Planes, Trains, and 18-Wheelers

Welcome to our new neighborhood! We live on a corner lot, and this sign welcomes people into our barrio. Of course, it looks like we need to trim the tree so people can READ that they need to slow down!

This is our front yard. Our house is actually a duplex, so the part we live in is the brick on the end. I looks much smaller on the outside than it actually feels on the inside.

This is the part we live in! I enjoy sitting on our front porch as Jayden plays in the yard -- at least on the cooler days!

This is the back of our home. Notice the carport -- for which we are extremely thankful! The heat of the Texas sun is brutal, and it wonderful that our car can sit in the shade! My laundry room is right off the carport in what the little "box" part of the house that is in the sun on the left side of the carport as you look at the photo.

This is the side view of our home. As you can see, we're right on a street. I find the window coverings very interesting, but I really like them. They don't allow much light to enter (the downside), but they do keep out the heat and give us some privacy from the warehouse across the street from us.

We thought we were moving to a nice, quiet neighborhood. However, after sleeping here just a few nights, we realized that there is a LOT of noise --- but not from "normal" sources! We have train tracks a block from our house, and the international airport is only a few miles from here. Jets fly over our house all through the day, and there are several flights that leave early in the morning. We didn't think much of these train tracks when we saw them, because they were EMPTY!

We soon realized, however, that although the tracks are empty during the day, they are busy at night! The first night the trains ran, the three of us didn't sleep. It was LONG night. We've slowly acclimated a bit, and they no longer keep us awake throughout the night.

In addition to planes and trains, we have a warehouse across the street. It looks quiet enough, doesn't it?

But if you notice on the right side of this picture, there is a ramp and huge opening. This is the delivery door! And what delivers. . . ?

Yup. 18-wheelers. This truck is backing into the warehouse to unload. You can see our car in our carport in the lower right corner. That's how close these trucks are. The worst part about them is they often arrive at 5 AM and we can hear the metal door of the warehouse open and the truck beeping as it backs into its space. Again, we've gotten used to it, but it took some time.

I say all this with humor, because truth be told, we are SOOO happy with our home. Other than the different vehicles that travel through, over, and by our neighborhood, it really is quiet and peaceful. Stay tuned for pictures of the INSIDE of our house!