They spent decades turning a dilapidated Texas property into an artists retreat; then Harvey struck

DICKINSON, Texas _ In 1975, Sue and Rod Bown fell for a secluded four-acre property next to the Dickinson Bayou.

There was an old house that was unlivable. The roof leaked, the floors sagged. A little cottage out back wasn't any better. Several banks refused to lend them money to buy the property unless they tore down the dilapidated house and started from scratch.

But the place had history, and Rod loves history. Sue wanted a house to fix up, and Rod would never say no to Sue. They found a local bank that agreed to a loan, and they poured their lives _ and more than four decades _ into restoring the Oleander Drive property and turned it into an artists retreat and bed-and-breakfast they named Bide-a-While.