EVERYTHING TEXAS #7 IN THE SERIES by Carl Winters/Historic Gruene TX/Oldest Dance Hall In Texas - Historic Gruene  Texas -  Sometimes you can even see restored auto's - the old timers come to show off. This is a restored 1942 Cheverolet Truck                                                               Gruene Mansion Inn Bed & Breakfast                      Oldest Dance Hall in TX                   Arriving in Texas in the mid 1840's German farmers became the first settlers in this area known as Guene,TX. A German immigrant, Ernst Gruene and hs bride had reached New Braunfels in 1845. Ernst and his two sons purchased land just down river; this is where they built heir home and settled. They planted cotton which became the number one cash crop and as the business grew soon brought other... 02/28/2008

The Mockingbird, Texas State Bird, #3 in  Everything Texas The Texas State Bird is the Mockingbird.Texas Redbud Tree in bloom at the end of Feb. 2008 - The Mockingbird's love the Redbud TreeIf you haved always lived in Texas you know the Mockingbird by his song. The Mockingbird at times will swoop down and peck at your or your dog. The mockingbird is very protective of his nest and environment.How to recognize the Mockingbird;The mimus polyglottos, as the mockingbird is known scientifically. The bird is about ten inches in length, including its relatively long tail. It has a light gray coat and a whitish underside. Its wings and tail are darker gray with white patchesHere is an interesting note from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Website: \"Mockingbirds are one of the most commonly noticed ... 02/17/2008

Everything Texas #2 in the Series - Ceil painted this pictureTexas State FlowerBluebonnet (Lupinus)The Texas state flower is named for its color and it is said , the resemblance of its petal to a woman's sunbonnet. It blooms in the early spring and can be readily found along highways and fields throughout central and south Texas. It was adopted as the official state flower by the Texas Legislature in 1901.Fall is the time to plant bluebonnets and other wildflowers in Texas. It is said it is best to cast the seed and rake into the soil. This seed will lie until enough moisture and cool temperatures stimulate and germinate the seed. The seeds need full sun and well-drained soil.You can expect to see bluebonnets begin to shoot up sometime in March.Hope you will look for and enjoy seeing th... 02/15/2008

San Antonio Spurs game just ended and they beat the Cavaliers on their last game of the Rodeo Road Trip. They won by 112-105 - What a game. If you missed it you missed a good one. They did a really good job without Tony Parker on this road trip. GO SPURS GO! FYI - NBA ALL-STAR GAME - February 17th - New Orleans according to my schedulewww.spurs.com 02/13/2008

Changing my HVAC filter made me think to write this blog. With a beautiful spring like day like we had today it made me think A/C and maintenance. You can purchase the best system available but it is up to you to maintain your sytem.Today's advanced HVAC systems often come with power saving features, air filtration systems, and other cool add-ons. Today's efficient air conditioning units tend to use up a lot less power than older models; therefore you can save a bundle on energy bills as well. In short, updating your air conditioning system is an investment that pays for itself in a relatively short amount of time. Energy efficient AC units also consume less power, meaning there is less strain on the power plants.If you are building a new home or doing a remodel it is important to resea... 02/09/2008

LINKS OF INTERESTHill Country Region State Parks --Ceil and I enjoy hooking up the RV and camping at our Texas State Parks. Each link has some great photographs and interesting reading. Admiral Nimitz (the first one) has some excellent reading. Enjoy! Here is one more additonal link I found with maps and events and much more that may be helpful. http://traveltex.com/Index.aspx Admiral Nimitz State Historic Site/National Museum of the Pacific War - Operated by the Texas Historical Commission Blanco SP Bright Leaf Park - Operated by the Austin Community Foundation Colorado Bend SP Devil's Sinkhole SNA Enchanted Rock SNA Fort McKavett SHS Garner SP Government Canyon SNA Guadalupe River SP Hill Country SNA Honey Creek SNA (Access by tour only) Inks Lake SP Kickapoo Cavern SP Landmark Inn SH... 02/06/2008

The old low-water bridge on Gruene road leading from New Braunfels to Gruene has been torn down and is slowly being rebuilt. If you understand that everyone around here loved the bridge, but realized that it was dangerous, deadly and the time had come for it be replaced. We loved it on lazy hot summer afternoons, even if we weren't in the water, it was always fun to take a slow drive through the shopping tourists, down the big hill and over the bridge. You always had to drive extremely slow and cautiously due to the fact that the toobers exiting the river had a tendency to walk into stopped cars after several hours of merriment dragging a now empty cooler down river.While all the locals and I can only assume more than a few outlanders are going to miss the old bridge. We are all looking... 02/04/2008

Think he ate to much and got stuck? I call him "long tail." Now you have to look very carefully to see what I saw the day I was doing the insepction. By the looks of him he had not been dead too long. This mouse had the longest tale I have ever seen in my life.Check his out...these people had just moved out of this house. A fire looking to happen 01/31/2008

Living With Deer In The Hill Country, Hello everyone and Happy New Year! We are getting ready to have a cold front move in this evening and I was out checking to make sure everything was secure, pipes wrapped, coat for the dog. Forecase is 21 which in the Texas Hill Country is cold. While I was doing this I saw my pals, some of you have seen some pictures I posted early in the year of deer that hang out at our house. So, I thought I would post this for all to read... LIVING WITH DEER In The Hill Country Are you blessed with deer in your neighborhood? If so, you have probably had them eat most of your shrubbery, girdle the young trees with their antlers, and have given up trying to garden at all.One of the best solutions to eliminating deer damage in the yard is a fence. Eight feet high ... 01/01/2008

I have been using a website optimization service for a full year to drive the traffic to my staging services website.  I also am trying to reach a redesign market.  But I am still buried in Google and unless the searcher uses concise wording, I am not found.  Does anyone have a good service they can recommend or tricks to boost your position.  Also I noticed my site is not listed at all on Yahoo.  I need to find a link to join this and other search engines.  Appreciate any guidance on this,Melody 12/05/2007

As we all know, arranging the furniture during the staging is crucial in displaying the best presentation possible.  With tight budgets, this sometimes needs to be the main part of staging.  Even the most modest budgets benefit greatly from the right furniture layout.  This is one of Salazar Staging's least costly staging projects.  This was an older woman who had sat on the market for six months.  Just by adding a few accessories and valances to the window, the new furniture arrangement really changed the living room.  She got an offer 2 weeks after this staging.    Photos courtesy of Salazar Staging, www.salazarstaging.com 11/20/2007

River Chase is a wonderful subdivision along the Guadalupe River in Comal County. It is divided by HWY 306 into what is locally called the "Old Part" and the "New Part." The Old Section began development around the turn of the century (2000;-) the other side began about 2003. The lot sizes in Sections 1-3 start at over 3 acres while on the other side, lots can be as small as one acre. This is due to the fact that Sections 4-10 have City of New Braunfels water available. The building restrictions on both sides are all similar 2000+ sq. ft. Masonry construction and there is a Mandatory Property Owners Association.The wonderful thing about River Chase is their Neighborhood Amenities. A 58 acre nature area and River Park on the Guadalupe is only one of the good things that the $150 per YEAR... 11/08/2007

Guadalupe River Oaks is a relatively small neighborhood on the northern side of New Braunfels & Gruene. It was first began in the late 1970's as what I like to call a "ranchette" Neighborhood. In order for a home to have enough room for a well and a standard septic system, the county regulated the size of the lot to a minimum of 5 acres. The streets were laid in nicely, not too winding but enough to keep it interesting. A lot of the cedar ( a non-native invader) was cleared and the oaks were given enough room to spread and grow like they should. This gives the area a very established and gracious feeling.The original homes built were basic 1978 builder speculation homes. Then some custom builds were put in and River Oaks has been steadily growing ever since.  Basic home design has chang... 11/08/2007

Here is the website for the New Braunfels Wurstfest if you plan on attending. This website will give you the information that you need regarding time, dates and directions. Come on down to good old New  Braunfels, Texas and enjoy good weather, great fun and most of all super great German hospitality . Ooooops! Almost forgot food.http://www.wurstfest.comWurstfest   11/02/2007

One of the things I run into, are spaces within rooms that need defining.  A good example is when a dining 'area' is in the living room.  Since dining rooms are a distinct selling point, I think it's important to give them their due.  I like to define spaces with rugs. 10/22/2007

Be sure to leave a little comment if you enjoyed seeing my pals.  These deer are so beautiful and show such expression when they look at you. When you go outside they appear out of no where. As you can see they are quite different from our ordinary Texas Hill Country deer. They are much larger and the spots remain and have a heavier body with excellent horn mass. We don't feed them but some of our neighbors leave corn tortillas out for them, which they love. ! Enjoy: Just one morereaon why we love living in the Texas Hill Country. Carl Winters, Advanced Inspector License #3630 (TREC) - For your next home inspection -  Structural and Mechanical. Call 830-660-0131 or email realestateinspector@yahoo.com Visit our website: Complete Inspection Service 08/23/2007

I don't want to beat a dead horse to death, but, here we go again. Sellers, please clean up your home before you put it on the market. By doing so it will make it easier for everyone concerned. People are not going to buy a house that is in disarray and badly in need of repair. By doing so it certainly with sell faster and you will be able to get your asking price. As an inspector I see it all When you can not even get in the front door or do a proper inspection something is wrong with this picture. A pre-inspection is highly recommended. In this case, if I were the realtor I would not have even listed the property, sorry if I hurt feelings but this is exactly what I told my wife when I got home.What are your feeling when you come across a property that appears to have overwhelming  con... 07/07/2007

Those of you that purchased the I-Phone, please comment on this blog. I have questions and suspect many others may have some of the same questions. Is it everything you expected?What are the pitfalls or improvement you would like to see?Will it work with Windows XP?Your experience with email, send and receive?Experience with syncs and contact lists?Tap screen, anticipate any scratch and finger print problems? Any special care?Experience with AT&T, are they going to be a good provider for service? If you have a comment or question please respond. The telephone is our life line in this business, the more it can do for you the better. Do I buy now or wait awhile? 07/02/2007

What are some of your little tricks when conducting an inspection? I know through the years I have found many shortcuts to help me in my business. Awhile back I read a shortcut in a magazine that I had not heard or even thought about. Some of old guys need to share and we can also learn something from some of our new inspectors. So let's all share something that may help us in our home inspections.I'll tell you one to get us started.I set a timer to remind me to turn off the running water in the bathtub  06/26/2007

New Braunfels Texas has plenty of attractions things such as Schlitterbahn the nations #1 water-park, and Wurstfest which is described as "The ten day Salute to Sausage"keep the visitors coming.  But New Braunfels, Tx. is also a great place to settle down! Whether you have children are single, or in the twilight years you will find an abundance of job opportunities and entertainment choices in the New Braunfels area! For theater lovers there is the Brauntex Performing Arts TheateBefore the show you can grab a great Steak at Myrons Steak House and afterward have a great cup of coffee at our local Landa Coffee Shop or 2 Rivers Coffee.Because I have small children, one of my favorite places is the New Braunfels Children's Museum www.nbchildren.org. And don't forget you can cool off in the ... 06/18/2007