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Sunday, December 13, 2015

Marriott Ranch

My Thanksgiving break was not boring, by any means. I had the awesome opportunity to go to the state of Virginia to visit my wife's family. Last year we went to my side of the family for Thanksgiving. I definitely did not get the short end of the stick with this deal. Upon going to Virginia, I stayed at Marriott Ranch, a 4,700 acre ranch. My wife's parents have a house on Marriott Ranch,  our Thanksgiving festivities  were on Marriott Ranch as well; so it was convenient to stay there. Soon enough Thanksgiving day approached. Our day festivities were spent eating food at the Manor House on Marriott Ranch.

Here is a picture I took of the Manor House. As I first laid my eyes on this building  I had several questions. My wife's father spent many years working on Marriott Ranch; I knew he would know the answers to my questions. Instantly, I  asked him: "How old was this building?" My wives father (Jerry) replied: "The building was built in 1814, which adds up to a little over  200 years old." That is an old building! Before our trip to Virginia my wife would tell me the Manor House was haunted. I continued to ask Jerry the tough questions. Next I asked:"Is the Manor House really, haunted?" Jerry laughed at my question a little bit, and replied: "Yes!" I was instantly fascinated with the building and its haunting stories. Jerry continued to tell me stories of why it was haunted. The summarized basic story is the Manor House was in possession of a man who was married to a lady that had psychological problems. Before being sent to a psych ward, she sketched her name in a window in the building (still there today). She was eventually summoned to a psych ward by her husband and eventually died. It is said that, that women haunts the Manor House, seeking revenge on her husband and her early death. Pretty spooky, eh?

As I said before, the Marriott Ranch is 4,700 acres big. There is a lot of land to look at and see. The next day after Thanksgiving,  we went on a jeep ride to look at the land on Marriott Ranch. 

As we were on this jeep ride, I was able to ask Jerry some more questions. I asked Jerry: "What did you do on Marriott Ranch?" Jerry replied: "Much of my time was spent looking after the grounds, and taking care of cattle. I took care of over 500 head of cattle at a time. I was in charge of making sure Marriott Ranch was ran correctly." As our jeep tour continued, Jerry would tell stories at specific places along the way. He told a story of how cows charged after his kids when they were on the ranch working with him. He also talked about the many people that lived on Marriott Ranch, and showed us there homes.  I can only imagine how much work that would be, to oversee 4,700 acres of land.

As we were on our tour of the land we also stopped by some barns. My wife told me many stories of her playing in the barns, finding little kittens, and playing in the cow and horse feed. Well, those stories came true to me as I visited the barns. Right across the street from the barns was my wife's home she grew up in; separate from the house her parents live in now. As us three as seen above, checked out the barns we saw cats every where, just as my wife described. We also went upstairs to the cow and horse feed, and jumped and played in the feed. It was a lot of fun, but the odor of the feed was almost unbearable! While at the barns, my wife told me her childhood stories. As I heard her telling these stories, I began to ask her questions. I asked:"Is this barn functional today?" My wife replied: "I am not sure, these barns I don't think are used very much any more." And she was right, there was cob webs everywhere! If these barns were being used, they were used very minimally. The barn we were at had several four-wheeler's and tractors that were old and looked like they had not moved for a while, My wife told me: "This barn is just one of many barns found on the ranch, there are barns everywhere! If the workers are not using this barn very much, I bet they are using other ones."Right across the street from the barns was my wife's home she grew up in; separate from the house her parents live in now. Shortly after our barn fun, our jeep ride came to an end as the sun set; creating amazing scenery. We were not able to see the entire 4,700 acres of Marriott Ranch, but we were able to see some of it.  

Above, is another picture I took on Marriott ranch just before the sunset. My experience on Marriott ranch was amazing and informal. My second to last night on the ranch, me and my wife stayed at the Manor House. As the Manor House today serves as a venue, and a bed and breakfast hotel. My wife was scared, as well as me. The house just has an old, haunted, scary feeling to it. That night we slept maybe two hours, because of the experiences we had at the Manor House. I left the Manor House knowing for sure that it was haunted. I also left the entire Marriott Ranch with a greater understanding of the purpose the ranch serves. By housing, and feeding hundreds of cattle. Marriott Ranch is a historic place and venue for many people to go visit, as well. My time at Marriott Ranch was a blast, and a time I will always remember. I hope to be able to visit again soon. 

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