The Ruby Ranch

This page is dedicated to the physical ranch.


The 'ranch' is located in South Texas in the famous "Hill Country"
A beautiful region of central and south central Texas consisting of hills, lakes (man made) streams and woods.  A large part of it is referred to as the 'Edwards Plateau'.
The woods here consist mostly of Live Oak and Red Cedar, and in the lower elevations there is also Mesquite. Near the creek beds we also have a lot of Elm.
Even though the creek beds are 'dry' most of the year, there is usually water under the surface, as Elm will not grow unless there is a water source within 30 feet.
The trees here do not grow very tall unless they are located on a creek bed as the rainfall is unpredictable and frequently insufficient. Droughts of greater than 1 year in length are common.
So when we speak of woods, people from  the north or east might be a little disappointed.
 
There is a lake nearby called Medina Lake, the dam for which was constructed in 1912 by a British investment company as an irrigation project
.

Dr Pearson, the engineer who organized the project  and his family, were returning to England for a visit  in 1915 on the Luisitania when it was sunk by a German submarine. :-(

The lake and irrigation project now belongs to the tri-county water authority.
Photo to the right of the dam and lake was taken by my daughter Susan as I was giving her a private air tour of the area.
I purchased the property about 18 years ago (1993) back when land was much cheaper than it is now, totally undeveloped.

I have cleared about 2 acres, drilled a water well, (590 feet deep), had electricity installed, built a small barn, boat shed,  and a picnic pavilion. Except for drilling the well and installing the power line, I did all the work myself, solo, including putting in a sidewalk and bar b que patio.
I personally installed the electricity to my home and constructed the service circuit/ tower for the power box and meter.
The walk and patio are constructed of natural rock that I collected from the creek bed. Lots of heavy lifting there!

I have also cut a lot of trails through the woods for hiking. As the Ranch has many steep hills, hiking here can be quite arduous.

We have lots and lots of rock in this area. In fact there are 5 stone quarries within 10 miles of the ranch. Mostly limestone.

The photo at the top is of part of my picnic area with the barn in the back ground.
The second photo is of me mixing concrete for the barn floor. It took 40; 80 pound bags of concrete to complete the job.

 
The photo to the right is of my new BBQ grill and patio. The rock in the patio came from the creek bed, most are around 4 inches thick.
I added the canopy over the grill  to protect it from the weather and me from the sun. The uprights are cedar posts, harvested from the ranch.


 
I had a mule for a couple of years, See photo to the right.
She was a red mule, about 2 years old when I got her.
I had wanted a mule for several years so I could participate in a trail ride, which takes place in February in conjunction with the San Antonio Stock and Rodeo Show.
Mules ride much more smoothly than horses, and are gentler creatures.
They are also extremely smart.
Unfortunately, due to my frequent traveling I had to get rid of her as I wasn't home enough to properly take care of her.

 
The Ranch is a little bit of paradise and I thank God for the privilege of being able to have acquired it at this stage of my life.


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