Razzmatazlady

Category: Housesitting thoughts

  • Southfork Ranch

    The Famous Southfork Mansion Patio

    We did go out to Southfork Ranch on Wednesday. We purchased the tour which lasted about an hour and decided that it was well worth doing even though there wasn’t a Ewing in sight. The ranch is located northeast of Dallas near Parker, TX. We learned lots of interesting facts – the show ran for thirteen years, for example. The first episode aired in 1978.

    Did I really spend thirteen years of my life glued in front of the television set on Friday nights? I guess I must have because there weren’t too many episodes that I missed, I can assure you. That was before Tivo. If you missed an episode, you missed an episode. And that was that…
    By the way, it was Jack’s fault that I got hooked on that show. He was in a bowling league that met on Friday nights. One night I was just looking for something amusing on TV and found “Dallas”. I was one of the thousands of faithful fans until it ended.

    This is a photo I took of the Waterford chandelier that hangs in the foyer. We were told that it is valued at $17,000. There are also two smaller Waterford chandeliers in the dining room which are worth $7,000 or so each. Who knew?
    The original owner of the ranch and his family actually lived there while Lorimar Productions filmed the series. Lorimar was only allowed to film during the months of June, July and August because the family didn’t want to disrupt the children’s school schedule. As time went on the series became so popular throughout the world that the influx of tourists who wanted to visit the ranch became overwhelming and the family sold the ranch and moved away.
    So that was a good day. We’re leaving our housesitting assignment today after Pretzel & Kitz‘ family returns. Tomorrow we’re headed north. Please, please, please let the weather be good when we get home…

  • Pretzel and Kitz and JFK

    We drove into Dallas this morning to see the place where JFK was fatally wounded on November 22, 1963. It’s quite a sight.

    It’s believed that the shot(s) that were fired at President John F. Kennedy came from the sixth floor of this building which is the Texas School Book Depository. It would be the last window on the right side, sixth floor.

    Lee Harvey Oswald was apparently the shooter. Of course, there are those who believe that it was a CIA conspiracy and that Oswald was merely a pawn. That’s all I really know about it.

    The next photo is part of the memorial at the Dealey Plaza right near the infamous “grassy knoll” where there were several witnesses to the assassination. Dealey Plaza is now a National Historic Landmark.

    The picture below that is of the actual JFK Memorial. It’s supposed to represent an open tomb. The picture really doesn’t do it justice. It’s quite impressive but it’s not at all what I expected a memorial to JFK would be. I don’t honestly know what I expected but it wasn’t this.

    We wandered around that area for quite some time. There are lots of restaurants with outdoor tables and some “touristy” shops. It was a beautiful day so it was very pleasant.

    Then we drove up to a picturesque little town called Grapevine. Lots of antique shops, gift shops, art galleries and places to eat. I highly recommend a trip to Grapevine if you’re ever in the area. I wish we would have had more time to spend but we did have to get back to our little friends, Pretzel and Kitz.


    So Ta-Daaa! (or however you spell that) This is a picture of Pretzel and Kitz! Cute little things and they just love us. Especially me. Pretzel is the one in front. You have to be careful not to get Kitz too excited or she piddles. Just give her a quick pat as you’re fussing over Pretzel.

    Tomorrow we’re going to Southfork Ranch – anyone remember the television show Dallas? Well, that’s where we’re going. I loved that show. Photos will be forthcoming, of course.

    By the way, I think I’m getting the hang of this camera.

  • So This Is Dallas…

    Here we are in Dallas, Texas. We had a fairly uneventful trip from Phoenix. There was a crash of some sort coming into El Paso, Texas and we were rerouted around the city. It was notable only because the “loop” route that we took went high into the hills and we had a birdseye view of the city. That was as exciting as the trip got. Sorry.

    There can’t be a more desolate place than western Texas. Hundreds of miles of prairie with nothing growing other than an occasional nondescript shrub.

    Well, there are the refineries, too. When you’re traveling at night they look like something from another planet. Yellow lights trimming all of the refinery structures. Quite eerie, actually. Sort of like something from outer space. During the day they’re just big, industrial looking buildings and tanks and pipes and who-knows-what.

    There are a few interesting facts noted in the AAA Tourbook on Texas. For example, Pecos, Texas is the place where the first rodeo was staged. It was actually a competition of sorts between various ranches and their ranch hands. Now it’s held every year around the Fourth of July.

    Just when you think you’ll go bonkers, you come to the “hill country”. Very pretty. Lots of rolling hills and a teensy little bit of color other than beige. Must be really nice when it starts to green up.

    Then you arrive in Fort Worth/Dallas and you’re back in civilization. I think I’m gonna like it here. (Sigh of relief… )

    We met our new little charges two little mini-dachshunds – Pretzel and Kitz. They are the cutest little things (both girls) and I think we’ll really have fun with them. I’ll take some pictures today, if I can.

  • On The Way To Dallas

    Prickly Pear Cactus at Tohono Chul Nature Preserve in Tucson
    Saguaro Cactus in Tucson, Arizona

    We’re back in Arizona. Got here on Sunday. Believe it or not, the trip from Los Angeles was uneventful. Boring, actually, except for the Santa Ana winds that were incredible. We did not blow off the road, however, so I think the “travel curse” has been lifted. On the other hand, it could just be toying with me and we’ll get nailed somewhere between here and Dallas – ha!

    The Arizona desert is so unique. Traveling to Arizona I am always excited when I see the first cactus. Coming down into the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix) from Flagstaff it’s the prickly pear cacti that you see first. You’ll spot one or two all by themselves and then a few more and a few more and before you know it they’re all over the place!

    If you’re driving from California, the first cactus you see will be the saguaro (pronounced sah-wah-roh) about an hour or so from Phoenix. Just one or two. Here and there. Then you know you’re nearly there. I think you either love the desert or you hate it – there’s no middle ground. I love it.

    We’re leaving for Dallas tomorrow for another housesitting assignment. Two mini-dachshunds. Should be interesting. I think it’ll be fun. More to come…

  • More Bainbridge Island…

    We’ve returned from our outing and managed to snap several decent pics! This is one of the ferries that travels between Seattle and Bainbridge Island. We were on the other side of the bay but I used my zoom. Dark clouds were rolling in just about then.

    Here are two shots of boats in the marina. There are hundreds of boats! All kinds from small sailboats to yachts!

    I love the reflections on the water in the picture above. Almost looks like a painting. In fact, it would make a great painting! Good idea. Maybe I’ll paint it. Sometime.


    This is cool, too…all those masts standing at attention. Just waiting for someone to climb aboard and set sail.

    Just up the road we stopped so I could take this picture of the Seattle skyline. A little bit of sunshine making a brave effort to get through the cloud cover…

  • Winslow, Bainbridge Island

    A pretty garden near the house. I think the gate with the leaded glass is such a neat idea.
    We have several gardens back home and I’m always looking for great garden art. I think this spring I’ll try to find a similar piece.

    It’s sunny (so far), today, so Jack and I are going to take a drive around the island. Not sure how long the sun will last, however.

    My sister has this to say about weather in Washington state, “High of 40, Low of 40” and “If you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute and it’ll change.” So far she’s right on both counts! But I guess if the climate was any different there wouldn’t be all the lush, beautiful, green landscapes that are famous in western Washington! And that would be sad, indeed.


    Here’s a close-up of more art in this same garden. I think this is a sculpture of a spirit from the folklore of Alaska but I’m not really sure. I’m going to try to find out. Maybe Mother Earth? Notice the owl “cap” on her head. Isn’t it so intriguing? I love it.

  • A Ferry Ride to Bainbridge Island,WA

    I took some photos while we were on the ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island. It’s a gorgeous view from any vantage point on the ferry.

    I took this shot of another ferry heading from Bainbridge Island to Seattle. You can see the famous Space Needle which was constructed for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle. It’s towers to a height of 605 feet (184 meters).

    This is a cool shot of a sailboat we passed with a view of Mount Baker (10,778 feet) in the distance. Mount Baker is an ice-clad volcano in the North Cascades of Washington State. “After Mount Rainier, it is the most heavily glaciated of the Cascade volcanoes” (United States Geological Survey-USGS).

    According to the USGS, it’s located 31 miles due east of Bellingham, WA. And considering that Bellingham is 78 miles north of Seattle, that’s one heck of a distance!

    From the other side of the ferry I could see Mount Rainier volcano (14,410 ft) in the distance. Hard to believe that it’s about 100 miles south of Seattle!

    Although I was looking into the sun, I still got a great shot. It’s our third trip to Bainbridge Island to housesit. It’s good to be back.

  • Life is Good!

    Ah, there’s nothing like a good night’s sleep and then waking up in Sunny California (or anywhere sunny, for that matter) to give a person a new perspective on life!

    I just read my post for yesterday – depressing. Sorry about that. But I was so tired and felt so crummy. It was raining when we got here Tuesday night and was a little drizzly yesterday morning which didn’t help my mood. Today is another story entirely!!

    We’re housesitting at what I call my favorite “gig”. Jack says it’s not a gig but it really is. I love the location; I love the house (newly remodeled – I love what they did to it); I love the dogs and I love the weather. And I love being able to see daughter Jennifer. This is a picture of the view from the street.

    I’ve set a goal for choosing a domain name for my website by Monday the 24th. I even posted it on the Dream Job Dialog website so I’m committed. Am concentrating on it, today – we’ll take the dogs for a nice long walk along the ocean which will be perfect for “thinking”. I might even ask Jack and Jennie for an opinion.

    It’s gonna be a great day!

  • The Perks of Housesitting

    On the Road, Again!

    We’re leaving our snowy climate (got about ten inches of snow since yesterday) in a couple of weeks to spend Christmas in sunny California and we won’t have to spend a dime on accommodations! That’s because we’ll be housesitting for a family while they’re away. We’ll be caring for their two sweet dogs, Imo and Dakota,  for the fourth time since we discovered the joys of housesitting.

    We’ve been housesitting for almost three years during our cold midwest winters. So far we’ve had assignments in California, Arizona, and Washington state. We’ve cared for dogs, cats, birds and even chickens, ducks, and geese! And we’ve made great friends of the homeowners, too.

    We don’t charge for our services; we take care of the homes and pets in exchange for lodging. Totally a win, win deal. The website is based in Australia so there are lots of opportunities there but there are housesits available all over the world.

    After we registered with the website we began to receive emails daily that notify us whenever someone has posted a request for a house/pet sitter. If we’re interested we send a message and if we’re not, we just don’t respond – it’s a simple as that. It’s very secure and there are lots of guidelines available.

    You can find the website at https://housecarers.com/.  Check it out.

    12/2/2007