House Rules & Information
Front Door
The rounded key works the front door. If you want to leave the front door open during your stay, make sure to use the heavy door stop to secure the front door. If the exterior doors are open in the Master Bedroom or in the pool room, the front door can swing shut quickly.
Television
There are three remotes for the television. Use the Sony remote to turn the television on. Then hit ‘Sat’ on the Dish remote. That will power up the Dish receiver under the TV. The third remote controls turn on the BluRay DVD player. If the TV is on and the Dish receiver is on and you are not getting a signal, use the Sony remote to change the input. Gather the three remotes and place them on the TV room coffee table before you leave.
Den
There is a working fireplace in the den. Check and make sure the flue is open before lighting a fire. Keep the screen door closed when you aren’t actively tending your fire.
Temperature Control
The AC control panel is on the left side of the hall just past the den. Keep the mode on Auto, but feel free to set the temperature to your liking. Please don’t set the mode to On. Return the temperature setting to 78 degrees (Summer) or 68 degrees (Winter) when you leave.
Flower Room
The guest room on your right is the Flower Room. It has a king bed and windows facing the front pasture.
Kids Room
Though adults can and do sleep here, the first room on your left is called the Kids Room. It has four bunk beds. The house collection of DVDs is in a chest of drawers in front of the Kids Room.
Kitchen
We provide pretty much everything you need - plates, utensils, glasses and coffee mugs. Grilling tools are located in the drawer to the left of the oven. You’ll find a coffee grinder, drip coffee maker, crock pot, blender, and toaster in the kitchen for your use. The oven is operated by touch screen. Touch it to wake it up and then select the mode you want on the left side of the screen. Temperature controls are on the right. Hit Start and you are good to go.
We have an induction range top. Use the Kitchenaid pots and pans for cooking on the range. The microwave above the range is pretty straightforward. Hit the arrow button to start it.
Please clean the oven of spills before you leave.
The kitchen table is opposite the kitchen. This table seats 6 in an informal setting. It's open to the kitchen and adjacent to but separate from the Dining Room table. (Not that you’d want young humans to eat at their own table...but if you did…)
Scorpion Room
Directly opposite the Kitchen. The Scorpion Room has a king bed and a futon. Many guests love crashing in the Scorpion Room. Maybe it's relaxing because it’s on the north side of the house where the rising sun is less intense or because of the comforting shelter from the 80-year-old pecan tree outside the window. Perhaps it's just less haunted than the Flower Room, but whatever the reason, the Scorpion Room is a favorite. Extra blankets are located in the closet of the Scorpion room.
Dining Room
The dinner table seats 10. There is bar seating for 4 in the Dining Room.
Guest Bath
Off dining room. This bathroom is handicap accessible and has a walk-in shower.
Master Bedroom
With sweeping views to the east and south, a king bed, a private bath including a shower with a view and its own porch, the Master is pretty excellent.
The AC panel is in front of you when you step in. Feel free to set the temperature to your liking. But keep the mode set to Auto. Don’t set the Fan to On. If you do, bad things happen to the AC. Return the temperature setting to 78 degrees (Summer) or 68 degrees (Winter) when you leave.
Pull up the left side handle, lock the door. Turn right handle up, lock door. If the Master Bedroom exterior door is open, the interior Master door can swing shut quickly. There is a weight dumbbell in the Master closet to use to keep that door propped open.
The Master Bath has heated floors. The control is on your left when you walk in. Adjust the temperature as you wish. Please set the temperature at 60 degrees upon departure.
Pool Room
The Pool Room is cleverly named for a pool table. This kickass single slab pool table is over 100-years old and belonged to Heather’s grandfather. Have fun and play pool to your heart’s content but keep food and drinks off the felt or wooden side rails. Kids are welcome to play but please watch to make sure they don't dig into felt.
The Pool Room has a working fireplace. Check and make sure the flue is open before lighting a fire. Keep the screen in place when you aren’t actively tending your fire.
To lock the exterior doors in the Pool Room, turn the handle up and then turn the bolt to lock. The door to the right is a little sticky so give it a gentle tweak and it will usually fall into line.
Keep the Pool Room safe and remember to lock all its doors when you check out. The Pool Room remembers.
We prefer that you turn off exterior lights for the front porch or back deck when you go to sleep. As part of our commitment to preserve the natural setting, we like to keep the dark skies dark when possible. If you feel more secure with the exterior lights on all night, you are welcome to do so.
Pool
To turn the pool lights on, you’ll find the switch behind the short wooden fence that screens the pool equipment. Cushions for the pool chairs are located in the brown chest near the table. Please replace the cushions before you check out. Pool towels are located in the guest bathroom. Bath towels are for indoor use only.
It’s a shallow pool so don’t dive. Swim at your own risk.
Feel free to use throw blankets outside but only on the front porch and back patio. Do not put towels or throws on the grass. We have grass burrs which are extremely difficult to remove from fabric.
Back Patio & Exterior
The red cushions next to the exterior doors are for the four lounge chairs on the back patio. If there is no burn ban, you can have a small fire in the fire pit. Check the Gillespie County website for burn ban notices. Watch out for sparks or burning leaves or embers that blow out of the fire pit. The land here is usually dry and accidentally set fires are a real threat. Call 911 if you notice any fire of any size on the property. The address is 14683 State Highway 16 North, Willow City, Texas, 78675.
The main house and guest house are non-smoking. You can smoke on the front porch or back patio. Please pick up any cigarette butts and put them in the trash. Be very careful with lit cigarettes. The ground is usually dry and accidental fires are always a danger.
Granite Ranch has two fenced pastures for our longhorns. They graze on native gamma and bluestem grasses. Please stay out of any pasture that has longhorns. Close and latch any gates you open as soon as you come through.
You are welcome to catch and release the fish in the ponds. No hunting is allowed unless you have made specific arrangements with Heather prior to your arrival. In our experience, dogs are good guests and we welcome them at Granite Ranch. Keep guest dogs from entering the pastures and definitely keep them away from the longhorns. Longhorns respond to dogs in the same way they respond to coyotes.
Please pick up the dog poop and clean up any in-house dog mishaps.
The front porch and the Radio Tower are the best places to enjoy the sunset. Get there about 30-45 minutes before sunset and, unless it's totally clouded, you should see a good show.
Enjoy your stay at Granite Ranch!
Heather & Griffin
