LA JOYA REAL

“Stay out of the way of guests, and always be on your best behavior.”

Those were the only two rules during those idyllic summers we spent with our grandparents in South Texas. Eloise and Odie lived and worked on the Joya Real dude ranch; he managed the horses and the maintenance of the grounds, she tended to the guests, and they resided in a charming little care keeper’s cottage. When we’d go for our annual stays, we thought we were Western royalty. We were free to roam and explore and enjoy all the little luxuries of the gorgeous grounds; we could swim at our leisure, ride horses, play shuffleboard, collect peacock feathers, and help ourselves to anything we desired from the big industrial fridge in the kitchen. It was paradise.

And yet, though we were fortunate to indulge in the amenities, what makes these memories so meaningful now is that they’re enveloped in the one-of-a-kind, unconditional love of Granny Eloise.