Origins of the Ranch

Origins of the Ranch

Would you care to join us for a brief stroll down memory lane? 

Fishing

This week we took the kids fishing just up the road from us at our friend Bob Reeder's place. Nina took home the medal for the biggest fish!

Bob & Phil at Our Lady's Ranch

Here is Phil (on the right) and Bob (on the left). Being with Bob always takes us back to the very beginnings of Our Lady’s Ranch…

Twenty years ago we set about searching for land in Northern California that would be conducive to living in peace and sharing it with others.  We considered many parcels over a period of three years, all ranging in size from twenty to fifty acres, but none displaying the amenities that would help us achieve our goals.  We looked for land that settled at the end of the road for privacy, that displayed a gentle topography for usability, that retained a park-like setting for beauty, that extended both local and distant views for majestic scale, that contained a variety of habitats for wildlife diversity, and that flowed with plenty of water in various sources, just in case we ever wanted to farm a little ;)

Well, after three years of investigating areas, reviewing countless properties, and engaging dozens of realtors, we just never could find that peaceful place that satisfied our criteria… until the century turned into the year 2000, when a very kind and elderly gentleman named Bob Reeder said, “I just might have the land you’re looking for, but it’s never been listed on the market before and I’m not planning on selling it – but maybe if I find a nice family that loves it as much as I do?” 

So the following week we strapped in the two car seats for little Ty, who was three years old at the time, and her younger brother Zach, who was just eighteen months, and we drove out to meet ol’ Bob Reeder, who greeted us on his secluded parcel of land in Nevada County, California.

Ranch Creek

He was a calm, wonderful host who began showing us creeks and waterfalls, hills and woods, meadows and springs, agricultural irrigation canals, and everything we could ever imagine for our dream of living a simple life in the peace of God, and sharing it with others.  And wouldn’t you know, it just happened to be at the end of the road, sheltered in a natural oasis, surrounded by hills, yet replete with a wide variety of natural habitat and extended views across the San Joaquin Valley to the Coastal Mountain Range.  So as we looked back at each other silently saying, “Wow, this is it!” – we glanced up at Mr. Reeder who was about ten paces ahead with Ty walking next to him, her hand clenched around his pinky finger.  His heart was just melting, and so were ours.

Then, through a series of non-coincidental coincidences, we experienced several episodes of Divine Intervention, like watching scenes unfold in a movie, leading up to the purchase of that one hundred and seventy three acre parcel of land that is now affectionately called, “Our Lady’s Ranch.”

Comments

@Berry Beals ~ We are: If you are subscribed to our mailing list then you should have received an update on our 2023 turkeys as well as an invitation to join us on harvesting day!

Will you be selling turkeys again this year —Thanksgiving 2032 ???

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