Photographs by George Howlett

During the week, Ashley and Kristin Sims live in a house in the city. Each day, after school, they usually go swimming or work on crafts. Since they live in Florida, they can swim almost every day. But when the weekend comes, they head for the family ranch! When you think of a ranch, you probably think of places out West. But Florida has ranches, too.

The Sims Ranch is just a few miles from the city of Tampa. Ten-year-old Ashley, eight-year-old Kristin, and their little brother Thomas have the chance to see how different life in the city and country can be. Ducks, chickens, turkeys, deer, and other animals stay around a fenced pond at the ranch. Ashley and Kristin have been raising nine baby ducks. Ants were killing the ducklings before they could hatch. So, Ashley and Kristin helped their parents save the babies by helping to crack the eggs open when the ducklings were ready to come out. Ashley cracked open five of them.

Now, the two sisters feed them, and the ducks run after them along the edge of the pond. They think Ashley and Kristin are their mothers! Ashley and Kristin also like to feed the deer. They have Florida white-tail deer, axis deer, and fallow deer. The ranch also has two Arabian oryx. They're a type of antelope. They come from Iran and are very rare. There are many pastures on the ranch, with fences all around and big double gates. The fences separate different kinds of animals.

Ashley and Kristin help their father and mother by opening and closing the gates for their jeep to drive into a pasture. One of the pastures has buffalo, one has bulls, and several have different kinds of cows in them. The cows come running when Mr. Sims pulls into their field. He beeps the horn, and the cows know it's time to eat! Mr. Sims pours huge chunks of food on the front of the jeep. Ashley and Kristin pet some of the gentler cows. But, you have to be careful. A hungry cow lets no one stand in its way! So, Ashley and Kristin like to stay in the jeep when they pet the cows.

The next pasture has five buffalo. Ashley and Kristin know to be careful around them. They can be a little scary. "We don't want our feet to get stepped on," says Ashley. So, the girls would rather go into the bulls' pasture. Sometimes they help to feed them. One of their bulls weighs 2200 pounds. That's more than a ton! The family calls him "Highpower" because he's so big and strong.

The cows, bulls, and deer have little red tags that hang from their ears. The tags have different numbers on them. "That's so we can tell them apart," says Kristin. Some also have small metal clips on their ears. The clip means they have had certain shots. These animals must have shots or vaccinations, almost like dogs and cats.

There are several horses at the ranch. Kristin and little brother Thomas love to ride Thunder. He's a pretty gentle horse. Ashley would rather stay on the ground. She likes the deer and ducklings more. The ranch also has a garden. Both Ashley and Kristin help pick vegetables grown in the garden. They pick corn, tomatoes, and onions for their mom to use for dinner.

Even though they love the animals, Ashley and Kristin have seen firsthand that running a ranch is very hard work. Caring for all the animals is a big responsibility. They aren't sure they would want to be full-time ranchers. Right now they're happy just being "weekend cowgirls."