MORNING WALKS IN RIDGMAR WITH SHORTY

Ridgmar is a cozy, close-knit neighborhood just a
stones-throw west of downtown Fort Worth, (5 miles to be exact), but it seems
more like a neighborhood from Pleasantville, (the Hollywood version), to me.

The homes in Ridgmar are mostly 60’s era. Many of the
original occupants in Ridgmar still live here, enjoying old-style happy hours,
tending manicured lawns and walking their much loved, slightly overweight dogs
around the block; although I love it that so many younger people are moving to
Ridgmar now as we have such close access to downtown and all of the restaurants
and cool places to go on Camp Bowie Blvd.

The newer Ridgmar homeowners are doing fantastic renovations
with these interesting older homes, and it puts pep in your step when someone
jogs by, full of vim and vigor at 6am!

This is one of my favorite things I love about living in
Ridgmar…..early mornings before the sun comes up. (it was a foreign atmosphere
for me before I moved to Ridgmar, this early morning moon and stars).

My husband and I always enjoyed walking our motivated (and
also formerly overweight) Corgi, Shorty, in the early mornings before people
started to leave for work.

The Ridgmar streets are wide, lit by the moon as well as
strategically placed streetlights, and most of the Ridgmar yards are larger
than homes built in later years.

It seems that there is never a lack of interesting
architecture for us humans to look at in Ridgmar, observe, critique and delight
in, not to mention the

bountiful smells (obviously) that enamored and delighted
our excited little

corgi.  This was the
time he lived for, his morning walks in Ridgmar. This little dog politely wooed
at us, wagged his stump of a tail (I called it his “rump lump”), danced at our
feet and stared at us until our 1^st cup of coffee was finished; then
he would shoot off like a rocket, his daily adventure looming ahead.

Shorty died on the operating table, 9/23/11, one day after
we found a lump in his side.

Donnie and I still take our walks, and the Ridgmar neighborhood
is quiet and still in the early mornings.
But we surely do miss that furry, sweet face looking back at us as he
happily escorted us through his wonderland in Ridgmar.

Diana Keller

Reata Realty

See All Homes For Sale In Ridgmar

Move in ready, excellent price, with upgrades counters, fantastic floorplan. Large living and dining room, spacious kitchen and full breakfast area. Family room features built ins, monument brick fireplace and door to nice rear patio with fenced yard. Master is ample with private bath with separate dressing station. Guest room has convenient Jack & Jill bath. $189,000 for 1,980 square feet - Price cannot be beat for condition.  LESS THAN $100 SQUARE FOOT IN GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD! Owner is licensed real estate broker. House located near Ridgmar Mall.

For more information about this home in Ridgmar, go to www.alexanderchandler.com or

Contact Alexander Chandler by going to: http:www.//alexanderchandler.com/about/agent_roster2.asp

One of the things i enjoy most about home staging here in Fort Worth is having the opportunity to transform a home that had previously been un-loved and just about un-inhabitable into a gorgeous fresh new space for someone to love and come home to. It's really gratifying to see how a house can be made new again. These older neighborhoods on the west side of Fort Worth, this one is called Ridgmar, have great homes that are gradually being turned over from one generation to the next!

So... here's the befores. This home needed everything. I mean everything. From top to bottom inside and out. Hampton Redesign works with an investor who buys these distressed properties to renovate and flip. I come up with a master plan, floorplan, kitchen, bathrooms, finishes, cabinets, granite, colors, floors and overall look and feel. In this case I recommended knocking out the wall between the kitchen and great room as well as opening up the galley kitchen wall to the living area.

Thisi s looking into the old kitchen with the living area on the left.

Here is what it looks like now. The wall on the left is gone and the ktichen is open to the living.

Here's another angle looking in the other direction. Before!

After. On the left side was sliding doors and these were replaced with French doors.

One more shot before of the living area. TThis is looking from the dining area to the front door and the walls on the right are now gone.

After it's an open living space.

I decided to keep the floors all wood to create a seamless flow between the different living areas.

I really enjoy working on these types of projects - and of course once all the construction is done I get to put the icing on the cake. Staging it!

I received an email from Larry Patterson our RNA NW Sector Vice President and I wanted to share his report on the MirAvanti construction project on the West side of our neighborhood.

MirAvanti is a rather upscale cooperative. The 105 units rang in size from a 1007 sq ft one bedroom to a 1,970 three bedroom. Units will be owned by the residents. 30 or more have already been sold. Having a complex like this as a neighbor will be much better than having more apartments like those to the south of us built on the property. Furthermore, although the city zoning ordinance only requires the buildings to be at least 25 feet from the property line, when the Leonards sold the 10 acres they required buildings to be at least 100 feet from property on Trafalgar and Ems Court and 80 feet from Ridgmar Estates. They also required the landscape plan to include a greenbelt with berms and trees to screen the buildings from the adjacent property. Although zoning allowed up to 190 units, the property sale restricted use to only10 units per acre, for a total of 105 units. There will be underground parking and the total height of the building will be about 40 feet above ground level at Ridgmar.

On 6 April a group of residents and I met with Mr. Hunter Bobbitt, Vice President of Clover III Properties L.P. As MirAvanti borders Ems, Ems Court and Trafalgar, the residents on those streets have concerns as to how they will be affected in the future. Mr. Bobbitt stated that MirAvanti will maintain the property between the screening berms and property line. If there is a space between MirAvanti fences and the residents’ adjoining fences MirAvanti will maintain that space. MirAvanti will also insure that storm water is contained and runoff will not flow on to adjacent homeowners’ property. Lighting on the buildings, parking areas and drives will be directed down, or at the buildings, and not out towards the neighborhood, greatly reducing the possibility of light pollution.

Although the project will not be completed until fall 2011, most of the earth moving and rock crushing has been completed, greatly reducing the high volume of noise and dust. They are currently beginning to pour concrete and will begin vertical construction in a month or so.

Happy Trails, DK

Today is our first year anniversary and what a year it's been.  After a wonderful wedding we settled into married life and both discovered we didn't know each other as well as we thought.  When both of you have been single for 10 years you develop unique living habits and it was like getting to know each other all over again.  Diana is so patient with me in my husband training...toilet seat down, picking up my clothes, don't drink from the milk carton, you know all the stuff us guys forget when we are single.

My sweet Diana has redecorated our home into something from Better Homes and Gardens.  It's absolutely gorgeous!  She also has turned the outside into a showcase of beautiful flowers and plants.  So much so it stops traffic.

I love my wife and I love her a little more each day.  She is my best and most trusted friend,  my lover, my life coach, my grammar coach, and my greatest fan.  I thank God every day for blessing me with this wonderful woman and I'm looking forward to spending the rest of my life with her.  The best decision I ever made was to marry her.  I pray she never gives up on me, I know I'm not the best student.  I love you Diana with all my heart.

As Etta James says...

At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song
Oh, yeah, at last
The skies above are blue
My heart was wrapped up in clovers
The night I looked at you
I found a dream that I could speak to
A dream that I can call my own
I found a thrill to rest my cheek to
A thrill that I have never known
Oh, yeah when you smile, you smile
Oh, and then the spell was cast
And here we are in heaven
For you are mine
At last

Happy Trails, DK

The Ridgmar neighborhood on the Westside of Fort Worth, Texas where I live is located about 6 miles West of Downtown on the Northside of I30. Ridgmar is a great place to live, literally 10 to 15 minutes from everything...great restaurants and businesses on Historic Camp Bowie, Museums in the Cultural District, the Will Rogers Coliseum and Botanical Gardens, four golf courses, Ridgmar Mall, Downtown Fort Worth and the Hospital District.

Back in the mid 1930's Amon Carter amased about 1200 acres in the area and later the Amon Carter foundation sold land to Marvin Leonard to build the Shady Oaks Country Club on the North portion in 1957.  Westover Hills developed on the East and Ridgmar on the West.  In 1969 J.C. Penny purchased land and later Ridgmar Mall was built in 1974.

The residential part of Ridgmar began with construction along Dakar Rd and continued North with alphabetically named streets. Deed restrictions were set to maintain high quality construction with 40' set backs, and wood shingle roofs were required until some disastrous fires in other cities caused a relaxation of that restriction.  During WWII the unimproved land was used for anti-aircraft bunkers to protect the "bomber plant" the local name for Convair which later became General Dynamics and now Lockheed-Martin.

The neighborhood is blessed with rolling hills, beautiful mature trees and wide streets.  Most of the homes are ranch style with large wonderful backyards built in the 1970's.  Many of the residents have been in the neighborhood for over 30 years and the original owners of their homes.  Driving through the neighborhood you will find magnificent manicured yards and neighbors interacting with each other.  I have found Ridmar to be one of the safest and friendliest places I've ever lived. 

We have a neighborhood association which voluntary but is quite active in preserving the history and quality of life in our beloved neighborhood and we now have our own website at www.ridgmar.net.  We also have a citizens patrol unit that checks for safety and well being of our residents and they also keep the Mary and Marvin Leonard Park maintained and beautiful.  In August of 2009 the RNA succeeded in securing a Ridgmar connection to the Trinity Trails System, which will give residents access to the entire trail system from Benbrook Lake, through downtown and all the way to Arlington.

Important information

Schools:

Elementary

Mary Lousie Phillips

Middle

Wm. Monnig

High School

Arlington Heights

Nearest Fire station...4416 Southwest Blvd

Nearest medical facitities....Baylor All Saints, 7100 Oakmont Blvd. and Harris Hospital 6100 Harris Prkwy

Nearest Post Office...3020 Cherry Lane

City Council District...3

School District....7

Voting Precinct....4178

Happy Trails, DK