He pulls up into our long dusty drive! He’s in an old beaten up, rusty hooded truck! It’s a vintage green color and it just feels right at home in this little ole country town.
We stop what we’re doing as we quizzically watch this unexpected fellow approach to meet us. We quietly wonder, “who is this tall, slim stranger?” There’s no doubt, he’s a true Texan cowboy, it’s in his stride and manner. He’s wearing the trademark gear from head to toe! Cowboy hat, a blue jean button up shirt, Levi’s and well worn leather boots. His face is etched with character and kindness. So we are at ease as he introduces himself.
He’s the grandson of the man who built our house! He’s always wanted to see inside and although he has lived in this town for all of his 80 years, the opportunity to walk through this piece of his family history has never occurred. So, we are thrilled to invite him to come in!
As Albert walks from room to room, the looks on his face are simply indescribable. His hands reach out to touch the bare wood that his grandfather once nailed into place. His eyes drink in every finely preserved detail. He’s seeing his grandfather’s craftsmanship for the very first time and it’s our honor to be the ones to show it to him.
I show him the old original kitchen cabinets with the bespoke features of his grandfather’s time period. I point out the original wavy glassed windows. He takes it all in.
I ask, “is there anything else you’d like to see?” He responds, “my grandfather drilled wells. I believe, he drilled the one that was originally here. Can I see the place where it was and where the old windmill once stood beside it?” He leads me to the place that’s just outside the kitchen windows. Disappointingly, this piece of history has been covered over with the changes of time so there’s no visible evidence of it remaining but this exciting new information will live on in my heart. In fact, I believe I’ll even put my own windmill just there in that spot!
As we chat a bit more with Albert he shares some further history about his grandfather. We learn that our house was actually the 2nd that he’d built in the community. The 1st house is now long gone. Albert reveals that our house was built around 1903! This was an exciting revelation because we thought it was built later in 1909.
As Albert starts to go, he stops to mention how his wife would like to see inside the house one day. I tell him that they are welcome to stop by anytime and I decided right then and there, when the house is finished, that they will be amongst our very first dinner guests!
Albert’s grandfather, who built our house, is the gentleman in the picture above.
The house as it looked just after it was built! It had two chimneys and an upper porch originally.
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