Merry Christmas!

Thank you, everyone, for supporting Gunslinger! We wish you a merry Christmas and a blessed 2010! Have safe travels, share smiles and hugs, and appreciate all that you have! Love, Melissa and the Gunslinger Staff

Thanksgiving at The Dixie Dude Ranch, Bandera, Texas

My sister-in-law, Jill, and me in my Montana Dreamwear "Wild Turkey Hat" (but, of course...it's THANKSGIVING) on a trail ride at the Dixie Dude Ranch! Great family gathering place, awesome food, beautiful acreage, and accomodating hosts, Diane and Clay Conoly.

I am anxiously awaiting a very special gift from my friends Celeste and Earl...they are sending a live Christmas tree from Montana! We are thankful for our wonderful friends and customers every day, but especially during this holiday season! We're so very blessed in this strained economy.

Our new store, Cowboy Caliente, is now open and full of bright and colorful art, home decor, jewelry, fabulous finds, fiery salsas, and funky folk art. We are working on the website now...soon you'll be able to shop online. Cowboy Caliente is across the street from Gunslinger and a completely different concept. If you are looking to travel to Bandera for the holidays, feel free to call or email and I will happily guide you for a Christmas in the Cowboy Capital of the World.

The Outpost Inn at Cedar Creek is for sale!!!

Located just outside Round Top, Texas, is one of my most favorite B & B's.............

definitely in the "Melissa's Top Picks" of quaint places to stay. The Outpost Inn has all of the qualities I love.............

individual cabins with their own bathrooms...each decorated in its own theme with authentic antiques, clean buttery linens, and rustic elegance...and also wonderful food to look forward to each morning! Lenore, the innkeeper now turned friend-for-life, prepares an impressive, fresh breakfast buffet in the lodge shown above. You fill your vintage Texas town plate and sit among other interesting guests on charmingly mismatched tables and chairs, while looking out on the expansive acreage (Bluebonnet season is amazing here) and gardens landscaped with found objects and outdoor treasures.

Lenore is an artist in every sense of the word...her meticulous attention to the tiniest design details has created the "big picture" magic of The Outpost experience. However, it is time for her to pass the B & B torch in exchange for a paint brush...as she wishes to pursue her next dream. Canvas, brushes, and pigment call to her...but; in return, someone will be blessed by purchasing this established gem of Texas. Another big (and I do mean it literally) bonus is that her brawny sidekick, Danny, is willing to stay on board at The Outpost and continue maintaining the grounds and cabins that he has helped diligently construct through the years. (and boy can he cook, too!) The cleaning staff is friendly, professional and hard-working. This is just such a unique opportunity for someone to own and operate their own already established, turn~key Bed and Breakfast and to meet great folks traveling through this beautiful, peaceful area of Texas!

Please pass this info to anyone interested in purchasing or simply staying at The Outpost Inn. Read magazine articles and other press written about Lenore and the inn, watch a short video, or book a room online at http://www.outpostinn.com/ . Once again...tell them Melissa of Gunslinger sent you!

Cowgirl Hall of Fame Museum

I just had a fabulous time watching four amazing, inspirational cowgirls get inducted at The Cowgirl Hall of Fame Museum in Ft. Worth on Friday. A special thanks to Cowboys and Indians Magazine for inviting me to be a part of their table along with fellow advertisers. All of the tables were so creatively decorated in a western theme by various organizations, stores, and individuals. Laura Bush spoke and the food provided by The Reata was incredible, especially for a banquet (by the way...I stopped in their downtown location for dinner there, also...and had one of the best margaritas ever...also elk sausage over cheese grits...jalepeno/cilantro soup...Texas goat cheese salad...hungry yet? You MUST try it if you're in Ft. Worth or near the original site in Alpine). I hit all my favorite shopping spots in Sundance Square...time to head back to Bandera!

Stony Ridge Ranch near Gunslinger

http://www.stonyridgeranch.com/

Need a place to stay when you want to shop at Gunslinger? My great friends, Rollie and Steve, have a fabulous piece of property near Bandera. Their B & B sits high on 200 acres...which lends itself to spectacular sunsets and at night you can only see two tiny lights in the far off distance. Very remote...peaceful...serene. Rollie is a LaDame chef...her breakfasts are as pretty as they are tasty. Have her pack a picnic lunch with a bottle of wine...arrange for a massage...or even have a cooking lesson! Deer roam freely around the property...hummingbirds dance around the outdoor patio which boasts a beautiful fireplace. There is a log home and two other more contemporary rooms. It books up quickly...so make your plans now...and tell them Melissa sent you!

Gary P. Nunn Road Dates

We LOVE Gary P. Nunn and especially his song "What I Like About Texas"...playing in the background on our Gunslinger site...Thank you, Gary!

If you want to catch a live show...here are some upcoming dates!
ROAD DATES FOR GARY P. NUNN & THE BUNKHOUSE BAND http://www.garypnunn.com/

September 24

Lucky Mule Saloon 1850 S. Clack St. Abilene, TX
****************************************************************
NOTE >>>>>>> THERE IS A CHANGE OF VENUES WITH THE SEPT. 25th & 26TH. DATES
September 25 Love & War

2505 E. Grapevine Mills Cir.

Grapevine, TX 76051 # 972-724-5557
September 26 Murphy Maze Days Festival, Murphy, TX

October 2 Dirty's - 100 Elm Grove Rd. Seguin, TX # 830-379-8883
October 3 Texas Rice Festival ( Stowell Park )Winnie, TX
October 8 Private Event, Houston, TX
October 9 Granada Theater 3524 Greenville

Dallas, TX # 214-824-9933
October 10 Private Event, Simonton, Tx
October 16 Blanco's Bar & Grill

3406 W. Alabama

Houston, TX
October 17 Dessau Hall

13422 Dessau Rd.

Austin, TX # 512-469-0000