Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe and Lisa Adams.
Hi Joe and Lisa Adams, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Joe and I moved into our Queen Anne Folk Victorian Home in Historic Downtown Round Rock with our three small daughters almost 40 years ago. We rented free for a year with the agreement that Joe would work on the house. The house had been lived in by a teacher and the town butcher for many years, who had passed away. After a year, we were excited to buy the house, and Joe slowly worked on it over the years. We enjoyed raising our daughters in this home and now welcome our nine young grandchildren along with our daughters and their partners. Round Rock has had incredible growth through the years, and the downtown area has been revitalized and is a fun destination in the Austin area. We had the opportunity to buy a carriage house next door belonging to a mansion no longer here. Joe renovated the carriage house, and our daughter lived there. We decorated it with historical items and BnBed the property when she moved. We have art from my local Australian artist friend, Kay Martin’s, Women of the World Series, some old carriage seats, old Main Street photos, local settler’s side saddles, a local horse hitch, a local barn door made into a sign, and a large porch Joe built to sit and rock on while drinking coffee.
I retired from teaching preschool in RRISD, and Joe retired from the City Of Austin Electric Department. We were given a historic servant’s quarters from a mansion down the street that needed to be moved so that they could make the mansion a wedding venue. The little historic building was in terrible shape when it was moved to our side yard. Joe worked on it for two years, primarily by himself; local artists, who regularly came to plein air paint in the yard, provided art to go inside the studio that we named Annabella’s Studio. Annabella is the name of a Painted Lady butterfly, as this building transitioned just like a butterfly does. Local artists created clay butterfly tiles for the bathroom, butterflies on the fence, and painted butterflies on the outdoor bathtub planter full of wildflowers. My neighbor, Judy Conroy, painted a painting of the mansion’s owner in her young bohemian traveling days in Annabella’s Studio bedroom. The owner lived in the mansion until she was 107 years old. Ms. Goodrich was an art collector and installed four beautiful stained glass windows with birds on them in the little building. There are many local paintings, historic photos, and antiques in Annabella’s Studio, each with its own story to tell.
We made this property a BnB and have hosted the most creative and interesting people. I often send the guests to local pottery shops, pie, and coffee shops. We like to think of it as providing a peaceful, fun, and beautiful place for them to experience as they travel on their life journey. We deliver world-famous Round Rock donuts and have fresh fruit and flowers inside. We are near completion of a large, Queen Ann Folk Victorian house close to our house that we purchased about four years ago. This was a huge project; it needed to be in better shape. Joe has worked on it for over three years while I collected old doors, windows, and antique furniture. Local neighbors gave us antique lights, an old doorbell, and a desk made from the old Palm Valley church organ, among other historical items. There is a church pew from Rowena, Texas, where Bonnie, of Bonnie and Clyde lived, a chopping block from the old Stephen F. Austin Hotel, tall antique stained glass doors, and a large, beautiful church window that says CHURCH OF ST. JOSEPH. There will be a fence made of bicycles.
Joe has worked each day on this project and has found great joy in his work. Many neighbors, friends, and family have recently signed their blessing on the subflooring and have steadily been supportive. This BnB will is called Eliza Joe’s. We are very excited about it and hope you will come and stay with us! I’m dreaming of having a fun celebration party upon completion of Eliza Joe’s, inviting the neighbors, friends, family, and everyone involved with the project: artists, workers, city employees, and all of the wonderful community that we live with. It would be fun to have carriage rides, sack races, local musicians, artists selling their work in tents out front, and delicious local food. We love this time in our lives and are grateful each day we wake up together.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
The process and path of renovating these properties have been fairly smooth, but life happens. Money was an issue, and so far, the money we make on the bnb’s has kept us able to continue the projects. Covid slowed down things, but Joe could continue renovating Eliza Joe’s steadily. The price of building materials skyrocketed, and we felt that! The value of our properties in Downtown Round Rock soared, and so did the taxes. We are in our sixties and have had some health issues throughout this period, and we are thankful to be healthy to continue. When we first bought Eliza Joe’s, holes in the floor became a door to cats, raccoons, fleas, skunks, bats, and more. We were able to get rid of and rehome them,
We continue to work through issues, but overall, it’s been a great joy. Next week, Joe will need surgery, so his brothers will come into town to help scrape and paint the inside of Eliza Joe’s. He should heal and take care of himself and then slowly continue to fill his orange cooler full of water and head over to Eliza Joe’s in his truck.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might need to become more familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
Joe grew up in the Congo, as his parents were missionaries. They then moved to a Navaho mission in New Mexico, where his parents were teachers. Lisa moved around a lot growing up. Joe worked as a lineman for the City of Austin and worked his way up to supervisor in the control room. He is grateful for his job, and he did it well. He loves working with his hands, reading philosophy, and writing poetry. Joe loves going on mission trips to help others. Lisa was a preschool teacher in the local public schools. Her team was the first full-inclusion classroom for preschoolers in the area. She taught kids from around the world, often having 14 languages represented in her classroom each year. She taught through nature, gardening, and lots of art and play to develop their language and social skills. It was meaningful work, and she continues to have relationships with her students worldwide.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Joe is an extremely hard worker and is very strong. He loves working with his hands and has taught himself many skills. He loves what he does and likes to work by himself. He is kind and generous and has many friends and neighbors who love him and and will assist him in any way he needs. Lisa loves old things and people’s stories. She drug her little girls to garage sales every Saturday morning when they were growing up to find treasures and meet people. She loves to get the community involved in projects that showcase their artistic talents and supports and creates events that build community.
Contact Info:
- Email Address: ms_blossom@yahoo.com
