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Our Place on Pine, 436 Pine Street, Minden, LA (2026)

09/07/2026

Post 66
Looks Like It’s Official

The overwhelming majority of responses said we should have the Stewart Reunion at Our Place on Pine this year. Today, we had lots of family together for a wedding shower and even more people told me they would love to have the reunion there.

So, I guess we’re having it there!

Some tables and chairs are already set up for a wedding rehearsal dinner we’re having Friday night. We’ll add more after Friday and get everything ready for the reunion. At this rate, the tables and chairs are going to need name tags. They are booked for a rehearsal dinner, and now they’re on the guest list for the family reunion.

One of our cousins planned the shower decorations, and they were so cute. We packed everything up, thinking we might use them for another occasion.

On the way home, my daughter in law texted to ask if I had any mason jars she could decorate with for a party at Our Place on Pine, I told her I thought I did, but then I sent her a picture of the showers decorations and asked,”Would these work?”

She said they’d be perfect!

So now, those decorations are getting another party. And the family reunion is the day after the party.

Seven of the eight hostesses at the shower should be at the reunion, I think the eighth hostess needs to join our reunion. She is practically part of the family anyway. Guess what decorations we’re using for the reunion?

You got it!

I love reusing and recycling- but I’m beginning to think these decorations may be working harder than some of us! They just keep showing up, looking cute, and waiting for their next assignment.

Three parties. One set of decorations. At this point, they’re not decorations anymore- they’re family members at the reunion.

09/06/2026

Post 65
Old Stewart Home Place or Our Place on Pine

For more than 100 years our family has gathered to celebrate the Stewart family, share a meal, and remember the generations who came before us.

My mama was a Stewart, and over the years, the reunion has been held in several different places. For the past several years, Bennie and I have hosted everyone at the old home place- the house where so much of our family’s story unfolded and where we live.

The house was built in 1860, and my great granddaddy, William Green Stewart, bought it in 1888. My mother and her four sisters were born here as well as their aunts and uncles.

Six generations of our family have lived in that house. Needless to say, it holds a whole lot of Stewart history- and even more memories.

Since we bought Our Place on Pine, several family members have asked if we’re going to have the Stewart reunion here.

At first I didn’t think so. It’s the Stewart Reunion, after all, and I felt like it belonged at the old Stewart home place.

The more I think about it, the more I wonder if Our Place on Pine might actually be a good place for the reunion this year.

I’m sure some of the family would enjoy seeing what we’ve been doing. There would be plenty of room, and the tables and chairs would already be there-which means fewer things for us to carry, so now we have a decision to make and we don’t have much time.

Should we keep the Stewart Reunion at the Old Stewart Home Place, where six generations of our family have lived?

Or should we move it to Our Place on Pine this year and let everyone see what we’ve been working on?

I’m putting this one to a vote! Cast your vote and tell us which place you think is best and why.

08/30/2026

Post 64
Clematis or Mandevilla?

A few months ago I remembered an old light fixture that someone had wanted Bennie to haul off. It had been covered with fake vines many years ago. I ripped all the decoration off the fixture and thought, This could have potential.

I really can’t remember what plant I bought because I went to Culpepper’s Nursery asking for one of these plants. They were out of the one I asked for, so they suggested the other one.

I bought it but I still don’t know which one it is. I trust Terry and James Culpepper.

I added the little solar tea lights to each of the eight arms of the fixture and planted the vine in the middle. It has grown and bloomed all summer, twisting around each arm as it gets longer, with the most beautiful pink blooms. Probably would have been even prettier if I had given it a little fertilizer.

So now I’m asking, Clematis or Mandevilla?

Whatever it is, it took an old light fixture that was headed for the dump and turned it into something pretty.

You can see the old front porch in the first picture and the freshly painted porch in the second.

Sometimes the smallest little bit of work can make such a difference. Apparently sometimes you don’t have to know what you planted. Just give it something to climb on and add a few lights, and let it show off.

08/26/2026

Post 63
Pavilion is Finished!

The pavilion has been rebuilt. The electrical lights are no longer hanging down so now I can start putting the furniture and plants back where they belong.

Except… Bennie has other plans.

He insists the concrete needs to be power washed first-in his spare time. I’m not exactly sure when that “spare time” is supposed to happen. I guess after mowing all day tomorrow in this 100+ degree heat , he plans to start power washing.

Bennie also made a quick trip to Natchitoches and came home with the wood cut for the pergola. Work starts on that in the morning.

Meanwhile, the leftover metal has been moved out of the yard. The grass is barely hanging on. It’s beginning to look less like a construction site and more like Our Place on Pine again. Neil picked up lunch for all the workers and us, then stayed and ate with everyone too, which was really nice.

Hugh found someone to take the things to Lake Claiborne and bring the things back, and everything has now been delivered. Another job checked off our list!

I gave a tour this morning, and she thinks it will work for her party in a few months.

Around here, we get things done -just not necessarily in the order I would choose. It was a very productive day.

08/26/2026

Post 62
How Many Days Are in a Week?

Well, we are almost back to where we were five weeks ago at Our Place on Pine! Almost. We still have the gazebo to finish.

We get things done- we just don’t necessarily get them done too fast.

Now that the pavilion is almost complete, I can finally begin putting things back where they belong- furniture, plants, tables and chairs- and oh yes, cleaning up the construction mess. We have a function on Saturday, so there is just a little bit to do between now and then!

Oops, I forgot that the electrician still needs to come and put the lights back up. I’d better get that scheduled. Al least the event will be over by 6:00, so maybe the lights can wait until next week- unless they are hanging down. I’d better check.

And because that apparently isn’t enough, we also need to make a trip to Lake Claiborne to deliver things to my son’s lake house and bring some things back for Our Place on Pine. Sometime this week we want to go to Stonewall, and we also need to go to Natchitoches to pick up specialty wood for the gazebo.

Today someone is touring Our Place on Pine to see if it will work for her party in a few weeks. Hope she has some vision.

How many days are in a week? Because I’m pretty sure I’m going to need bout 10 of them this week!

Whew, around here, there is always something happening. That’s what makes it fun- we’re getting there, one project, one trip, one ladder, and one day at a time!

08/25/2026

Post 61
Progress Without the Ambulance Ride

Things are moving along at Our Place on Pine!

The porch paint job is complete. The purlins were installed yesterday, and they managed to get some touch up painting done on the purlins before the rain decided it had other plans for us.

And while we are willing to tackle a lot of things around here, climbing slippery ladders is where we draw the line. We like progress, but we prefer our progress without an ambulance ride!

Today is a BIG day- the metal sheets for the top are going up! When opening up a wrapped stack of metal sheeting they discovered five sheets bent. Bennie made a quick trip to pick more up and waited while they cut them. They told him someone had wrapped the package too tight so it was their fault. Finally, we can start seeing the pavilion take shape again.

One step at a time, one rain delay at a time, one ladder at a time, one more trip to pick up supplies…but we’re getting there!

These guys are rock stars! Maybe it will be finished tomorrow.

08/25/2026

Post 60
Before Sidewalks and Pavilion

It’s hard to remember what this area at Our Place on Pine looked like before the pavilion and sidewalks.

Before the sidewalks, we laid artificial turf. Before the pavilion we had a tent. We are thankful for Ark-La-Tex Tents & Rentals. Marty Bamburg has helped us with several events, including finding a tent that fit perfectly over our brick area.

It was a much simpler space, but we did have the brick patio (that was once the floor of a garden room) and we were determined to make the most of what we had.

One idea led to another, and before we knew it, we were pouring concrete, creating walkways, and connecting the spaces of the property.

Looking back at these “before” pictures reminds us just how much it has changed.

And believe me… there have been a Lot of steps between these pictures and what you see now.

08/24/2026

Wasn’t this such a special thing that Mr and Mrs Hunter did? Giving those 6 packs of coke away for all the children on their birthdays.

Post 59
Things Were Different Then

This is another page from the book Memories of Hunter’s. Someone told me recently that there are still copies of the book at the Dorcheat Museum for sale.

One part of the story really made me stop and think.

Can you imagine today if someone walked into every school in the area and asked for a list of every child’s name, birthday, and address?

And then imagine the schools simply handing it over?

08/23/2026

Post 58
Hay Season Is Easier Now

Is it just me , or do you love seeing hay baled in the summer? Sometimes I feel like we need to bale hay at Our Place on Pine. We have almost four acres there. You can’t see most of it from the street. Mowing takes a long time.

The pasture at our house can look so ragged with the tall grass growing. The tractor comes in and cuts it. The hot summer air dries the grass, and the hay rake comes along and fluffs it so it can cure. Then it gathers the hay into long rows- windrows-so the baler can easily pick it up.

The baler comes along, fills up with hay,and spits out a perfect bale, most of the time. One of my grands and I were watching out the kitchen window when we saw the baler stop and drop and said the baler “pooped it out.”

The tractor then comes back, collects the bales, and banks them until they are needed in winter to feed the cows. What was once a ragged-looking pasture now looks like a beautiful green yard- until the grass starts growing again.

A young man (who started baling hay at about 10, maybe even younger) that we go to church with cuts our hay now. His dad cut it first but turned it over to his son. We are thankful that we don’t have to do it the way we did years ago.

Back then we had those square bales. Let me tell you, that was a hot job. After baling someone had to follow behind the truck throwing those heavy bales onto the trailer, someone had to be on the truck stacking the bales, and then more stacking in the barn. Hay would stick to the sweat on your hot body. It was basically CrossFit, but with hay.

Bennie trusted me to drive an old truck with standard shift pulling a trailer around the pasture, trying not to knock whoever was on the trailer off. I’m pretty sure I aged five years every time I made a turn. I had to drive with the windows down to hear what they were hollering. I doubt I could even drive a standard shift now. Those that know me probably didn’t know I worked in the hayfield!

I was sure glad when Neil got old enough to help drive the truck when they loaded the hay. Oh course, when I say “old enough”, I mean about 10. When he got to where he had to make a turn someone would jump in the drivers seat and make the turn for him. Then he was back behind the steering wheel barely reaching the petals. At 12 he was cutting hay. Country boys started driving young-probably because we needed available hands and questionable child labor laws were not our top concern at the time.

This didn’t happen but once or twice a year but when it did it took everyone. You had to try to beat the rain after that grass was cut.

Those square bales are the way to go for a hayride though. Sometime I might tell y’alI about our epic hayrides. Hopefully our kid’s parents forgave us for scaring those kids.

I think we appreciate those big round bales a whole lot more after we’ve experienced the square ones.

Aren’t they pretty?

08/22/2026

Post 57
Nothing Ever Goes As Planned

The porch now has three coats of paint. I thought matching the color to dirt was a good idea. The painter also pointed out the gray would show every footprint easily. This new color, a warm tan, should look much better. This is the color. No take backs now!

The damaged roof and purlins of the pavilion have been cut off. And in case you were wondering (I had to google it) purlins are the horizontal beams that help support the roof and spread out the weight so it doesn’t sag or collapse under wind. Basically… roof helpers.

HA! Apparently they don’t come with a “tree limb protection” feature though.

Unfortunately, the welding machine decided it had enough and blew up. It was just too much. So the welder got his new machine and is coming Monday morning to begin putting the pavilion back together.

The wood from the pergola has been cut up, and we discovered something interesting. The damaged columns are actually placed over 4x4 steel posts. That changes things a little.

I’ve been on the hunt for solid load-bearing fiberglass columns- and I need split fiberglass columns. They are custom made, which means they are not returnable. Time to start the hunt over.

So, I really, really need to get this right!

Little by little, we’re getting Our Place on Pine put back together. I just thought I had it all planned out. Sometimes things don’t happen the way we want.

We have an event in two weeks and have to get this place ready and pretty again! No pressure!

Our Place on Pine

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