Finding surprises on the first visit to our property

A 737 whisked us to Houston while Gulliver stood watch over Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport’s East Economy parking lot. Upon landing, a shuttle ushered us to the Enterprise rental car lot, where a Chevy truck awaited. We loaded into it and set out on a two-hour journey to visit the property we had purchased unseen (other than pictures) after five years of full-time RVing. 

Since it was our first time in the state of Texas after buying land there, we had to make some stops at the county seat to take care of paperwork. That done, we pressed on, eager to see the property with our own eyes. 

We entered the small fishing community, navigated a narrow dirt road, pulled over, and opened our doors to tall grass in need of mowing. The mower we pay hadn’t gotten to it before our arrival. Thankful I had worn blue jeans and my cowgirl boots, I set foot on our land for the first time. Bob did so in shorts and sneakers, the overgrowth tickling his legs.

After a cursory review of our two plots and a meeting with the general manager of the property owners association, we discovered a few surprises.

A broken pipe

While inspecting our property, we successfully found the RV sewer dump, but it was in need of repair. It appeared to have been hit by a lawnmower, with plastic pieces scattered in the grass.

We like to do projects, and fixing the broken PVC pipe was definitely in our wheelhouse. Although we didn’t have any tools with us, our friends in the community, John and Kristi, whom we had met on a transatlantic cruise, did. We borrowed a shovel and a saw and found the parts we needed at the Fishville Trading Post — a one-stop shop for dining, groceries, hardware, fishing supplies, and miscellaneous finds.

Bob dug around the pipe with the spade, and we quickly learned about Texas black clay. It’s soft, sticky stuff that makes up the foundation of our property and is difficult to work with and clean off. We didn’t know we’d be back to playing in the mud so soon after getting stuck in it in Northern Arizona.

After clearing enough of the earth from around the sewer pipe, Bob sawed off the elbow connector for the dump, steering clear of the electrical conduit that ran diagonally from the electric pole on the property to the sewer main. This instigated emptying of the pipe’s liquid contents into the newly created hole. We couldn’t proceed with our project with all that water there. 

Bob used the replacement elbow joint to bail out the water. Then he discovered a crack in the straight pipe. Not wanting to revisit this project later, he sawed off the pipe to remove the crack.
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We cleaned the parts, and Bob painted the connecting edges with PVC pipe primer and cement. Then he stuck them together.

He repeated the process for the elbow and the top pipe, which forms the threaded section the RV hose connects to. The only thing missing was a cap for the pipe. We created a makeshift one, filled in the hole, and headed into a nearby town for a more permanent solution. There we bought a pipe cap and spray paint to help prevent another mower incident.

​Returning to the property, we attached the pipe cap and inserted three metal poles in the ground around the sewer dump to help our mower see it amid the tall grass. Bob sprayed the poles and cap with orange paint as an added measure.

Pests and wildlife

After spending 24 consecutive years in the Phoenix area and wintering there for the past five, we got accustomed to not having to deal with many insects and pests. Texas has a whole different climate, which bugs and creepy-crawlies like. 

With our property being near a bay off the Gulf of America, mosquitos are common, as are mice and snakes, which can easily hide in tall grasses. I have a much better appreciation for Texans wearing boots. 

When we finally found our water connection on the property, seemingly hidden under tall grass, we opened the lid cautiously, not wanting to experience another snake encounter. Fortunately, no creepy-crawlies emerged.

Upon examination of our electric box, we discovered two wasp nests in it. Fortunately, they were accompanied by a number of dead wasps. Bob removed the nests and cleaned out the box. In the process, we heard some creature scurrying around in the incredibly overgrown plot next to our land. We never saw exactly what it was. 

A cluster of trees

What appeared to be a large bush at the end of our second plot turned out to be something entirely different upon closer inspection. Surrounded by tall, prickly weeds, the “bush” comprised five distinct trees. 

As I studied the cluster trying to identify the types using Google Lens, I started to notice small insects flying around my head. Then a mosquito landed on my arm. I quickly captured some pictures and moved away. 

As best as we can tell, four trees are hackberry, and one is mesquite. Since trees are a rarity in the community surrounding our property, we plan to clear out the underbrush when we return to make the trees clearly identifiable and remove places for creatures to hide.

Attractive community

From the general manager of the property owners association to fellow community residents to store workers, everyone we met welcomed us with congeniality.

We found the area quiet and peaceful, just our pace. Small towns within a half hour east and west offered easy drives to get supplies. We investigated both and sampled Mexican food and fresh seafood, two staples in the area. 

With plentiful water views a short distance from our property, we also visited two beaches — one covered in shells and another with more sand. And our VRBO rental house for this trip, 20 minutes away from the property, stood one block from Tres Palacios Bay. The quaint, one-bedroom cottage on stilts even featured a deck that offered beautiful sunrise views for coffee enjoyment.

The weather was wonderful, with daytime temperatures in the 70s. And we experienced a thunderstorm while there.

The entire weekend left us feeling extremely happy with our property purchase. We look forward to returning to spend a little more time there and do more projects.

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