Christmas Eve Blizzard and wonderful Neighbor Family guests!

Christmas Eve 2009...Winter Wonderland Blizzard!
We put out seed for the birds and new deer block for our beautiful white tail deer!
Our guests were neighbor's family... what a treat to host such friends and family?!
Our cedar eradication from last year left plenty of room for the lovely white blanket.
.... and the gate stands open!
Welcome friends and yet to be friends....
Our guests!!!
To the GateWay!
Even in the snow.... It's warm and we cozy inside by the fire.
May you each one find the blessings of the ONE WHO is Creator of all,
and Giver of every good and perfect gift!
Merry Christmas

Anniversary #34 at 1 bedroom, Connells and Grovers, Eli's #3... Thunderstorms and fox mommys

May 17th weekend.... stormy weather! Yeah we'll take the rain!

Eli Connell turns 3 and his grandparents are our guests in the 2 bedroom....

sorry you had to move the party, but not sorry for the reason!!!
the rains MAY fill some of our tanks!

Sunday morning May 17th was a rain washed morning as Troy and I celebrate 34 years!
THIS ANNIVERSARY is one I will remember!
The GATEWAY looks gorgeous from the porch of the 1 bedroom....
You will not be disappointed at the view that may have the typical West Texas Mesquites,
but will remind one of the not so typical views for our area! LOVELY!

We saw a beautiful RED FOX this weekend...
clearly she is a momma with kits!
She ran from behind the 2 bedroom (unafraid of us!) up into the hills east of the cottages!
I wonder when she'll bring the babies up for us to see?

I think she's coming to the water bowls I am placing beside the porches for the birds to bathe.

I do wish some of these wild kitties would decide to migrate up the hills to the cottages....
They are great mousers, but totally untouchable!
Just the way I like a barn cat!

MAYBE YOU WILL BE ONE OF THE ONES TO SEE THE FOX BABIES???

WE WILL SURELY TRY TO GET A PICTURE!

Mother's Day, Western Heritage, and Graduating Universities.... all this weekend!

Happy Mother's Day Y'all!!!

These beauties are right outside the back bedroom of the 2 bedroom cottage...

don't know how long the weather will hold so they will continue to blossom, but these are

spectacular... just for today I think!
Our guests this week arrived to 105 degree heat!

Thank the LORD for the cool breezes on our porches!

Then, just like Texas, the weather changed bringing a high of 69 for the Saturday of
Western Heritage weekend!

Our entire crew attended again to a sell out crowd!

Yeah for the Clydesdales of Budweiser! Amazingly lovely animals and great Ranch rodeo folks!

We feel so blessed by the miracles we see everyday and even more thankful

for eyes that can see them.... Spring... Yes, we love it here at the GateWay!

I told our new friends from Houston... "we don't do much advertising, but we've found that

the ones who've been led to our cottages are EXACTLY ones that were meant to be there!"
Sure enough, that was the case with this sweet family who'd just enjoyed a daughter's wedding,

and now, through a variety of circumstances engaged our place for a graduation weekend.
I've gotta tell you,
I knew from the moment I saw them... "yep... I'm gonna like 'em"
A hug and a smile later, we were talking Young Life and Bible Study Fellowship...

Just wanna say "thank You Paula.... I am a word person, and I truly appreciated your 'word gift' left on our refrigerator white board! It spoke to me this morning, Mother's day, of not only being who we are called to be, but of ACCEPTING that calling with joy!"

We love all our guests... and this is yet another new friendship led our way by way of the

GateWay!

May in the Gap at the GateWay

The days here in May have been teasing!!!

They tempt us with the promise of rain, and yet.... just dew kissed mornings is what we have

(we are only 4 days into our wettest month... but we hope for rain each day!)

The xeric gardens at the cottages are doing well... you can see the salvia greggi here alongside the 2 bedroom cottage (as well as some renegade poppies that I just couldn't let Troy cut down, eve though they wandered into the drive area)

Wildflowers are spectacular here on our little hillside.

Anyone wanting to collect for dried flowers will have a heyday right now!

Chocolate flowers are WILD here... yes, I said Chocolate flowers!

They really smell like chocolate. You can tell them from others similar in the
masses of yellow blooms, because the chocolate flower has a distinctive brown stripe
along the back of the petals.

These little yellow flowers can be mistaken, but with a trained eye,

and very shortly you'll easily see the differences.

We are hoping for a bountiful May season for our GateWay family and guests!
Western Heritage Weekend
Mother's Day
ACU, HSU, and MCMurry graduations

ALL are this second May weekend!
BTW... the Perini's Wine Summit last month was a huge success as well as Erinshire in the Gap!

Come visit in April or May and there will always be something to do!

The mesquites have leafed out and the Redbuds are in bloom! SPRING is here!

WE love it when the redbuds are in bloom in Texas!

... and old timers will tell you that when the BIG mesquite trees choose to put out their leaves,
you can plant your flowers! Spring is here!
The chance of a freeze is about nothing!

It really looks good this year since we had the
cedars taken out around the cottages.
...if we'd had more rain, we might have even
had more wildflowers by now... but still we see the new growth popping out everywhere.

SJ is quick to show me the new little trees that can now see
the sunshine without having to share in the shadow of the
cedars.

Spring is one of the best times of the year out here in the Gap...

WE are thankful for every season, but this is one of our favorites!

Rancho Loma (a MUST with your stay!)

Rancho Loma

THIS IS A MUST EXPERIENCE!

From the moment we arrived, it was crystal clear!

We were in for an extraordinary evening!
I'd tell you that Laurie and Robert have one the most unique places I've ever experienced!
It is Texas hospitality within an almost Zen like atmosphere.
Yes, I know, it is rather enigmatic, but that's what I felt upon entering this home/dining
establishment known as Rancho Loma.

Laurie prepares your food in an absolutely spotless kitchen!

Each week, the organic and even exotic parts of the menu are purchased for the

weekend guests.

You will set your reservation, and sit at a table prepared ONLY for you!

NO ONE WILL BE SEATED BEFORE OR AFTER YOU!!!

Our meal began with a duck and risotto course, followed by an imported cheese/tomatoe and pesto salad....

Exceptional Laurie!!!

The main course was a porterhouse for two that could melt in your mouth! LITERALLY!

Now that's the food.... but what we came for was not just the food.... we came for the
RANCHO LOMA EXPERIENCE!
We were greeted by two lovely four legged friends who were as immaculate as the home at which they reside!
chickens, neatly rowed gardens, and a zero gravity swimming pool surrounded the home.
Robert showed us the outdoor shower HE HAD just finished.
YES>>>>> he tells me that Laurie designs, he builds.
Clearly, his touch was evident in the details everywhere!
LOVELY my friends.... truly the hearts of these people were evident even before we entered the doors!

Laurie was preparing the steaks with perfect seasonings

Robert was the perfect host!

My friend from Minnesota was duly struck by the evening in total!

I must say....
I'd checked the Rancho Loma website over and over to find an evening when they would

serve a fish.....and I asked them...
"so when will that be?" to which they told me...
"Carla... this is Texas, and (for now)... beef is on the menu!"
I think I'm gonna see if I can persuade them to maybe consider...
how 'bout one night a month... not on a weekend... or maybe a Sunday evening...
do something extravagant.... like serving.....trout, tuna, salmon, shark.... FISH???
for Texans like me who love more than this wonderful beef???
just a thought!

Thank you friends for an amazing, sweet, decadent and memorable evening at your

HOME!

We will return and bring others with us!!!!

Sunshine and Ice storms...we NEED RAIN!!!

January brought the typical Texas contrasts!

One day sunshine, 70 degrees and armadillos digging..

4 days later... sub freezing ice storms and slick roads...

but oh how pretty the cottages look ... like a winter wonderland just
beckoning for hot chocolate by a cozy fire
and.... a good book!

then... 4 more days later, and it's
"get the sandbox ready for our February guests"

... and the armadillo scuttles back to his favorite place!

the creek bed full of nice bugs and

MY EARTHWORMS... thank you very much!

they are for my garden and the soon to be

wildflowers that KG and I have so carefully

scattered for Spring~

WELCOME FRIENDS!

we're expecting YOU!