Christine and a new friend.

“Christine and I had a wonderful time at your place this week. Thanks for sharing! Armando was so kind to us…showing us around and letting Christine help him feed the animals. When we got home she kept asking me if I told people about all the new friends she met…at first I was confused since we were mostly alone there…she meant the animals!!! When we got to take our horseback ride, we were both in heaven…what incredible horses! Cowboy Bob took time to answer her questions and help her understand why her horses are doing some “weird” things here. I’ve had some rotten experiences with horses in my lifetime so it was so nice to have such a positive experience to share with her.

The Log Cabin brought back memories from my childhood in Oklahoma. I had two aunt and uncle couples who lived in log cabins…it was fun to share the memories with Christine.

I teased that I had to put a rope on Christine to get her in the car for the trip home. All she wants to know is how soon we can come back and if we can bring the whole family!”

We love to hear from our guests. Thanks to Christine and Jane for sharing highlights from your Mother/Daughter Weekend with us!

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It was a glorious day for all involved. We are so happy they choose to marry at our Texas guest ranch.

Photos by Skeeter Hagler.

The Murphy sisters visit our Texas Guest Ranch.

“There are six Murphy girls and we all grew up in Dallas. Three of the sisters now live in Texas and three have homes outside of Texas (Washington State and Wyoming). We are very close sisters and love to get together whenever we can. Our parents, both deceased, were proud of their heritage and when we were growing up, we often heard stories of our grandparents and great-grandparents. About two years ago, we began talking about a reunion where the six of us would travel around Texas and visit places of interest to our family history. We chose to explore the history of our mother’s paternal ancestors, and set about doing some research; our reunion turned into a Pilgrimage in search of our Texas ancestory.

Our main guideline was concluding our trip in the town of Wheelock, Texas, founded by our great,great,great grandfather, Eleazar Louis Ripley Wheelock, who founded the town. (His great grandfather, Eleazar Wheelock, was the founder of Darmouth College in New Hampshire!) As children we had attended Wheelock Reunions with our grandparents. These reunions, always on the first Sunday in May, have been held on the grounds of the Wheelock Cemetery for over 100 years.

Martha took charge of planning the itinerary, and asked each sister for suggestions of where to visit. We took out the map of Texas, circled all the locations, and “connected the dots”, so to say. Starting in Dallas, we had 8 nights on the road which included travel to Tyler, Kilgore, Jacksonville, Palestine, Mexia, Austin, San Marcos, San Antonio, Seguin, Cat Spring, Brenham, College Station, and finally to the birthplace of our ancestors, Wheelock, Texas.

When we realized our visit to San Antonio was not far from Cat Spring, we knew we had to make plans for a visit to see our family friend, Skeeter Hagler. What an amazing and unforgettable experience to visit Blisswood Texas bed and breakfast! We had no idea what we were about to experience when we arrived at the entrance to Blisswood. We followed Skeeter to the picturesque gazebo, passing many, many lovingly-cared-for animals along the winding road before arriving at the White Gazebo alongside the peaceful pond with its little bridge, and abundant flowers, vines and lush foliage. We were truly awed by the setting and the beautifully prepared luncheon of luscious cheeses, colorful fruits, croissants, chilled wines and crisp, “fresh from the garden” salad greens!

Our time with Skeeter and Carol at lunch (how does she do it!) was followed by a tour and an “all too brief” good-bye as we had to depart for the next destination on our pilgrimage.”

Thanks to Martha Murphy for writing this. We always love to hear from our guests.

The trickle of the waterfall gently lulled us to sleep...

“I just had to take the time out to share with you all just how wonderful my experience was of The Blisswood Ranch B&B in CatSpring, Texas. I live nearby in Houston, Texas and have a hard time finding something so wonderful and so close to home. It was only 60 miles from my front door, and I walked into an Oasis (literally) at this beautiful Bed & Breakfast Ranch Site. On our visit we were greeted by wonderful Emily, who walked us through to our suite. There were chocolate covered strawberries and champagne waiting our arrival. The King bed was soft and luxurious, the bathroom had a large garden Jacuzzi tub for two, wink, wink. The kitchen had a dish washer, refrigerator and all the kitchenware we needed to make a stay easy. Outside our front porch with the sliding glass doors was a 6 foot tall water fall wall that softly trickled us to sleep. On the Ranch property there are lots of experiences of wild and domestic animal life. A friendly camel, a kangaroo, chickens, horses, silly goats, donkeys, dogs, and 1 big fat sleepy potbelly pig that probably weighs about 400 lbs. OUCH! Apparently the food is good on ranch, just ask the pig. This is my second time to visit the ranch, my first time I stayed in the Enchanted Cabin and it is well worth the wait to get a weekend in that beautiful, secluded and peaceful spot. I look forward to many retreats back to this convenient location. Thanks Carol, you do a swell job at everything on the ranch. It’s a must visit!”

Thanks for the review Lydia. We always enjoy hearing back from our guests.

Carol, Paul and Merrill at the May Vintner's Dinner.

Paul and Merrill planted their first grapes in 1977. During the past 30 + years they have worked hard to refine and develop their wine; today Messina Hof wine regularly wins awards for excellence in national and international competitions.

The next Vintner’s Dinner will be on July 15, 2010 at 7pm. We’ll feature Cap Rock Winery from Lubbock, Texas. Don’t miss this fantastic opportunity to explore Texas wines and meet Texas winemakers.

Destination Dining food writer John Mariani (who has written for Esquire) described our Central Texas restaurant as “beautifully situated in the middle of nowhere, where relaxing is what you do between courses…” The restaurant is rich with Texas country appointments in cedar, cowhide, lace curtains and Pulitzer Prize winner Skeeter Hagler’s autographed photos about Texas Cowboys. Food specialties range from Black and Bleu Filet Mignon to Mango Margarita Shrimp, all accompanied by an extensive and contemporary wine list.

BlissWood Texas Guest Ranch and Carol’s Restaurant are located 60 minutes west of Houston, 90 minutes from Austin, and two hours from San Antonio. Once you get here, it seems like a you’re a million miles from the rest of the world.

Bliss awaits you at BlissWood Bed & Breakfast. To learn more about BlissWood B&B, BlissWood’s Oasis, the ranch and Carol’s Restaurant, or to make reservations, visit www.blisswood.net or call 713-301-3235.

In acknowledging the selection by Wheel of Fortune, owner / entrepreneur Carol Davis reflected on her pride and joy and life’s work. “Waking here on the ranch every day and sharing it with my guests provides me with all the “Fortune” I could every hope for and I love sharing it all with my guests – especially on our horseback rides. It will be a joy to share this with Wheel of Fortune winners.”

To help celebrate this proud appearance on Wheel of Fortune, BlissWood Texas bed and breakfast is making a special offer, to encourage more people to ‘get away without going too far away…’  Make a regular reservation for any two-night stay, Sunday through Thursday and receive a third night for just $29.00 (plus 6% room tax) – then put the savings in the bank, and build your own Fortune.   This offer is valid through December 15, 2010, excluding holidays.

Horseback riding at our Texas Guest Ranch. Photo by Skeeter Hagler.

Wheel of Fortune airs in 28 countries to approximately 44 million viewers. We invite friends and guests of our Texas Guest Ranch to tune in on June 4, 2010, as well.

The next time you come out to our Texas bed and breakfast, stop by and see the spring babies, pictured below.

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Baby angus calf

Proud Mama and her calf

Stay at the ranch and enjoy a fall sunrise after the vinter's dinner.

Fall is simply the best time of year to celebrate wine with special events like a Vintner’s Dinner. Grapes are harvested, the smell of the crush fills the air, and wineries open their doors with special wine tasting events. In the spirit of all this fun, we have decided to host a Vintner’s Dinner at our Houston area guest ranch restaurant on November 10, 2009, at 7:00pm.

Truchard Winery is a small, family-owned winery in the the Carneros region of Napa Valley. Proprietors Tony and Jo Ann Truchard have worked hard for the past thirty years to successfully grow grapes, and we are all rewarded with wines of exceptional quality. Indeed, the Truchards helped pioneer grape growing in the Carneros region of California.

In 1989, the Truchards started producing wine made uniquely from grapes grown on their land. Even today, this practice is far too rare. The Truchards know about grapes, and make sure each grape that becomes an ingredient in their wine meets their high-quality standards.

Celebrate Truchard Winery with Tony and Jo Ann at the restaurant adjacent to our Texas guest ranch. Plan to stay the night in one of the many guest houses on the ranch, so you need not limit the amount of wine you taste. We will provide a six-course dinner specifically planned to highlight the Truchard wines we will be celebrating.

Ladies of Texas enjoy Horseback Riding

LOTT: Ladies of Texas Tradition

They call themselves LOTT, Ladies of Texas Tradition. Back in 1993, group of women assembled at LH7Ranch; their goal was to celebrate being independent and free, and to experience the outdoors and all things equine. They have been riding together ever since, throughout Texas.

Here at our Houston area guest ranch, they enjoyed fine weather and good company. After their big day of riding, the ladies enjoyed a wonderful meal at Carol’s at Cat Spring Restaurant.

Why not host your next reunion or function here? With ample private housing, miles of trails for trailriding, hiking or biking, and tasty food in our elegant yet casual fine dining restaurant, you can’t go wrong. Foster lasting friendships or solid working relationships with an hour or two in the saddle. If you are an experienced rider, you know how this is true, and if you are a novice, just think of all the fun and laughs you can share.

Here they are, leaving the restaurant, having satisfied their hunger and fueled up for the 3 mile ride back to the ranch. The group decided the experience was so wonderful that they will gather soon again for another great horseback ride at Blisswood, our Texas guest ranch.

A delighful Sunday horseback ride