Goodbye 2013 - I had such a great time!

I guess the older I get the faster time flies.  This year in particular only took about 4.5 months in Chris time to pass ;->  But after a hectic and full holiday season its nice to just kick back and relax, in preperation for the upcoming new year and all it will hold, so the day after Christmas, thats exactly what Chad and I did; we took off for the ranch in east Texas for some peace and quiet.

 

A nice Christmas welcome to the ranch!

We decided to visit Jefferson while we were in the area, so we grabbed a burger at the Hamburger Store, and then walked over to the old courthouse to browse their artifacts.  Its fun just to walk around the town and see the old buildings.



Chad at the Hamburger Store



Jefferson Court House - built in 1890



We thought this old Saloon was a museum, and since the door was open, we walked close to see what was going on inside.  The buildings owner and his family have a fully functioning bar on the bottom floor, where the drinks are free.  The rest of the saloon is filled with their collectibles, I didnt feel like I should take pictures of their private residence, but the ceiling held all of their Howdy Doody dummies, the walls were lined with old pics from their home town of Omaha, and on the floor in the hallway were a few rifles, one of which was an old tommy gun - pretty cool!  The owner was super nice and kept offering us a drink, he just wanted to make us feel welcomed, but after a short visit and signing his guest book, we said our goodbyes and continued our trek around the town. 

The horse drawn carriage was out on a tour when we passed by, we opted not to wait for him to come back, but I think I will plan a trip back to Jefferson next Christmas with a full blown itenerary to include that, and a trip on the evening train around the bayou. 

After a sunset stroll down the street to the Emporium for a little shopping, we headed back to the ranch.

Auntie Skinners Saloon - supposed to have wonderful burgers, FYI

The lights at HLR are so pretty in all of that darkness, but its hard to capture the feel of it.  This is us, just have to take my word for it, the flash wouldnt work.