< PreviousMUDBUGMADNESSTUESDAYS2502 Seawall Blvd. • 409.762.8545 • FishTalesGalveston.comJOIN US EASTER & ALL SPRING BREAKPier 21’s Best Dining & ViewsHappy Hour Mon - Fri 11am - 7pmLunch & Dinner Daily2100 Harborside Drive | 409.762.3030 | WillieGs.com2200 Harborside Drive • 409.765.5708 • FishermansWharfGalveston.comWATERFRONT DININGPRIVATE EVENT SPACEHAPPY HOUR SPECIALS©2016 BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE LLC. BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF MEREDITH CORPORATION LICENSED TO BETTER HOMES AND GARDENS REAL ESTATE LLC. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY COMPANY. EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY. EACHFRANCHISE IS INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED. IF YOUR PROPERTY IS CURRENTLY LISTED WITH A REAL ESTATE BROKER, PLEASE DISREGARD. IT IS NOT OUR INTENTION TO SOLICIT THE OFFERINGS OF OTHER REAL ESTATE BROKERS.16710 CURLEW ROAD TERRY RUGGLES Ι 409.939.33754228 SPOONBILLRUTHI STAYTON Ι 409.771.41303819 NUECES DRIVEKATHY MCANDREWS Ι 409.789.525625 PORCH STREETROBERT MCAMIS Ι 713.253.38764103 DEFENDER LANEKAREE CAMPO Ι 713.291.43002226 67TH STREETPATTI ZAJACK Ι 409.789.3199500 SEAWALL BOULEVARD. #812LYNN WINGET Ι 409.795.72301711 POSTOFFICEDANNY DIAZ Ι 409.789.27738004 LEIGH ROADANGELA SANDERS Ι 713.882.982114005 GRAMBO BOULEVARDMORT VOLLER Ι 409.392.084110327 SAN LUIS PASS ROAD #506DIANA STEGNER Ι 409.692.291313660 MUTINY DAVID HERRIN Ι 409.457.3936GALVESTON OFFICE409.737.5200 | 13450 FM 3005 | GALVESTON, TEXAS 77554MORE AVAILABLE HOMES AT GARYGREENE.COMPENDING IN 8 DAYS!PENDING IN 5 DAYS!Ranch in Dickinson.“At one time, Galveston County was the crown jewel of ranching in Texas,” Deats said. “When settlers arrived on the Gulf Coast, they found a sea of grass between Texas barrier islands and what would one day become the city of Houston.”Galveston County is in two major land resource areas: the Gulf Coast Prairies and the Gulf Coast Saline Prairies, according to the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service.Abundant rainfall and nutri-tional value of blue stem grass and new salt grass historically made Galveston County good ranching country.22 COASTMONTHLY.COM / April 2016Coastal CowboysA SPECIAL BREED“Coastal cowboys have to be hardy, and so do their cows,” Deats said.He points to challenges with weather, water, insects, para-sites and food, which call for cowboy skills.“Where trees are scarce, hurricanes can push cows into bays and the ocean,” he said. “Humidity and standing water can cause insect problems that can devastate a herd. Cowboys have to watch for parasites like screwworms and liver flukes. We have to supplement cattle feed, because the ground here lacks phosphorous, and we can’t let baby calves eat mature salt grass, or they’ll get sick.”Photos by Stuart Villanueva(Top) Ernie Deats raises cattle at his K-Bar Ranch in Dickinson. His family has been ranching in the area since the 1860s. (Above) Deats reaches out to touch Holly, one of his cows. Coastal cowboys and their cows have to be hardy, Deats said.24 COASTMONTHLY.COM / April 2016Beyond maneuvering cattle from trouble spots, administering vaccines, using insecti-cides and supplementing soil, a key factor in diminishing risks was the introduction of Brahman cattle genetics, Deats said.“Brahman is a hardy breed that repels insects,” he said. “These cows can handle heat and dampness. We crossbreed them with Texas Longhorns and other breeds for hybrid vigor.”Along with strength of cowboys and cattle, Deats extols the larger-than-life history of ranching on the Texas Coast.“Ranchers from the Houston and Fort Bend area moved cattle on two-day cattle drives to grasses near Galveston to fatten them up,” he said. “But, everything changed in 1951, when the Gulf Freeway was con-structed. It ruined the cattle drives.”SPIRIT OF FREEDOMChance Gardner chooses to keep his cowboy lifestyle. A plant shift foreman at Marathon’s refinery in Texas City, he raises cattle, is president of the Gulf Coast Ranch Rodeo Association and serves as pastor of Cowboy Ministries Church in Alvin.“There’s a certain appeal to being a cow-boy,” Gardner said. “It’s in your blood. My father had a ranch. I have a ranch, and I’ll pass this on to my kids.” Coastal Cowboys COASTMONTHLY.COM / April 2016 25(Clockwise from left) Brothers Haze and Brennan Gardner practice their roping skills on a dummy at the family home in Hitchcock. The Gardner family, from left Brennan, mom Heather and Haze ride their horses around their ranch. Haze practices roping. Chance Gardner embraces the cow-boy lifestyle. Haze rides from the family barn.“There’s a certain appeal to being a cowboy. It’s in your blood. My father had a ranch. I have a ranch, and I’ll pass this on to my kids.”– Chance GardnerPaul Vincent is pleased to announce his new affiliation with Sente Mortgage. Sente Mortgage is a company that is purpose driven, relationship based and ethically grounded. Sente’s mission is to strengthen the financial foundations of families, communities and our country. Sente’s goal is to deliver an extraordinary lending experience by using inspiration, education and expertise to put people in control of their financial future. Paul’s TEAM also joins him at Sente, so the GREAT Customer Service you’ve come to know and to expect from the Vincent Team will continue. For ALL your home mortgage needs call: Paul VincentMortgage Banker, NMLS# 49103713.955.6590 (office) Paul.Vincent@sentemortgage.com2228 Mechanic St., Suite 316Galveston, TX 77550We’re with you every step of the way to home ownership. O’Connell College Preparatory School Established 1847 Grades 9-12• Advanced Placement & Dual Credit Classes • Vocational Opportunities • Small Class Size • Highly Qualified Faculty • College Prep Program • Affordable Tuition • Safe EnvironmentWhere FaithMeets TraditionGalveston’s BestKept SecretNow EnrollingFor Campus Tours or Information, Contact Roberta “Cookie” Taylor1320 Tremont Street, Galveston | 409-765-5534wwww.oconnellprep.comOCPS doest not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion or national originPirates Beach | $395,0004/4, Vacation rental or full time home! 13822 Mutiny Ln. | 409.789.0049Santa Fe | $427,5003/3.5, Beautiful waterfront home! 13 Lago Cv. | 409.739.5027Webster | $290,9004/2, All the amenities! 606 Pedernales | 409.419.0784Alvin | $157,0003/2, Well maintained traditional home. 700 S. Rachel | 818.642.4665©2016 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated. 409.938.1121101 Tiki Drive, Suite 100Tiki Island, Texas 77554Available HomesTiki Island | $285,0002/2, Unique location on cul-de-sac! 1438 Mango | 409.739.9928Tiki Island | $815,0004/5/3/1, Gorgeous custom built home! 1510 Windsong | 713.206.2030Tiki Island | $427,5004/3, Beautiful home with pool! 1402 Tiki Dr. | 281.787.5965Tiki Island | $1,299,0003/3/2, Stunning contemporary home! 911 Long Reach | 713.516.0663Find more available homes at GaryGreene.com409.938.1121April Showers, Bring May Flowers!28 COASTMONTHLY.COM / April 2016Lisa Kinney Turrentine, 51, works full-time at a plastics plant in La Porte. But when Turrentine leaves work, she heads straight to her ranch on the outskirts of Santa Fe. Her usual ranch attire is coveralls and a cap.“My grandpa, Kiddo Tacquard, was born in this house in 1903 and died here in 1995,” said Turrentine, who pointed to a farmhouse, built in the 1800s. The site is part of a Mexi-can Land Grant settled by Asa Brigham in 1830. Tacquard’s grandfather, Joshua, bought 220 acres in 1860, according to the Texas State Historical Association.Before I arrived, Turrentine, who has proud, calloused hands, had already unloaded 15 bags of feed, 14 bales of hay and fed cows — as well as 70 chickens and her Great Pyrenees, Toby.Raising cattle isn’t easy, but these ranchers wouldn’t trade it for the worldHome on the range(Above) An oak tree towers over a barn on Lisa Kin-ney Turrentine’s Santa Fe ranch. The tree dates back to about 1900, Turrentine said. (Below) Turrentine has about 70 chickens that are guarded by her Great Pyrenees, Toby. Lisa Kinney Turrentine, pictured with her horse, Jake, and burro, Jack, still works the Santa Fe ranch that has been in her family since 1860. COASTMONTHLY.COM / April 2016 29As we took off on her off-road Polaris Ranger to explore the 134 acres she inherited from her grandfather, she pointed out another 46 acres she has since bought. She isn’t too concerned about the en-croachment of development, because she doesn’t plan to ever sell and most of the land around her is owned by other ranchers, she said. But the FM 2004 area seems to be “creeping in,” she said.The 50 cattle on her land are crossbreeds — Brahman, Braford and Charolais — Turrentine raises for meat and show. A day-old smoky gray heifer is nearby, ducks are in the pond and cow patties are abun-dant.Turrentine has a lot of memories associated with her land and recalled how the women would fix home-cooked meals for the ranch hands when she was a child.“My grandpa used to lease acreage down below this land,” she said. “All the women would come up here to our house, bring dishes and cook things like stew, potatoes, fresh vegetables, pears from the tree, dewberry pies — everything from scratch. We’d take the food down to the men, who drank tea and coffee out of tin cans.”Aside from putting up with coyotes, skunks, possums, bobcats, snakes and wild hogs, it’s all part of ranch life. Turrentine is quick to acknowledge her neighbors, who lend a hand when she needs them, including pulling a calf when a heifer is having problems giving birth.“If I ever retire, I’ll do this full-time,” she said. “It’s hard work, but I love it.”– Sue Mayfield GeigerPhotos by Jennifer Reynolds(Above) One of Lisa Kinney Turrentine’s bulls warily eyes visitors to her Santa Fe ranch. (Below, from left, Turrentine holds a photo of her grandfather, Kiddo Tacquard, on his horse on the family’s ranch. Old photos and memorabilia from the Tacquard ranch adorn the walls in the late Kiddo Tacquard’s home office. Turrentine still works the ranch that has been in the family since 1860. Turrentine shows off an 1883 tax receipt for the Santa Fe ranch.Next >