Van Cliburn Competition (2007 and 2011, where he took second overall). Van Cliburn (1934-2013) was a very famous pianist, who in 1958 shocked the world by taking first place in the International Tehaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow, in the height of the cold war. His list of accomplishments are too lengthy to list...but, every four years pianist come from all over the world to compete in the Van Cliburn Competition, and as good as they all are...very few place...

Clark we will  miss the beautiful afternoon concerts..thank you.

Hey! I am not signing off. You are going with me!!(no, not you Clark). I plan to keep right on blogging ...when I find something interesting to share. ...so please stay tuned, for many adventures await us!....Janey

On the Square

The weather was beautiful last night, so we joined my sister Polly, and her husband for dinner at a small restaurant with an outdoor terrace (and a guitar player), and then ventured downtown to Sundance Square. The square which is relatively new, is a multi-purpose, European type plaza in the heart of downtown Ft. Worth. Surrounded by  elegant restaurants, cute Bistros, shops, a stage for events, and  even a dancing water fountain; where anyone is welcome to play.

I was armed again, with only my cell phone. Notice the mural on the building. A depiction of The Chisholm Trail that at one time was a heavily traveled trail of cattle being moved overland from Texas ranches to Kansas rail heads.

 

We really enjoyed watching the children play in the fountain

There were also folks trying to negotiate a ride in a Cinderella type carriage, through the streets of downtown, where the buildings are always outlined with lights. I hope that you too, are enjoying nice weather and a fun weekend.

The White Picket Fence

 

This white picket fence, at one time, was part of the American dream.. of happiness (or success), which evolved over the years to include not only your dream home, behind that fence, but a family, which consisted of 2.5 children, two cars and a dog. 

For some people this just didn't work. Maybe that is why the 1934 Cole Porter song Don't Fence Me In was such a big hit? Personally, I think it fits into the same category as the clothing that that touts...One Size Fits All. Which in reality doesn't really fit ALL. Don't get me wrong, I do like this sweet fence, which by the way is fencing in a bed and breakfast in the little town of Calistoga, in the Napa Valley (wine country) of California.

Linking to: Good Fences

Cute

Tom and I took a long walk after dinner and came upon this cutie.

 

The markings indicate that it is A Fiat 1100. Maybe from the 1950's?

 

I have no idea what year it was made....and dont have time to research.

I am not sure why, but I see more vintage cars in the USA than in Europe?

Our computer provider has been having trouble in our area, and this thing only works for a little bit in the early mornings. You have to get everything you need to do done before it goes off.  Janey

 

It's A Holiday

I pass this little house every morning, when I meet my sister for a walk. As you can tell we walk early, at the first sign of light. No, I did not take this picture during the holidays....I took it this morning. Let's see, June is almost upon us....

but, these folks still not only have their holiday lights up.....but lit!

Maybe they like the way it looks? Do you put your holiday decorations away, at least by the New Year?

I of course have no room to talk. In our Colorado cabin I keep a thin, tall artificial tree on the fireplace hearth all year. I have different decorations for it like fourth of July, Fall etc. I wonder if people think I have it up because I am lazy ? Which by the way, I am not.

For some reason our wireless signal, in this rental property has stopped working during the day....and only works late at night and early in the morning. So, I am behind on reading blogs! Sorry...

Waco

Tom and I went out of town this week for a short over night. We have friends who are neighbors of ours (in the summer ) in Colorado, that spend their winters in Waco,Texas. Waco is only a little over an hour south of Ft. Worth. Tom and David played golf, while Kay and I shopped a bit ,visited antique shops and art galleries, and had lunch at a little tea room.

 

I spotted this at one of the antique shops. It is an old canned beverage vending machine. The beverage was actually  invented in Waco in the late 1800's....and no it is not Cocoa Cola.

Maybe this will give you a clue.... see it dispensed Dr. Pepper. I have never been a big fan. I always thought it tasted a little too sweet. Although, I do think the Diet version is great. There are die hard Dr. Pepper drinkers though.....and to them, a Coke just won't do!

Have you ever had a Dr. Pepper?

In The Garage

I seem to whine a lot about being new here in Ft Worth, having left all of our friends behind in Houston. Well, that is not entirely true. We do have several friends, living here, that are also our summer neighbors in Colorado..... and we got together with two of those couples, for  dinner on Weds. night. We ended up back at Jim and Jane's house, and I commented on a photograph of a very old automobile, that was hanging on the wall in the game room. Jane's said," Oh that Jim's toy and it's in the garage."

  

Okay, again, all I had was my cell phone, but I simply had to take a picture. Isn't that what all bloggers find themselves doing? I thought some of you would enjoy it's history. I hope I remember it exactly:

This 1931 Packard once belonged to the owner of a very famous canned food company in Chicago. Although, it was ten years old in 1941, he and his wife had driven it to their winter home in Arizona. When news of the bombing at Pearl Harbor reached him, he decided that they should fly home, leaving this car in the garage in Arizona, where it stayed for the next 25 yrs. The only thing that happened to it in those subsequent years, was that the tires were taken off and donated to the war effort. In 1966, an oilman from Midland, Texas bought it from the now deceased man's estate, and brought it to Texas. Our friend Jim is it's third owner.

Now I just need to figure out how I can get a ride :)

  

This is certainly something old that is in pristine condition,

so I am linking to : Rubbish Tuesday

Borrowed Roses

Living on the second floor of this rental house, we enjoy a spacious outdoor deck. The gentleman that leases the downstairs unit doesn't care much for yard work, so Tom and I on occasion, have spent a morning raking leaves and trimming bushes. I never in a million years thought that we would miss yard work! There was a rose bush near his patio, with very long unruly  runners. So, instead of trimming it, I pulled the vines through the railing upstairs (reaching through  with a broom) and fastened them with twisties. Now, we have roses too!

I have no idea what type of roses they are... but we are enjoying them, and their sweet smell.

I hope that those of you that are Mothers are being pampered today Happy Mother's Day!

By the way, if I haven't visited your blog lately, it's because we have been experiencing computer problems.

The Hacienda cont.

I showed you pictures of the Hacienda, belonging to my sister's friend Mary Anne, on a previous blog. These are a couple of other things, that I especially liked.

The colorful stained glass in the dining room.

 

and the large double fireplace in the center of the living room.

 

I also enjoyed going down to pet the donkeys in the pasture.

 

and meeting the family's rather large pet tortoise.

It is so nice to get out of your daily routine once in awhile, and do something a little different. Really enjoyed the trip out to Mary Anne's and oh did I even mention lunch?

She so graciously served:

Homemade chicken salad, on the Black Rooster's best bakery bread, with a side of Capresse salad, large Spanish olives, salty chips and followed by strawberry short cake.

I might  add, all washed down by a fine tasting chilled Prosecco

I hope that you too are having a nice day!

 

The Hacienda

As many of you know I have moved to North Texas to be closer to my family, in our retirement; which means that sadly we left all of our friends behind in South Texas. But, I am lucky to have four sisters and their families around us now, and they are kind enough to include us in various social events. Yesterday, my oldest sister Nancy and I had lunch at one of her friend's houses. Mary Anne originally from Boston, and her husband from Mexico, settled here in Texas after he graduated from medical school. They built a beautiful Hacienda on a forty acre piece of property out in the country, about thirty years ago.

The entry hall of the house, is simply that, and entry. You continue through it to a center unshaped courtyard,

 where all of the rooms open onto a walkway of brick arches and wrought iron gates

.

and in the distance, the pool

I loved all of the light fixtures which were imported from Mexico

as were all of the hand painted tiles,

and the intricately craved doors.

to be continued...

My thanks to Mary Anne for a delicious lunch, for letting me tag along and especially for letting me snap some pictures.....Have a nice day, Janey

Linking to: Good Fences

Rubbish

I am linking today to Rubbish Tuesday. This picture  is of a miners cabin, which has  been reduced to rubbish by Mother Nature. It is located high in the San Juan Mountain Range of Southwestern Colorado. Once the bustling town site of Carson, built near an active silver mine in the late 1800's; the Bonanza King. Now a ghost town,  it is a favorite four wheel drive destination from the little town where we spend our summers. To reach Carson, you take the scenic Alpine Loop south from Lake City, Colorado and turn left at Wager Gulch, where you begin a very very rough steep climb, and travel approximately four miles.

 

Carson Town site is privately owned, and thankfully many of the old structures have now been given new roofs, which will keep them from collapsing. The owners have agreed to let people enjoy the place ( we always pack a picnic) ; just ask that you respect the property, (no vandalism), and leave it as you found it.

click on photo to enlarge

If you look closely at the second photo... you can see the collapsed cabin. It is to the right of the tree. It's outhouse is still standing...further to the right.. 

Linking to: Rubbish Tuesday

On The Trail

We enjoyed a beautiful, busy, weekend here in north Texas. It has finally gotten hot, but it still seems cool to us, after living forty something years on the Texas coast... where it is always humid. We took another long walk this weekend along Ft Worth's Trail System. This section (River Bend Nature Area) is close to where we are building our house, and it is never crowded.

There are endless miles of trails, most of them leading to or along the Trinity River and it's tributaries. As you can see, we are in a drought, and desperately need rain.

The wild flowers are sort of sparse, but I spotted a pretty thistle or two.

I had never noticed these before. Every so often, there were signs telling you where you are located . So, in an emergency. if the 911 call doesn't automatically locate you...you can give them your location. Provided you remembered to bring your cell phone (which I did)......How did you think I took these pictures ?

I also noticed that they had benches along the way. Some under trees, and this one with it's own shade canopy. What is that sliver pipe you say?

It's a drinking fountain or a bubbler as my husband from Chicago calls it. By the way, you would never all it that in Texas!!

The top part of the drinking fountain there was even a station for filling your water bottle.

and down at the base is actually a fountain for your four legged friend. Happy Monday.(or Tuesday for Grace and Roz). I am hoping that you have sunny skies, and if not, would you please send some rain our way...Thanks!...Janey

A Big Birthday!

I have mentioned before, that I have four sisters living in this area, which is the main reason we decided , in our retirement, to move to Ft. Worth. Yesterday, was sister number fours birthday...A Big One.

 

So, at her request.... We had a Girl's Night Out, which consisted of all four sisters, her daughter, a niece, and  twelve of her closest friends.

 

We dressed her up in a tiara, and boa .....and had a fabulous dinner at a trendy restaurant in the part of town that is jumping! Here, Polly is opening a baby toy, as she is also is a recent, first time, Grandma.

Afterwards....they went dancing . It is not uncommon here to dance with a girlfriend...or by yourself! I said Happy Birthday and goodnight at the restaurant . I am sister number three and I drove sisters one and two home. No late night foolishness for us! How do you celebrate milestone birthdays?

Sorry about the quality of the pictures!

 

Frustration

For the last seven months we have been anxiously awaiting the completion of our new "City House"  Well, as you know April has come and gone...Seems May will too.

 

bad iphone photo

So, we visited our home this week. Not really our home, but all of our worldly possessions. After a lot of pitching and tossing, everything we own has been reduced to a double storage unit. I have even forgotten what is in this place? It has been stored since February 2013.

We have come to realization that it will be sometime in June, before we can move in to our new place. So, since we have commitments in June, in Colorado....where we live five months out of the year.....we will have to come back to Texas to move in.... in the heat of the summer.

Enough whining out of me! We will be here in our more than comfortable rental (no not the storage unit) until we hit the road June 1st...Until then...I will post again if I see anything that catches my eye.