A few days after Christmas, we packed up, boarded up and headed to the ranch. I know that it is probably not everyone's cup of tea....I mean, flying to Texas and then driving for two hours to land in the middle of nowhere. Someone recently asked me what we do there -- and the answer sort of stumped me. I me, basically we do NOTHING. And yet, each day is so full of fun and exploring and unplugging and unwinding. I always leave recharged.
When we arrived we were greeted by 2 sets of aunts and uncles and 8 children. The girls were giddy...literally giddy with excitement.
And then it seems like we barely saw them. They were either off swinging from a tree, jumping on the trampoline, hanging out in their Hideout (a treehouse) or playing dolls with their cousins.
Everyday, Vaughan would ask me if we were leaving. She was always relieved when I said not yet. We did manage to venture into Castell and Mason (into town) one day. The girls were frantic that we were heading home and happy when they learned that we weren't.
At night we would cook up big family meals (thanks to my sister in law) and then play games, make smores and hang out. There was some yatzee and some scattergories. I will not mention any winners...sometimes certain winners like to gloat. Like a lot.
Sorry for those of you who are not down with hunting or the photo taking and display of hunted animals. But, I needed to include this because this really was the cherry on top.
My mom really wanted to hunt a wild boar. The wild pigs are not generally sought after but they are quite destructive to the ranch. They tear up the land - and we need to the land for the cattle to graze.
After two outings in the dear blind....we came up empty handed. In fact, we didn't see more than a cow. Finally on New Year's Eve, Alan and Gagi went out for one last try. Gagi had never even shot a gun until the day before. But lo and behold -- she got a 9 point buck. Bill, the caretaker, thinks it was the biggest one shot this season. Ha! From a rookie! From a woman! Woot woot!
We ended 2010 hanging out with our family. It was a drastically different New Year's Eve from the ones we spent in Vienna. But it was just as special and meaningful. And it couldn't have been more perfect.
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