Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Antiques at Historic bed and breakfast in granbury

We are blessed to have a wonderful collection of beautiful and interesting antiques here at the Iron horse Inn in Granbury Texas.
The house has a historic marker and was built in 1907. What is particularly interesting about this house is that there are so many antiques here which are original to the Cogdell family who built the house over a hundred years ago.Some date to the 1880's from the original family home that burned down in 1905.

All of the light fixtures in the house are original - this is a fine example of the elegant craftsman style from the living room.







This exquisite wall light appears to be a bronze but is in fact hand carved wood and is original to this house. It is on display in the upstairs hallway.




This beautiful old bookcase with curved glass is one of the items of furniture which was saved from the original house fire in 1905. It dates back to the 1880's as does this lovely old sofa.











Guests love to hear the history of this charming old house while sitting around this 1880's solid oak mission dining room table. The entire dining room set was rescued from the house fire, and is in beautiful condition.


Guests are always amazed to see this old clawfoot tub, which is in the Cogdell suite. It is almost 7" long and was ordered specially by Daniel Cogdell, the original owner of the house - he was 6'4" tall and needed a long bath tub! We regularly have male guests tell us what a treat it is to take a soak in a tub that they can finally fit in!

This lovely example of an Edison record player was purchased by the Cogdell's in 1923 , it still has a large collection of its original records and plays beautifully. Guests love to hear it play as a special treat during breakfast! Come along and stay with us at the Iron horse inn and see these and many more beautiful antiques for yourself.







Why not take advantage of our midweek special of $99 for our rooms and enjoy a relaxing and fascinating stay!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Artists in Granbury Texas

Guests who stay here at the Iron horse Inn regularly ask me if I am an artist, because I have opened an artistic retreat center. I always answer "No, I like to dabble". this is true - over the years I have enjoyed dabbling in many art forms, including dress design, drawing, painting, dollhousing, quilting, gardening and Italian figurines.



While living in Italy for 4 years, I became fascinated by these wonderful nativity scenes and was delighted to be able to take a class with two masters of the art, in Naples. Over a period of 18 months I managed to create this one. While it will never be a patch on the work of the masters, it was a real joy to do!









I have always had a fascination with miniatures and dollhouses, so when I decided to embark on this project, I was very excited at the prospect. 4 years later I had completed this dollhouse. I had a ball finding miniature items to put into the house as well as finding ways to create items for the rooms and gardens. This house is mounted on a lazy susan, and guests at the bed and breakfast love to turn it around and look into all of the rooms at the huge number of tiny objects inside!

From the time I was a small child I have had a passion for fabric and sewing. Patchwork always held a particular fascination for me and in recent years the discovery of the "art quilt" form of patchwork has been a joy. this quilt is a "watercolor patchwork" and is based on the Monet Waterlilies painting. I particularly love the work of Lenore Crawford and Esterita Austin, who specialize in creating paintings from fabrics. Esterita will be offering a workshop here in December.

As you can see, I have dabbled quite a bit over the years and while I have not become a master of any art form, I have truly enjoyed trying! That is why I am so excited about having an art retreat center here at the Iron horse Inn - I love to be surrounded by artists who have mastered their art form. I look forward to every artist who comes to stay here.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Delicious Irish Breakfasts at a Granbury Bed and Breakfast!

One of the many things that our guests rave about here at the Iron horse Inn is our delicious 3 course breakfasts and our tasty desserts. Every guest is treated to a fresh baked dessert and a glass of wine or soda, when they arrive.




One of the most popular fresh baked desserts is these delicious Irish Fruit Scones, with strawberry jam and fresh whipped cream. Guests love them!









Another favorite with all of our guests are our delicious Irish Potato Pancakes and bacon for breakfast. This is recipe that is regularly requested.










A speciality of the house and one of Paul's creations, is our wonderful Eggs Benedict. Guests feel they are being treated to something really special when they tuck into this breakfast item!


Of course no breakfast would be complete without fresh fruit, and here at the Iron horse Inn, we pride ourselves on the delicious, nutritious and beautifully presented fruit plates. They can be a work of art on occasion!

Come along and try out our wonderful breakfasts for yourself. You won't be disappointed!

Friday, July 3, 2009

Whats blooming at the Iron Horse Inn Granbury Tx

Despite the intense heat, we still have some bright and cheerful blooms in the gardens, at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and breakfast, here in Granbury Texas.


As a non-native Texan it is a challenge and fun for me to observe what plants will grow in this heat, it turns out there are quite a few really colorful ones that love the dry heat and they are in the Iron Horse Inn gardens!

This beautiful waterlily is blooming happily in our Koi pond, and the pretty succulents below are very happy in the full sun of the afternoon.





With our $99 midweek special there is no reason not to come on over and stay with us and relax in our wonderful old house and lush gardens.

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Wildlife at the Iron Horse Inn Bed and Breakfast, Granbury, Texas!



Now that summer is here, it is so interesting to watch the wide variety of creatures in our lovely gardens, here at the Iron horse Inn Bed and Breakfast. This is picture I took of a beautiful red Dragonfly that was flitting around our pond in the sunshine this morning.

Just yesterday I marveled as a Mockingbird chased a squirrel in spirals around one of 100 year old Pecan Trees! That squirrel was really scared of that Mocking bird!
A couple of mornings ago, I called our guests attention to a mother and baby Cardinal just outside the dining room window. Mama bird was taking care of baby bird who was not long out of his nest. He was still gray and fluffy, but had his distinctive Cardinal crest on his head.


Around the pond this morning I took this photo of the Koi fish swimming around.they have been taking shelter under the greenery of the pond during this past few days of hot weather



If you look closely at the picture below you will see the beautiful Heron that lives along the river on the hike and bike trail right beside our bed and breakfast. I enjoy watching him as i take my morning walk along the trail.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Wedding anniversaries at the Iron horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast

The Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast here in Granbury, Texas is a very popular destination for happy couples celebrating their wedding anniversaries. This past week alone, we have had a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary (they met and were married within 2 weeks back in 1959 and are still happy together all these years later!) and a couple celebrating their first wedding anniversary. Congratulations to both of these couples. This charming couple in our photo, who are sitting in the romantic swing in our 400 year old live oak tree in our gardens, were celebrating their 3rd. anniversary.
We have had couples recently who became engaged here at the Iron horse inn Bed and Breakfast and have come back for their anniversary. This past week we had a couple who got married here 10 years ago and they come back to celebrate their anniversary with us.

With all of this romance in the air we have decided to include a Romantic Anniversary Package to make it even easier to celebrate that special occasion here at the Iron horse Inn. We can do all of the planning and make sure everything is just perfect for you all, you have to do is enjoy your special day together!

Check out our bed and breakfast packages and see if there isn't something there just right for you!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

baby showers at the Iron Horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast in Granbury Texas


Here at the Iron Horse Inn historic bed and breakfast in Granbury Texas, we love to have baby showers! Our separate art studio/meeting room in our garden is the perfect setting for your baby shower.



The organizers of our last baby shower did a wonderful job of decorating the studio to make it look really cute and inviting (and their snacks looked great too!)

As baby showers are something we never did in Ireland, I find it particularly fun to welcome an expectant mom and her friends to celebrate her upcoming birth.
So if you are thinking of planning a baby shower for your best buddy remember the Iron horse Inn Historic Bed and Breakfast has the perfect place for you!