On the ranch with Anjelica Huston

On seeing her ranch in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada forthe first time. It was winter. Very barren. Coyote country, Ithought. I came back in the spring, and it was lush and beautiful.And there was an old adobe from the 1920s.

On fixing it up. I raised the roof on the adobe. That’sactually quite a lot, raising a roof.

A day at the ranch. At about 7 a.m., I hear the click-clickof my dogs’ paws on the floor outside my bedroom telling me it’stime to feed them. I put on coffee, look at the beautiful garden,and decide whether I’m going to ride the horses before they eat orafter they eat. Usually it’s after. Then after you ride, you mighttake a nice plunge in the pool.

The evening meal is about 7 or so. When my husband comes up, hisson usually comes too and they barbecue. Ribs, chicken, sometimesfish they bring up from town.

On the joy of growing her own fruit. Every time I came up,I’d bring a tree to plant. A lot of fruit. Apples, pears, peaches,plums, cherries, nectarines. Lemons and figs. I have a little standby the side of the road ― honor system.

What it’s like to ride a horse in the movies. When you’refilming, you don’t get the opportunity to know your horse. Thehorse is ruled by the wrangler, and rightly so ― they’rethere to make sure you don’t have an accident. But it’s a littlebit mechanical. Even so, I love making westerns. I wish I could doone a year. I like hanging with the cowboys. I like horsepeople.

Favorite thing about living here. It’s lovely to have aplace that echoes back to what I feel Old California must havebeen. To be able to sit in the hot sunshine at the base of a palmtree and look into the snowcapped mountains of the High Sierra iswonderful.

Anjelica Huston’s ranch is in Tulare County, CA. She has starredin The Grifters, Lonesome Dove, and Art School Confidential. Her newest movie, Material Girls, is in theaters now.