Thanksgiving at the Heissers

There was turkey, there was ham, there was prime rib, there was macaroni and cheese, there was so much good food we could not help but eat too much. Good times were had by all. As the family gathers at holidays, the stories are as rich as the food.

Animals on the Ranch

As much as we try, the animals seem to see our homesite as a food and drink magnet. During the evenings the deer get brave and come into the pond for a drink. Occasionally we are visited by a young road runner. Wild pigs, badgers, racoons and coyotes are more secretive and harder to photograph but we know they visit us because we see their footprints in the sand.

On the Road in Brazil

The summer of 2008 began with a 10-day trip to Sao Paulo and into the Pantanal with friends Turko, BJ Semmes, Paul and Barbara Rose. We spent most of the week at the Fazenda Barraco Alto with Lucas and Marina Leuzinger our hosts. Although we did not see a jaguar we did see a tapir and giant river otters. Here are a few photos of our trip. Since we did not see the jaguar we will have to return again and make another attempt.

Give me a home, where the buffalo roam...

Our neighbors, Bob and Clayton Grant, are raising buffalo and want to sell buffolo meat this summer. They are amazing animals, huge and very lazy. The meat is supposed to be lean and tasty. If grilling a buffalo steak or burger temps your appitite, let us know. We will add buffalo to our grass fed beef offerings this year.

The Ranch house

Watch the small slide show and get a few views of our ranch house taken this spring.

In search of the elusive Brazilian jaguar...

On June 20th Greg and I will return to the Fazenda Barranca Alto in the Pantanal of Brazil to make a third attempt at viewing an jaguar. We will stay in the guest house of our hosts: Lucas and Marina Leuzinger. During our last visit I got very close to aGiant anteater. I don't know if I want to be this close to a jaguar but we are hoping for a photo. Wish us luck!

Springtime in the Red Hills 2008

We had sparce rains over a long period of time and the result was one of the best wildflower displays in years. The weather was cool all spring so the flowers lasted for weeks. Enjoy a look at our prairie.