Thelma's Cottage $339 Sun-Thurs / $379 Fri-Sat
Come and spend a relaxing getaway in our Texas Hill Country cottage. This private, secluded two-bedroom, two-bath guesthouse set in the woods is located a short distance from the main buildings. Each bedroom in our vacation rental has a king-sized feather bed and a separate full bath with rain shower. The galley kitchen is equipped for your convenience with a stove, microwave, refrigerator, and dishwasher. Unwind in the living room which has a queen sleeper sofa, limestone wood-burning fireplace and is glass-enclosed for a peaceful view of the woods. Relax with a good book or enjoy good conversation with friends or family on the large rock patio. Other cottage amenities include satellite TV, DVD/VCR player, and wireless Internet access.
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Guest Impressions
"Our second visit to the Inn and first in Thelma's Cottage -What a great addition to this beautiful place! Food was great and atmosphere as wonderful as last time. We're too early for the spring wildflowers. But your garden was beautiful. We'll definitely be back again!"
- S
"This should be renamed the Friendship Cottage because we had such a wonderful time with our dear friends."
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B & M
"What a wonderful way to celebrate a 65th birthday! A "girls" trip to pass the tiara, shopping in Wimberley, relaxing at Thelma's House and great food at the Inn. This has all made turning 65 a little more bearable."
- K, V, P & D
"I got married here last June and in the hustle and bustle forgot to write about how magical this place is. We're back for our anniversary and are staying at Thelma's with our in'laws. We loved the inn so much; we gave each of our parents a night here to use in the future. This place holds so many memories-we took notice of how much has grown along the pathways we walked to our makeshift "altar." We can't wait to spend our day at the pool; just reading and reminiscing abut that wonderful day, surrounded by friends and family and in a place of such tranquility and beauty."
-M, T, C & L
"As I sit here at the table to write, a hummingbird is flying past the window while multitudes of butterflies feed on the beautiful flowers surrounding the cottage. Who could ask for more than this? What an interesting experience to come from rush hour traffic out to the serenity that typifies this amazing Inn. From sunset swimming overlooking the hill country to the walks in the flower garden, this has been an amazing experience for my husband and me. The food has been wonderful, the staff friendly, and the accommodations way above expectations. Thank you for all of your hard work and attention to detail. The place is wonderful - I am certain that Thelma would be proud!"
-R, CJ, & M
Namesake Story
For those I have not met, I'm John Orr. My wife Janie and I built the Inn in 1994. In 2003, we built Thelma’s Cottage near the house in which Janie and I live. "Thelma" is Thelma Reeves Albaugh, one of my mother’s two sisters. She lived from 1910-2000 in a time when few women went to college and certainly fewer became managers in government agencies. Even though her father saw no need for her higher education, she was not to be denied any opportunity to learn. Thelma educated herself on the job and became the first woman hired in a management position by the Social Security Administration here in Texas.
Her intelligence, quick wit, and independent spirit served her well in her successful career at the Social Security Administration. Her second husband, Ellis Albaugh, was an architect from San Antonio and their tastes were quite contemporary. She admired the work of Frank Lloyd Wright and O'Neill Ford, and she and Ellis had even furnished their home with Eames chairs, which her sisters considered "ugly." Her colorful Fiesta dishware and her love of cooking unusual foods using fresh ingredients were two more striking differences from the more traditional "Betty Crocker" approach of her sisters. Her habitual cigarette smoking was tolerated to the extent that she was the only one allowed to smoke in her youngest sister's home. She used to say that she didn’t inhale much! Yet another mark of Thelma's being a modern woman was that she managed the household finances. Her investment portfolio included conservative stocks and bonds.
Because she and Ellis had no children, my cousin, Hugh Poindexter, and I and our wives were her family. In her will, Thelma left her estate to my cousin and me. I used that inheritance to build Thelma's Cottage, which was built in a modern style that I knew she would love. She also had a great love of nature, and, in particular, wildflowers. We located the cottage at the edge of the woods to provide our guests with the most intimate experience that we could design that includes the trees, flowers, and various animals, birds, and butterflies that all live at the Inn. If you enjoy the beauty and simplicity of nature, I hope that you will love the cottage built in my Aunt Thelma’s honor.
