We Could Go to Tahiti: Why We Choose Legacy Over Easy Living
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"You know, Bob, we could just sell this place and go to Tahiti," Kimmie said one evening after a particularly long day of ranch work. She was only half-joking—ranching is hard work, and some days the idea of toes in the sand instead of boots in the pasture sounds pretty appealing.
But here's the thing: that's not what we want to be remembered for.
Don't get me wrong—we could do it. After decades of building up these 1,100 acres along the Cypress River, we could sell out tomorrow and spend our golden years somewhere easier. No more 4 a.m. cattle checks. No more worrying about processing schedules or weather or whether the grass is growing fast enough. Just easy living and sandy beaches.
But that's not legacy. That's not stewardship. And that's certainly not what we want to pass down to our grandchildren.
Three Generations, One Vision
Walk onto our ranch any given day and you'll see something that's becoming rarer in America: three generations working together toward the same goal. There's me and Kimmie, who've poured our lives into this land for over three decades. There's our son Dustin, who could have chosen any career but chose to come back to the ranch. There's Heather, our daughter-in-law, juggling her teaching career with learning the technology side of our operation. And running around between all of us are three grandchildren who know the difference between Red Wagyu and regular cattle before they can tie their shoes.
Many of our friends tell us they envy this family dynamic. In a world where families scatter across the country chasing careers, we've found something that keeps us together: a shared purpose bigger than any one of us.
The cattle are the glue, as I like to say. They give us a reason to work together, to plan together, to build something together. Every decision we make—from which bulls to lease to how we manage our grazing—involves input from multiple generations. Dustin brings fresh ideas about regenerative practices. Heather keeps us connected to what young families are looking for. And those grandchildren? They're already learning that when you take care of the land, the land takes care of you.
This isn't just a ranch. It's a classroom for values we want to pass down: hard work, stewardship, faith, and the understanding that some things are worth preserving even when easier options exist.
The Historical Land We Steward
You can't really understand why we choose legacy over Tahiti without understanding the land we're stewarding. This isn't just any 1,100 acres—this is ground that has been witness to centuries of American history.
Walk our property and you're following the same paths that Native Americans used in 1542. These Indian trails crisscross our ranch, connecting us to people who understood long before us that this land was something special. During the Civil War, these same trails saw soldiers and settlers passing through, making this ground part of the broader American story.
But perhaps most significantly, you're walking where Stephen F. Austin himself traveled during the early settlement of Texas. When we ride out to check cattle, we're literally following in the footsteps of the "Father of Texas." That's not the kind of responsibility you walk away from to sip mai tais on a beach.
Every morning when I step onto this land, I'm reminded that we're not owners—we're temporary caretakers of something much bigger than ourselves. Previous generations preserved it for us; now it's our turn to preserve it for the next generations.
How do you put a price on that kind of historical significance? How do you justify trading centuries of Texas heritage for a few years of easy retirement? You don't. At least, we can't.
The Ranch as Our Real Legacy
So yes, we could go to Tahiti. But we'd rather be remembered as the generation that helped restore paddlefish to the Cypress River, that raised Red Wagyu the right way for Texas families, and that kept three generations working together toward something meaningful.
We'd rather be remembered as people who understood that some things are worth preserving, even when easier alternatives exist. We'd rather leave our grandchildren not just with money in the bank, but with values in their hearts and a legacy they can build upon.
The beach will always be there if we change our minds. But this opportunity to be faithful stewards of this historical land, to build something meaningful with three generations of our family, to contribute to conservation efforts that matter—that opportunity is right here, right now.
And when I think about it that way, there's really no choice at all.
Experience the legacy we're building. Visit Cypress River Ranch for a tour to see three generations working together, learn about our paddlefish conservation project, and taste the difference that comes from 30+ years of faithful stewardship. Contact us at sanders@cypressriverranchwagyu.com to schedule your visit.
Our Red Wagyu beef is available through our Herd Share Program and specialty boxes—each purchase supports not just our family's legacy, but the conservation and stewardship work that defines who we are.
