Riding High

As part of our "master plan" involving building a second home in Wimberley, Ann & I have been busy downsizing our Houston accommodations. Radically. So, we've been selling, donating to charity, and giving away to friends much of everything we possess. Many loads of tools and other manly stuff were piled into Buzz the wonder-car and transported to Wimberley. One bright spot was the adventure we had loading up this chair for a trip across town. This scene has been compared to the intro clip to the Beverley Hillbillies show, for obvious reasons.

Aside from the disposal hassles, the downsizing approach actually has a lot going for it. A nice kind of freedom from maintaining and protecting lots of things that we had hung onto for no real reason. More warm fuzzies after finding homes for items other people will actually treasure. And of course, a better fit into a smaller space, which means less dusting and vacuuming!

Hill Country Sunset

Not every sunset in the Texas hill country looks like this, but this one was worth waiting for. Not just because of this beautiful view, which seemed to last for hours. Sharing those moments with my new bride while relaxing after dinner, sitting in old rocking chairs on a deep porch... how can it get any better than that?

Writers can toil for days to convey those feelings of peace, gratitude, and happiness that I felt as the sun disappeared that day. But I just look at this photo and it all comes back, like I'm right there on that porch again. All the magic, all the awe, all the happy tears. All of it, worth the wait.

Practically Luxurious

Luxurious compared to a mud hut, that is. The master bedroom pictured here is the room furthest along in the construction process, with most of the electrical, insulation, and drywall installed. Completing those three things in exactly that sequence is pretty much essential, as any changes to the first two are not easy after drywall is up. The master also has some fancy-smancy shades ($15 temporary ones from Home Depot) and a throw rug to provide some relief from the bare concrete slab.

Now that the powder room is operational, we no longer have to do the "bear in the woods" thing when nature calls, which is considerable luxury for my new bride. And I must admit that having an actual sink really helps me keep clean as I get all grimy constructing things. The next major necessity left to complete to enable longer stays is the first shower, which I'll tackle later this month. By then, the luxury rating for our place will be approaching the one-star level, which is not too far below some really classy places like Motel 6.