A story about the ranch is not complete without explaining how remote it was.
There was no power company to provide electricity ~ and no phone. The refrigerator ran on propane and the clothes were dried on clothes lines. At night we ran lights off of a very large generator. To trigger the generator and get it up and running, two light switches needed to be flipped at the same time. That was something that we were taught very early on.

Communication was a far cry from a cell phone. I will never forget a holiday
weekend at the ranch when we so looked forward to one of the Grange dances. My father ~ with the wonderful name of Wiley ~ many times headed out to the ranch ahead of my mother and us kids. There was work to be done and he wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible so that he could spend more time with us ~ or more time hunting. I suspect that the hunting was a real inspiration to get the work done early.

It was the weekend of a Grange dance and as normal dad had gone ahead of us. I do not recall the year but I believe I was no more than 12 years old a the time. Dad had packed in a hurry and had left a few important items out in the process. I do not think that we will ever forget this memorial event.

Poor dad had to use someones CB Radio ~ to contact a friend in town and have them call my mother. It appears he forgot to put clean "shorts" in his suitcase.
Since a large portion of the people in Petrolia also used the CB Radio for communication....word got out. Of all things for people to remark on at the Grange dance ~ many asked my father if my mom had gotten his message. I can imagine he was
given a bad time about that message more than once in his lifetime.

The picture is of my father holding me ( the youngest ) and my sister Susan.
He was our hero and a very liked person. He always had a story or a joke to tell or a kind deed to do. I know it is not related to the ranch ~ but one of the kindest deeds I have to mention here before I forget in the future.

We rarely traveled as far as San Francisco. My father as well as his father and his grandfather before him were of the same make. They did wonderful things all the time for people. I will never forget all the times my father paid
the bridge toll for the car behind him. The reactions were awesome ~ and my sister and I always do the same when we travel together. I dedicate this story to him
and his memory ~ Luv you Dad ~ Cheryl