Lessons from the first event and good neighbors

The first event's in the proverbial history books at The Windmill Ranch Preserve. Digital photography expert John English wrapped up a comprehensive workshop on Sunday. I'd like to thank John and our guests... and one very good neighbor who came to the rescue.
The weather did NOT cooperate, but no one out here is complaining. We desperately needed rain and we got it... for most of the weekend. The good news is; we learned some very important information from mother nature.
First and foremost, we don't have any significant leaks. The pavillion, houses and tents all stayed dry. More goood news is.. now, we know exactly the location of the low spots and we're on task immediately to cure any obnoxious puddles. Plus, we (thanks to another wonderful friend) fixed any worries about too little heat in the tents. At one point, our guests staying in tent #2 were able to lounge about (on a cold afternoon) inside their tent in t-shirts.
Other lessons range from too little to mention or too long-range to take on in this format. As for that good neighbor.. he claims he knows nothing about plumbing, but in truth he knows enough to save the day and then some. Thanks Max!
Upcoming events include; A Christian Men's outing, Nature Art, Horticulture and coming this summer "Cowboys, Indians and Buffalo Hunters." Check our calender.
Bill Robertson

The Food.. Wow!

This is gonna sound like I'm boasting, but it's really to establish credibility. It's kinda like a trial in the movies or on TV. Ya know how the defense (or prosecution) asks their witness "OK Dr. Kildare... you've worked how many cases..." or, "Mrs. Smith, how long have you worked for the accused.." I wanna establish I've eaten good food.
I've dined from here to Vienna, Paris & Rome. I've even eaten steak in Nebraska.. but I've never had the kind of cuisine we're enjoying this week @ the ranch. Our chef is Robert Dupuy.
The meals are tremendous. Just this morning, we started with a breakfast that consisted of the regular, but nothing was regular about the homemade biscuits. At noon, we dined on lettuce/tomato salad with a creamy cheddar/green onion dressing. Our entree was chicken with gravey and roasted veggies followed by a maple/chocolate chip cake topped with homemade fudge sauce. Robert say we're having salmon croquets for lunch tomorrow. I'm not sure what a fish swimming upstream has to do w/ an English sport.. but it sounds really good.
Bon appetit!!!
Bill Robertson

The First Full Day

It's the first full day of the first "real" event here at the ranch. We're off and running.. I hope. All our guests arrived Thursday by 4pm. Some took out immediately with their cameras (digital photog. workshop). Others relaxed for a while in our pavillion.
By 6pm, we were all lined up on our front porch (facing west), relaxed in Red Willow armchairs, with appetizers to rival the on coming sunset.... and as always mother nature didn't disappoint. The fire in the sky came right on cue.
You gotta come out here to eat if nothing else. After our lengthy happy hour and sunset, we dined on honey and mustard baby back ribs with braised greens and a warm potato salad... and fresh honey rolls. Dessert woulda been the icing on the cake except it was a pear crisp w/ bluebell's homemade vanilla ice cream.
After dinner, as we'll do on most opening nights, our presenter gave a presentation to prime everyone for their big weekend. John English is a Smithsonian recognized photographer with a wealth of knowledge.
Now, we're 'up and at 'em! Everyone's had their in room coffee service. John's agenda includes a 6;30 sunrise photo session. Then, they're back at The People Place for a giant, ranch breakfast and more workshops.
Say a prayer that none of the potties get clogged.
Bill Robertson
PS.. The 600 pound stove works great. As it turns out, it doesn't weigh 600lbs if you take off the iron skillet tops. Once they're removed it's a manageable 450 (give or take a few pounds).

The Lil' Stuff

We're ready! Our first group arrives this afternoon. It's a digital photography workshop w/ presenter John English. He's gotta a whirlwind schedule. I hope everyone's ready, including me.
I haven't written a blog in a few days because I've been absolutely swamped by the lil' things. Just in the last few days, we got our fancy tent bathrooms online. But then, I had to dig holes for the gray water. Then, I found out (the hard way) that you can't run the tent's hot water heater and INCINOLET (electric potty) on the same circuit. But now, it's covered.
The pavillion's all cleaned up, complete with a very comfortable sitting area.. perfect for afternoon naps. We finally found a knob for the shower/bath in the big house. And now, there are door knobs on almost all important doors. See what I mean by the lil' stuff. Who would think door knobs could prove a headache.
What til' you see the rooms in the houses and the tents.... FINE!! Big douvee's, bold colors, Navajo or cowskin rugs on the floors. I gotta admit the rooms and the tents are very comfortable. Wait til you take a tent shower. I bet there's more room and more hot water than at most homes.
Our executive chef practiced on us yesterday. We had charizo/chicken Bosa de Mujer w/ avocado rice pilaf for lunch.. Then shrimp with butter bread, short ribs and spaghetti squash for dinner. It was great.
Oh.. more lil' things. Soap, towels, napkins... all the lil' things you may take for granted in your own home. They're all here, but not without an "oh yeah, we need such n' such."
Bill Robertson

Electric toilets and shower tents

I gotta tell you about the neat stuff going up out here. First of all, ya gotta know our way of thinking. We want folks to come to the ranch (from around the country/the world) and see stuff they can't find at home. We're starting with the accomodations.
Our tents are dressing out nicely. We have three and we're very proud of their names... tent #1, #2 and #3. Unique huh? Anyway, They're big. Bigger than most bedrooms. All except tent #1 will come equipped with two, double beds. All of them will be decorated better than most top dollar hotels. They're all on big/giant decks. You'll have a spectacular front porch to watch our 'fire in the sky' sunsets' (or sunrises).
But the icing on the cake.. the extra mustard on the burger is the attached bathroom tents. These are fine. We've butted up 8'x10' tents to the bedroom tents to create a full bath. Wait til you see the sinks (made of metal) by Terry Huestis. There's also the INCINOLET. It's an electric toilet. I've tried it!!! It works. Then, the showers are completely out of the ordinary. They're three-sided metal w/ a big, full powered shower head. James, the plumber, just wrapped up #1 this evening. It's definitely unique. Number 2 goes on line in the morning.
If you're not a tent person... wait til' you see our concrete showers in the big and lil' house. Or, the giant longhorn rugs in our bedrooms.
Get the picture. We want our guest to come to the WINDMILL and say..."geez, we haven't seen anything like this.. the Jones' don't have anything like this.. Wow!"
And for the real icing on the cake... we can't wait to make your stay with us the best time away from reality imaginable... ask and ye shall receive.
Bill Robertson

The 600 pound stove

The 64 thousand dollar question out here today is.. how are we gonna move the 600lb stove into the kitchen. It's 15-feet from the front store. It's still in the box. We've cut off the ties, but that's as far as we've gotten. The truth is the stove question is a metaphor for the countless lil' things still on our list.
Ya see, all the big stuff's done. We have an incredible pavillion. It's 30'x50, with windows on all sides and a magnificent front porch. We have the BIG HOUSE. It's three bedrooms and three baths to rival the Waldorf. And then, there's the lil' house that actually has more room than a room in the big house. And, don't forget the three fabulous wall tents. They're better outfitted than most hotels (full beds, complete baths, front porches.. etc). ALL DONE!
But then, there's the 600lb stove. There's also water to the tent showers. Don't forget the electric toilets, the flatware, the cookware, the glassware, the towels, the soap, the shampoo, the ice, the ????????????????. Geez, the list is endless.
Ahhhhhhhh.. so what. If you could've seen the clouds roll in this afternoon and the wind take a 20mph change in an instant with a slight drizzle tinkling the tin roof, you too would've said 600lbs, that's ain't no big thing.
Bill Robertson

Turkeys out the back window

So, I was busy being busy earlier today and I looked out the back window of our big pavillion. Something moved. Then, something else moved... then a bunch moved. There were at least 20 turkey hens, right out the back window.. within 15-feet!
I know that's probably not a big deal if you've lived around here for any length of time. There are turkey, deer, quail, dove, owls, bobcats, coyotes, birds of all kinds. But if you're a relative newcomer like me... Wow! What a sight.
That's one thing I've noticed since moving back to this area. Just pause for a moment or keep a watch for movement in your peripheral vision and there's no telling what you'll see.
The other day while watering trees something big caught my eye. At first, I couldn't see anything. Then all of a sudden, the biggest doe I'd ever seen leapt across our "Chapel Hill" road in a single bound. She vanished as quickly as she came into sight.
Turkeys at the backdoor.. I wonder if they thought: "new guy at their front door"?
Bill Robertson

"Honey, the goat's in the dryer."

"Honey, the goat's in the dryer." No kiddin'! This is a true story. I called my wife today in Tennessee. Before hello, she said "honey, the goat's in the dryer." Confused?
Ya see, I live here at the ranch preparing it for guests while my wife and children still live in middle Tennessee, waitin' to move this way this summer. Don't ask me why but we have a pet goat (a baby, wearing a diaper) and it ends up in the strangest of places.
Anyway, Susan and the kids (Jeff, Georgia, Jack and Joe) will be here mid-summer. Meantime, we're almost up and running. Our first event is a digital photography seminar that kicks off next weekend. Busy is an understatement. How 'bout swamped.
Right now, I'm pretending to oversee about a million lil' things. It's funny how the big things look impressive, but until you figure out how people are gonna wash their face or go potty---you're pretty much tredding water.
Still... we're on pace. our 'big house', 'lil' house', and three three tents are ready. I bet you just said.. TENTS? Yes, tents. But these aren't your ordinary tents. The $64,000 question is how to drain the sinks and the showers from the tent. I'm talking the RITZ in wild west Texas. Our pavillion and our kitchen are ready (almost) and the part God's responsible for is beautiful.
Wait til' you see the gobs of turkeys, the coveys of quail or the flocks of ducks! Everytime I look up something else bounds out of the natural cover. I saw my first coyote the other day. INCREDIBLE! They sing every night.. but until I saw one I didn't appreciate their wild west mystique.
Susan and the kids will be here by mid-summer. I can't wait to show 'em the fire in the sky west Texas sunsets. I guess the goat's coming too.
Bill Robertson/Windmill Ranch Preserve

My Grand-dad's house

My grand-dad's house burned down today. He built it himself w/ the help of some fine craftsmen in Snyder. He raised two children there. I lived there as a lil' boy. I still remember playing cowboys and indians on the front lawn. Now, it's gone--but not for lack of trying by some wonderful volunteers.
Randals' Corner is STILL Randals' Corner, but now w/ out the house. You see, my grand-dad (who I never met, but heard wonderful stories about) built it, more than 50-years ago. I'm moving back to Snyder w/ my family (four kids). We hoped to live in that great old house. But, we'll be okay.
We'll be okay b/c I saw first hand the incredible community response to help control or at least maintain a dire situation. KEY Drilling came on scene with not one, not two, but many 18-wheeler water trucks. I saw one, volunteer firefighter rip off her gear and run to her truck. She was checking on her two, young children waiting patiently in the cab of the pickup while mommy put out the fire. AMAZING!
Yes, the house is gone. We've cried. But Snyder, smile and be aware! We're surrounded by wonderful people willing to stop their day to help other people.
My grand-dad's house is gone, but that's okay. It's okay because we live in a town where people try.. they help.. they come to the rescue.. they try. And you know what? I've lived in plenty of towns where that doesn't happen.
Thank you to those fine people who helped build my grand-dad's house and thank you to those fine people (50+ yrs later,) who tried to save it.
Bill Robertson... Dick Randals' grandson.