A Zebra Experience

Me with Jenny (right) on Surfers Paradise Beach in 1972

In May 1970, Jenny & I were 17 years old when we met and started our Registered Nursing training together. Four years later we finished together with our General AND Midwifery nursing certificates in hand. This year we celebrated our 60th birthdays, and as part of the celebrations, Jenny and her husband Peter, joined Murray and I during our USA RV travels. They will travel with us for 7 days during which time we will drive through the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. 

Peter, Jenny and I waiting for the live bull riding action

On their second night with us, we took a tip from my brother Tony, and while we were visiting the Fort Worth Stock Yards in Texas, we checked out the Billy Bob Theatre. Wikipedia tells us it was originally built in the 1900's as a cattle barn, and is now the world's largest Honky Tonk! It holds over 6,000 people and has around 20 bars. We had dinner in the restaurant there, and then stayed for the live bull riding afterwards. While we were at dinner, we saw a table of about 12 young ladies come in, accompanied by an older male. My first deduction was that the chap was a coach, as no man has 12 daughters around the same age, and he looked too respectable to be a sugar daddy. I explained to Jenny (who with Peter were on their first ever visit to USA) that coaches were very revered people in this country, and that was probably what he was. He had an 'air' about him. We then saw him and the ladies just behind us in the line for tickets to the bull riding, so I couldn't resist asking him if he was their coach. He explained that one of the young ladies was in fact his daughter, and the other young ladies were her girlfriends. They had all graduated from college together 3 years ago and were working in various entertainment industries in Los Angeles and New York, and as they had never been to Texas, they came to visit for the Memorial Day weekend. 

As soon as I started talking to the 'Coach' (as we had already nicknamed him), he recognised my Australian accent, and it turns out that his father had been saved by an Australian Doctor during WW11 in Borneo. Quite an interesting story! Before the bull riding started, he gave me his card and said that if we were going to be around the next day, we would be welcome to visit his ranch which was 35 miles south of Fort Worth. Jenny and Peter were keen to experience some USA culture so a visit to a Texas ranch seemed just the ticket. We were also invited to another Texas ranch, in Dripping Springs just outside of Austin, Texas, but unfortunately time was against us. Sorry Randy and Wanda.

The next morning, Saturday, we had already planned to return to the stock yards to witness the long-horned steer cattle drive in Exchange Street, which we did. Jenny and I even sat on one of them, but that is covered in a future blog. Once the cattle drive was over, we contacted our 'Coach', who we discovered was actually a pretty famous shoulder reconstruction doctor known as Dr Buz. We made our way to his Rockin' Z Ranch and picked up some sodas and Doritos on the way. 

Front view of the Ranch House

Side view

Having a champagne with Coach and Suzanne in their beautiful home

On arrival we met Dr Buz's delightful wife Suzanne, and were poured a chilled champagne (forget the sodas!) and sat to chat in a beautiful lounge room with chandeliers.

Front door entrance complete with cowboy hats (his Akubra was upstairs!) and chandelier

Murray and Peter did very well to ignore the delightful young ladies lounging in bikinis by the pool out the back. If you look very closely in the photo of the three guys below, you will see the girls in the

background. 

Peter, Dr Buz and Murray (girls beside pool in background)

Dr Buz then loaded us into one of their many vehicles, and we did a partial tour of the ranch. We were thwarted somewhat by a fallen tree knocked down probably by the same storm that did so much damage to Moore, Oklahoma (we drove past that area today and got some photos, so check out the next blog). To our surprise, amongst his red deer, llamas (to keep the coyotes at bay) and goats, they also have 2 very healthy looking zebra's on the ranch. Hence the name of the Ranch - Rockin' Z (for Zebra). 

As it turns out, as well as having a hectic shoulder operating schedule and national and international seminar demands, Dr Buz is also the lead singer in a band called Doctor Doctor. What a delightful and most interesting character. No wonder he needs Randy to run his ranch for him! 

Llamas and goats

Dr Buz showing us his Zebras

Jen tried to get closer to the Zebras but they kept moving away

Healthy Looking Zebras

Some of his deer herd

Local Texas Wildflowers growing on his ranch - Red Paintbrush

After a most enjoyable 2 hours, we left the ranch with a Rockin' Z Ranch cap each, some CD's of Doctor Doctor songs and a wonderful shared memory for Jenny and I to add to our collection of our 43 year friendship.

Peter, Jen and Murray wearing their Rockin' Z Ranch caps under the Ranch entrance

Now Coach, remember if you ever make another trip Downunder, we are only just south of your old surfing playground of Byron Bay! Get in touch...