The gift of hospitality in a beautiful setting

The Inn at Sunset Mill

The gift of hospitality in a beautiful setting

By Bonnie Eissler

Diana Allen shares happy memories of the first time she and her husband, Lynn, stayed at a bed and breakfast in a beautiful old farmhouse in South Haven, across the street from Lake Michigan, “It was early summertime and the windows were open. The smells from the lake air, the peach potpourri in our room, and the kitchen aromas of freshly baked bread and muffins, were heavenly.”

Most important though was the innkeeper’s gift for hospitality. “She made us feel like part of the family,” Diana says, “and I thought that I’d like to do this some day.” It was a dream that stayed with them through the years, and the Inn at Sunset Mill Ranch, which has been open for business for one year, is testament to that dream.

Sunset Mill Ranch evokes an earlier era with stone and cedar buildings, high ceilings, exposed wood, long covered porches and other architectural features reminiscent of historic Texas Hill Country homes built more than a century ago. This is a place to relax, walk the trails and listen to the birds, rock on the front porch in the evening and watch the sun go down.

Lynn and Diana grew up in Centralia, a small town in Southern Illinois. “We were high school sweethearts,” Diana says, “we got married young and worked to put each other through college.” In 1998, they moved to The Woodlands in Texas after Lynn accepted a job offer. While living and working in Houston (Lynn in the energy and power industry, Diana in the oil and gas business with Anadarko Petroleum), they discovered the unparalleled appeal of the Texas Hill Country and cool little towns like Wimberley. They fell in love with the area, visiting whenever they could get away and inevitably purchasing 25 acres. “The process of clearing the land, which was covered in cedars,” Diana says, “ revealed the visually pleasing landscape with clusters of lovely old trees and a most impressive view.”

About 10 years ago, they built a two-bedroom cabin with a fireplace, kitchen and porch, where they stayed when visiting the area. Winters Mill Cabin, as it became known, is one of the accommodations at the inn, along with three second-floor suites in the Carriage House, and it set the standard for the “rustic elegance” style. (Group rentals include two additional bedrooms in the Main Lodge in addition to the cabin and the Carriage House units.)

See INN AT SUNSET MILL, page 18

The Wimberley Square in the 1930s

Photo courtesy Dorothy Wimberley Kerbow.

In the 1850s, Wimberley had a grist mill, tannery, store, shoe shop, and a school that was also used as a church and meeting hall. By the 1870s, it also had a blacksmith. By 1880, the Post Office was set up.

By 1900, nine houses were built around the square. By the 1920s, the county finally started to improve roads in and out of the village (the road to San Marcos was paved in 1921). By 1939, electricity was available. The population tripled from 1880 to 1947, based on estimates by the Post Office, to a little more than 400 people.

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Diana and Lynn Allen. Photo courtesy The Inn at Sunset Mill.

Diana has always enjoyed home decorating, cooking and entertaining. She is modest about her obvious talent for creating simple but spectacular interiors by seamlessly mixing old and new furnishings and accessories in such a seemingly effortless way that it’s impossible to imagine a better look. “I have friends who are great decorators,” she says, “I learned a lot from them and I’m always on the hunt for great antiques.” Usually it’s a treasured antique, a desk or mirror or lamp, that provides inspiration for decorating each room. A gorgeous blue antique stove is the centerpiece of the breakfast room. A long farm table with benches and primitive pie safe with punched metal doors, complement the simple, rustic theme. “We’ve been collecting antiques for many years, since the early days of our marriage,” Diana says, “The first two pieces we acquired came from my great grandparents and we fell in love with old stuff at that time,” Diana says. The china cabinet is in the Winters Mill Cabin and an oak dresser is in one of the Maggie suite rooms in the main house. The dressers in the Sunset Room and many of the other antiques are French Country. Newer purchases, like the reproduction iron beds and cowhide rugs, always look completely at home with the antiques.

Diana gets many compliments for the delicious country breakfasts and special treats she prepares.

A breakfast menu might include a veggie quiche with spinach and green chilis, roasted rosemary potatoes and fruit. Other favorite dishes she enjoys serving are homemade biscuits and gravy, and raisin french toast. But wait...there’s more. Beginning in the afternoon, guests are treated to complimentary homemade sweet/savory snacks like scones, muffins or cakes. “I wanted the dining area to be a special place like grandma’s kitchen where you just walk in and get a special treat,” Diana says.

The Allens started staying in bed and breakfasts in 1987 and have stayed in many over the years. Diana says, “We learned from each one and now we want our guests to experience the best of all that we have learned.” Like the innkeeper at the old farmhouse on the lake, Diana and Lynn have the “gift of hospitality,” the best quality an innkeeper can possess. Photos courtesy The Inn at Sunset Mill.

FYI •The Inn at Sunset Mill Ranch is located at 2690 Fischer Store Road. For more information, email info@innatsunsetmillranch.com or call 512-800-2183.Visit the website at innatsunsetmillranch.com to see photos and detailed descriptions of accommodations and to reserve your stay at the inn.