Our new humble abode

Our timing sucked....what were we thinking, moving in July in Texas?....but it's done.  We turned in the keys yesterday to our old residence.   *whew*   We hired movers to do the heavy lifting of course, but I can attest even moving small boxes can be a backbreaking chore.  Thank God for Tylenol!

So far our new apartment community has not disappointed.  It's new, very clean, and in a good location just a block away from a major east-west artery.  

About a half mile to our west is a nice shopping area with a Lowe's, Super Target, Best Buy, Staples, Pet Smart, and other smaller stores, too.  Eateries such as On The Border, Starbucks, Subway, Dickey's Barbecue, Raisin' Canes, plus all the normal drive-thru joints are also close by.

Just east of us is something called the "Craig Ranch Beach Club".  (I'm thinking they took considerable liberty with the "beach" notation.)  It appears to be some sort of juvenile holding facility....there are many large fenced in pastures with tall overhead lights.  I'll investigate soon.

We're apparently located near a number of medical facilities as I've noticed many of our neighbors leaving for work wearing scrubs.  We also have a fair number of gray-hairs here, too, so it's nicely diversified.

Our community seems to be seriously dog-centric, which was a major factor for us choosing to live here.  Just across the street to our south is a park with a lighted, paved walking path leading back into a treed area.  

At the far end of the loop is a sitting area with arbors overlooking a small man-made pond.

Jax approves!

 

Right now two phases are complete, with another under construction.  There will be three more after that.

 

Each phase has its own four-story secure parking garage, so I don't have to worry about our cars being exposed to our often times severe Texas weather.  After our catastrophic hail storm(s) earlier this spring this was on my "must have" list.

Phase one has a large pool with private cabanas around the periphery.  (Sorry, this was taken at a bad angle.)

Our building has its own small pool and courtyard area with several grills available for our use.

We also have a dedicated picnic/grilling area that seems to be heavily utilized.  I've gotta give it a try soon.  (You can see Phase 3 underway a block north.)

We also have a large "wellness studio" (a $3 word for gym) that I understand can "pump you up", although I'm told it will cause great physical pain in the process.  They offer free classes here for pilates, yoga, and other regimes, too.

The deal-clincher for us was the dog park.  It's a nice size, divided into spaces for large dogs (over 30 lbs) and small dogs.  I bring Jax here often as many of the other pet owners are very attractive ladies who just fawn all over 'da boy.  *wink*

All over the park, all over all the grounds actually, they have dog poopie-bag dispensers, and owners seem to be very responsible about cleaning up after their pets, unlike in our previous neighborhood.

And right across from the dog park is the "Pet Spa".  No, I'm not kidding!

It consists of a room with numerous stainless steel wash tubs at heights that allow owners to wash their dogs without having to bend over, plus heavy duty blow-dryers to fluff 'em up afterwards.

Our apartment itself is small, as we wanted, but with one exception, it's perfectly sized.  The exception is the den.  Actually the den is adequately sized, but our furniture is simply oversized.  Two overstuffed chairs with ottomans and our huge reclining massaging chair have just overpowered the space.  All three are keepers, though, so we'll just have to deal with it.

The quality of construction is actually pretty good.  Everything appears to be square and plumb, the lighting fixtures are LED's, the shower is about the best I've ever enjoyed anywhere, the plumbing fixtures are of the water-saver variety, and the A/C can freeze your arse off you want it to.  *Brrrr*

The windows appear to be nice quality vinyl framed, and the patio door is super-heavy and tight fitting.  I'm expecting low utility bills. The kitchen appliances, however, are crap.  Although they're Energy Star, they're about the cheapest I've ever seen.  The water still boils on the cooktop, the pizza still cooks in the oven, and the freezer still spits out ice cubes on demand, so I guess I can't complain. 

As things are still being put away and pictures are still leaning against the wall awaiting hanging, interior photos are not available yet.  Sorry.

As Porky used to say, "That's all folks".  Have a good weekend everyone.  :)

S