Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Here on Thanksgiving Day, Theresa and I realize how much we have to give thanks for, as we begin our new adventure running the historic Iron Horse Inn - to you our guests, especially, but to Bob and Judy Atkinson, the Inn's prior owners who've shown such patience in breaking us in, and to our good neighbors and new friends here in Granbury as well who have made us feel to welcome. And thanks in advance to our prospective guests, and to the folks who've signed up for our quilting and artistic workshops and retreats, on faith alone - Y'all drive safely now, and have a great time with your families!

Quilting retreats (protecting American traditions)

If you've browsed the Iron Horse Inn website lately, you may have noticed that we're starting to offer a regular series of artistic retreats or workshops in quilting, painting (water color, oil, pastel, etc.), polymer sculpting, scrapbooking, and other arts and crafts. These will be taught by masters in their fields from around the U.S. To drum up interest in this new sideline, Theresa and I traveled last week to Lewisville, TX so she could speak to representatives of the Texas Association of Quilt Guilds. I tagged along in my official capacity as "driver" and to give moral support - but I was fascinated by the beautiful quilts that some of the other speakers - professional quilting instructors - brought along. As they say, these are not your Grandmother's quilts anymore. If you have the stereotype of quilting as a boring activity invented to keep old ladies out of trouble, I urge you to check out some of the modern work going on, as well as the beauty of traditional quilting. As just one example, check out the website of Lenore Crawford, who will teach the first quilting workshop in January here at the historic Iron Horse Inn. These folks are true artists, and the artistic detail - to say nothing of the passion - in their work is just astounding. Theresa just put two of Lenore's quilts on display in the Inn's living room, for visitors to this historic old Craftsman home during Granbury's upcoming Candlelight Tour (Dec. 6-7 - don't miss it!).

Interesting sidenote: Some years ago, I accompanied Theresa into a quilting shop outside Austin. I got to talking with the owner, and was unpleasantly surprised to learn that many of the "traditional American quilts" on sale in the U.S. today are in fact made - you guessed it - in China! Once again, proud American workmanship is undercut by cheap foreign labor. To which I say: Support your American quilters! Check out America's rich quilting heritage by looking at some of the quilts on display here at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. Another great site to explore is the International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Nebraska...

Enjoying Granbury Live

Last Friday, we went with Bob & Judy to Granbury Live, one of the two live theater offerings on Granbury's historic downtown square. We got to meet some of the folks involved with the show - including the very outgoing "Mistress of Ceremonies" Sandi McRae (see this link for a short profile of Sandi) before the fun began. The performance we watched was "50s Class Reunion," a review of some of the classic music from that decade. The show really was good, clean family fun - the Granbury Live folks are forthright about the Christian orientation of their performances, which traditionally end on a very moving patriotic note. Given the wealth of musical talent that was on display, we're really looking forward to the next show on their schedule, "Lone Star Christmas," which opens November 21.

When you stay with us at the Iron Horse Inn, we'll be happy to make reservations for you at Granbury Live or any of the town's other entertainments.

Discovering our hike-&-bike trail

At the Iron Horse Inn, we're extremely fortunate to be located right on Granbury's up-to-date "Moments in Time Hike-and-Bike Trail" (here's a map) - a nice paved trail that, in one direction, runs from the Inn through one of Granbury's greenest parks at the Granbury Town Hall, which features beautiful fountains and ponds. That end of the trail ends up right in Granbury's lovely old historic district on the town square, with all its quaint shops and restaurants - just about a 10-minute walk from the Inn. In the other direction, the trail runs all the way out to the airport, for a total distance of over two miles. The trail is a nice, quiet place to stroll during these golden autumn evenings. We've been happy to discover that Granbury as a municipality does things right - so the trail is very well maintained and always clean.

GREETINGS from Paul & Theresa

Hello Folks -

This is new Iron Horse Inn-keeper Paul Martin. In early December, my wife Theresa and I will be completely taking over from Bob and Judy Atkinson, who are still showing us the ropes. Judy kindly introduced us in her previous blog entry. Bob and Judy, besides being just wonderful people, are going to be a hard act to follow, hospitality-wise. But Theresa and I will be doing our best to keep up with the high standards their guests have come to expect.

I am finally returning to Texas after 22 years of being posted abroad with the U.S. State Department. This is Theresa's first time to be lucky enough to live in Texas. We have already learned that Granbury is a great little town to get away to, with warm, friendly people. In the coming months, I'll be using this blog to pass on some of our reflections on Granbury, and to try and keep our guests informed of some of the fun things to do here. For example - in the past few days, we've been watching the Christmas light displays going up all over town, so folks visiting after Thanksgiving will be in for a real treat in that regard.

So I invite you to visit our website ocassionally to see what's new!

Take care,
Paul

A Fond Farewell from the Atkinson's!

Can you believe that we have been here for 14 years? The time has come for us to retire! We will miss our friends that have been so special to us over these years. Please call us, or look us up in McKinney. (Our address is 3600 Rottino Drive, McKinney, TX 75070)

Paul and Theresa Martin have great ideas for the artistic classes - we hope you will support them by coming on the weekend, or during the week. We will be here until Dec. 2nd, so come and stay with us before we leave!

How to describe these years? Awesome! The greatest home, the huge live oak trees (wish I could take those with us!!), the gardens, the staircase, the wood, the huge rooms, the gorgeous windows...these are things we will miss. Our breakfasts are going to be awfully quiet! We thank you for giving us wonderful stories, great laughs, and your awesome hugs. We have felt the warmth and true love and concern for us...and it has been mutual. I think when we close the door to all the great family and extended family events that have happened here, it will be hard to not be sad. But, new adventures await us! Please keep in touch! We could meet in downtown McKinney. Until we meet again!

Lovingly,
Judy & Bob Atkinson