COUNTRY LIVING on the ranch

We were thrilled to be included in the November 202 issue of Country Living magazine! They reached out to us about 6 months before and we scheduled a shoot on the ranch in August to create a Thanksgiving spread up at camp.

They sent a fantastic team to capture ranch life and we had so much fun putting this spread together.

We were one of four options for the COVER (above!) and in the end they went with a different option (below) but it was still so much fun to see camp on the cover of one of my all-time favorite magazines!

Mary and Brian Heffernan always dreamed of moving to the countryside and raising “free-range” kids in the dirt and sunshine. So when the opportunity surfaced to purchase the historic Sharps Gulch Ranch in California, they took a leap of faith and moved their four daughters— MaryFrances (Francie), Mary- Marjorie (Maisie), MaryJane (JJ), MaryTeresa (Tessa)—to Siskiyou County.

These days, the family raises Black Angus cattle, Navajo- Churro sheep, Berkshire hogs, and a wide variety of laying hens at the fittingly named Five Marys Farms. And, come Thanksgiving, this includes turkeys, which they spit-roast over coals while preparing assorted sides (in the cast-iron skillet, of course).

While their approach to holiday entertaining is quite relaxed (think foraged wildflowers on an old-fashioned farm table), that doesn’t mean they’re taking it easy. “The animals don’t take holidays,” says Mary. “We do morning chores and make the rounds to feed them before we start preparing our celebration.”

The latter includes congregating in the outdoor kitchen, followed by an alfresco feast and evening around the campfire, huddled under blankets and taking in blessings that, like the stars, seem to shine a little brighter on the ranch.

“Ranch life is hard—there are obstacles and challenges at every turn—but I think that makes you more appreciative of the good moments, like a newborn calf standing to walk for the first time. We go to bed dog-tired every night, but we are grateful we get to live this life.”