Tuesday, March 7, 2017

A Near Perfect Day



I haven't been to the ranch in ages. 
We went out to move the trailer up closer to the road so that Bill can grab it on a vacation day and drag it to a shop.
It needs to be inspected and registered before we can take it on a trip.
It has some problems. 
The heat/air is out - probably because mice were eating the wires. 
There is a smidge of water damage to a wooden utility cover under the refrigerator.
I'm sure I can come up with a fix if the shop doesn't have something.


When we visited last, it had a mouse problem. I was appalled and told Bill to sell it or burn it.
Just kidding. 
Thankfully, there was no sign of mice this time. I was thrilled.  
Bill cut up Irish Spring soap and sprinkled it about the space.
Mice don't care for a balsam smell. Bill says he doesn't either ...
The mice had a hey day all over the couch and the bed so I'll be doing some reupholstery.
These pictures are from several years ago.


Why? Why, trailer people? There is way cuter fabric than rust color palm branches.




I told Bill that the rusty red color will be going. I don't know what color I'll do but the curtains and sofa fabric will get replaced.
We are also getting a new mattress because this was uncomfortable.
It was also gross after mice frolicked and played on it.




Bill has replaced all the tires and gotten new lugs on the left side.  
It took several visits to take off the tires, bring them to town and then put new tires back on.


The back of it had hail damage. It was just on the back so the hail came in horizontally. 
It means that both of our cars, our roof and our trailer all had hail damage last year. 
The trailer is stored about an hour and a half from our house.
I doubt it was the same hail storm but we'll never know.  
2016 - The year of hail. At least it wasn't locusts. Am I right? 
I hope we can get that fixed because otherwise I'll have to rename it. 
My car is dimples. Bill's is pimples. I'm out of names that rhyme. 


Moving the trailer didn't take that long so we rode ATVs.  
So fun. 
We packed up and headed to a winery around the corner. 
This place is a little slice of heaven. 


The O G Cellars  in Sunset, Texas. 
Bill found them one of the weekends he was messing with the tires.




Look at that view. 

View from O G Cellars

We enjoyed the views as we had Charcuterie boards with our glass of wine. 
When we were finished, we drove down to Decatur for dinner. 


Sweetie Pies for Rib Eyes is always a fun and delicious place to eat. 
I had the chicken fingers and they were amazing. 


There are 254 counties in Texas. 234 of them are over 50 years old so visiting Texas courthouses is a bucket list thing. 


On our way out of town, I saw the spire of this beauty. 


It is the El Castile or The Waggoner Mansion. 
The house was built in 1883 by Daniel Waggoner father of W.T. Waggoner the famous rancher.  


 It is reportedly 90% original and there may still be furnishings inside.
The home was sold to another family in 1906 but the Waggoners bought the property back in 1939. 
It was sold to the Luker family in 1942. 


Supposedly a Luker grandson has sold it to a new owner.  
I could not find any current information as to the status of this beautiful home. 
It clearly needs some work. 



I was completely captivated.
Gorgeous. 


It was a near perfect day.
Thanks for letting me share it with you. 
Katie 

9 comments :

  1. It's good to know that mice don't like balsam, Katie. It'll be fun for you to redo the interior of your trailer, and I'm sure you'll find some cute fabrics. What fun for you and your hubby to go to the winery and then to dinner. It's always nice to spend quality time together, creating memories.

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  2. We're not far from OG Cellars, maybe an hour or two. Will be putting it in our binder of things to do. Sounds like a great dinner place too. Thanks for all the info. And, as for mice, you've given me second thoughts about buying a trailer! Did not know that might be a problem.

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  3. What a shame that that beautiful house is neglected. I hope it gets some TLC soon. We had to replace our roof due to hail damage this year too. I'm definitely filing your great Irish Spring idea.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your day with us. Sounds like a grand day. Beautiful scenery and the buildings are outstanding. I love old buildings.

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  5. I enjoyed seeing your day through your photos, Katie. Good luck with the projects for your trailer. I love that house. Oh, the stories I'm sure it holds! Thanks for sharing with us at Snickerdoodle!

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  6. Ewww, mice! I know just how you feel. Thank goodness there were no signs of them this time. Gorgeous architecture you featured today. I love walking around and looking at all the pretty details of old buildings. Love the flowering tree in the first photo!

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  7. I loved this. I knew we were neighbors. I've always loved driving through Decatur. I've always wanted to take pics! Thanks for doing it and sharing. Maybe someday I'll get a chance.
    This was a fun post!

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  8. Lovely day, Katie. You have a beautiful ranch. The old Castille home is just magnificent! Would so love to see it restored.
    Your Texas neighbor, Catherine

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  9. Thanks for the visit to Decatur, Texas. Good luck with the camper projects. Hope you will share them. Pinned

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