It's Only a Shed: The Village 'Hood

It's winter! Hundreds of folks from across our great land travel south seeking the warm sun and relaxation found here in South Texas.

Here at Retama Village we are known affectionately as Winter Texans. IMO, being dubbed a Winter Texan is far more romantic than being called a Snowbird, after all we don't fly! To me, being called a Texan's conjured the thought of big, better and beautiful cowboy boots.... the 3 B's!

During the summer, Retama is very quiet .... empty!

Today I jumped onto my trusty ol' golf cart, the mode of transportation within the Village, and armed with my camera I set out to capture what our community has become. Yes, we have many beautifully outfitted coach houses, the McMansion's of sorts, but we have many new owners this season. Some of our new owners were renters and have taken the leap to become "lot owners" or Villagers. Now they begin ambitious remodels -- which is the case of Vicki and Bob.

Cabinet makers set up shop 'on-site'

Vicki and Bob have taken out the original cabinets and contracted a local cabinet maker. This chap arrived and is actually making their cabinets 'on-site'. The goal to build a corner entertainment cabinet. They measure, cut, re-measure and then install. And, perhaps, remeasure and recut!

This could go on forever!!!

I just noticed in this picture that the ladder color almost matches the walls -- but not really, the walls are terra cotta!

This coach house has a trayed ceiling to add extra volume to the small space. Our coach houses are tiny and maximizing storage is a challenge ... custom cabinets should help!

It will be fun to see the end results ... in a couple of days.

This coach house is being remodeled by the new owners. Vicki loves color! I do too!! The corner "upper" cabinets are deep and will hold a lot of treasures.

The side back corner will be home to a stacked washer/dryer and fridge.

Down the road is Marv & Paula's place. They have a RV super site, actually they own one of the largest RV sites. Their back yard has been created to include a pond and palapa. The palms leaves are used to create a tropical covering on the palapa ... it probably measures 10' across, HUGE! Perfect for those sunny days.

Living in an RV full time has benefits

Traveling in our RV's during the summer months and calling Retama "home" during the winter months allows the owners an opportunity to create a little paradise. Evenings sitting around a fire ... perfect end to the busy days.

The back of Marv & Paula's coach house

Just down the street, this coach house is ready for guests. The murphy bed is tucked away when not in use. Check out the corrugated tin / vaulted ceiling, the rough sawn paneling. YeeHawww! I love Texan-styled decorating.

This coach house has a really cool ceiling finish, vaulted ceiling and rough sawn paneling.

Outdoor living at its best, below, a custom built outdoor kitchen makes party prep easy and fun.

Bring on the steaks and margarita's

Our trees are finally creating shade and coach house patio's become retreats for socializing.

This umbrella was given a fun, facelift -- palapa styled!.

Throughout our Village there are spaces of green .. we call they green spaces (original idea!) The green spaces are littered with trees, which are growing ... Texas Style, the 3-B's, big and beautiful.

Green Space

Some sections of our green space is adjacent to a cow pasture

If lucky, on a walk past the cows you can scratch the ear of these friendly guys.

Come sit a spell ... add the umbrella and this coach house is ready for guests.

We cannot close without talking about our butterflies, dragonflies and hummingbirds ... they are everywhere! Most are migratory but stop in our Village for awhile. Our community has flowers and shrubs planted throughout the Village which attracts these migratory fellows.

We Winter Texans love their visits as they stop for a spell during their migration south in the Fall and when they return in the Spring on their way north.