Roberto Muniz
Professor Andrew Husband
ENG 101.01
February 25, 2013
The Ranch It’s the end of the school year, and I know I have completed my part by passing all my classes. Now I’m sitting on the sofa watching television, but I can’t help but to feel anxious. I already know where I’m are going and who I will be going with, but I still need to hear the words conforming it. Fighting to stay awake I hear the door starting to open, excitement takes over me and I’m no longer sleepy or watching television. Then it happens, the words I have been waiting to hear all day coming rolling out of my father’s mouth: “we are going to the ranch.” Going to the ranch was and still is the most special place for me. After the trip announcement, it was packing time. The house was in complete joy, yet it was chaotic at the same time. I would run to my room as fast as I could and pull out my suitcase, but clothes were not on my mind. The ranch called for special items to be packed, like my slingshot, one of my prized possessions. It took me weeks to make it and find the right type of tree with the right tree branch. My uncle put it all together for me, he even added a leather hand grip. I couldn't play around with the slingshot in my neighborhood, so the ranch was perfect for target practice. Next was my pair of binoculars, they were perfect for the ride into the ranch, and once at the ranch those binoculars would always be around my neck. With all my special items packed, it was time to secure a good place in the car for the ride. The ride itself was fun. The ranch was about four hours away from my house in a entire different state, my mother’s home state Minas, so having the window seat was extremely important. My family loaded up in the car, my father the driver, my mother the one that pointed out random things along the way and my grandmother the one that kept the peace between my sister and I in the back. The roads leaving the city and going to the country were bordered with amazing scenery. I was always amazed by the change in the scenery, from tall office buildings and apartment complexes, to enormous mountains formations made completely of granite rock, and wide open green, grass fields filled with cows. The rock formations, came to life in the form of animals, like my favorite one,“The Lizard’s Rock”, a massive oval-shape rock with a small, longer rock on the top that resembled a lizard. Once the road changed from being paved to dirt roads I knew I was near the ranch. The excitement filled the entire car, the last obstacle before reaching the ranch was near. And there it was the immense hill. The car moved up the hill slowly; inside the car we saw the vast scenery of the countryside with all its glory. Once we got to the top of the hill I could see the ranch down at the valley. After four longs hours, I was finally there, ready to get out and explore. My cousins and I would sit under the old mango tree and plan out our daily activities. There was the gathering of the cows in the morning, my favorite time. I would wake up early, before the rooster’s crow, and help my uncle get the horses ready and then off we would go out into the fields to find the cows. My uncle had taught me how to call for the cows to assemble, something I wasn't very good at, but I did work hard to make sure no cow was left behind. Once all the cows were gathered inside a small fenced area it was time to milk them, something I did not take part in. During those few hours, it was time to practice with my slingshot; by the end of the summer I could hit anything with it. Once we were done with the cows we would let them go back into the fields and off we would go, this time riding a wagon to bring the milk to the cheese maker. The ranch was filled with fruit like bananas, oranges, guavas and mangos, so lunch was always quick we just ate what was around us. The afternoon was exploration time for my cousins and me. We would go to the river where we would try to do some fishing, but we were always at a disadvantage because the otters would swim up and down the river scaring all the fish away. So when we were fishing we would always end up just swimming and laughing. The only rule we had to obey by at the ranch was, to be at house before the sunset. When the sky changed from being bright blue to an orange and reddish color with rays of blue coming from behind of the mountains, where it was setting, we knew it was time to head back to the house. During the night, the entire family would sit around the dinner table. The food was delicious. Before we would start eating my grandmother would tell us where all the food came from. Most of it came from the ranch itself or from the other ranches around us. I loved knowing that something that I did during the day, helped my grandmother prepare those amazing dinners. After dinner we would all sit in the living room. My uncles would tell stories about when they were kids and laughter would take over everyone. Everyone would take turns telling stories, but my favorite one was the story of how my grandfather killed a jaguar that was trying to kill one of the cows. The hide of the jaguar hangs in the living room on the wall and every time I heard that story my imagination would bring it to life. Then summer would come to end. Then all the bags were packed. Then the only thing left was to say goodbye. I did it with joy, because I knew that next summer I would be there again, in this special place, sharing and making new stories and memories with the people I love.