Mariposa Ranch

Last Wednesday night I found out that I was getting my Christmas/Anniversary present on Thursday. Our anniversary is December 31st and we will have been married 23 years! Gene surprised me by taking off of work both Thursday and Friday so that he could take me on an overnight trip. He found a lovely Bed & Breakfast in Brenham, TX that was right up my alley. We went to the Mariposa Ranch and stayed in the Texas Ranger Log Cabin.

Gene and I have never been away from the girls overnight together since Lindsay was 2. This was a very special trip and we really enjoyed our time together, though honestly, there was always a tug to be at home with girls or wishing they were with us. It was also very odd to not feel like you had anything you "had" to do.

We enjoyed the peacefulness of the ranch, and the lack of city sounds. We did hear some distinctly country sounds though. One that sticks out was the pack of coyotes we heard. Early in the evening when we were sitting on the porch we heard them a few miles away over a couple of hills, but later in the evening they were very close. It amazed me how much they sound like hyenas.

We arrived at the cabin about 4pm, it was an overcast, drizzly, cold day...perfect for snuggling in a cabin. They had the cabin decorated with lights, which made it look quite homey. Here is a picture of the cabin that evening just after we arrived.





The cabin was small, with only 2 rooms and a loft for the bedroom. This is one angle of the living room which had satellite tv, a fireplace, and a wood stove.




The wood stove sits in a corner near the bathroom. I'm not sure if it is a working stove, as we didn't use it, but it looks as if it would work.



The stairs in this cabin are the narrowest and steepest I think I have ever been on. I went down them sideways, just to keep from falling. You can see them behind the couch.



The bedroom was up the stairs in a loft. It was very cozy being near the rafters, it felt as if you were in a cocoon.



The bathroom had a jacuzzi tub for two, which was very relaxing...I could get used to that!



The cabin was originally built in the 1820's. It was taken down log by log and re-assembled at Mariposa Ranch. They had many other little cabins (not log) scattered around the property. They have the main house, Homestead House, where they serve a very nice breakfast. Overall the place was very comfortable and homey feeling.

Here is our cabin the next morning when it was bright and sunny.



We left about 10 Friday morning after our breakfast at the Homestead House. Our time together was very special, but we were happy to be home with our girls. Later that evening we hit the streets for evangelism; I'll share that in another post.