by kenny

Melissa and the girls and Kenny and I caravaned to Willis, Texas to visit my cousin Nick Sheedy and his wife Sammi Jo. After a stop at Woody's Smokehouse BBQ in Centerville (it was average), and a geocache, we arrived at the Sheedy residence and were greeted by Charlie the zebra and Wilson the water buffalo. They also have 4 dogs, 3 horses, and a cat. No kidding.

Sammi Jo has quite a gift for working with animals. She trains dogs, works magic with horses, and bought her first zebra at age 18. After poor luck with her first 2 zebras (from what I understand they are often inbred, which causes defects and premature death), she formed a partnership with Jason Mayfield. So Nick and Sammi Jo moved from rural Eastern Oregon to Willis (40 minutes north of Houston). Sammi Jo went to work for Jason at Bed, Bath, & Biscuit, a high end pet boarding & training facility/resort. On the side, they work together training zebras and other exotics, putting on clinics, events, and will hopefully start breeding zebras. Recently, Sammi Jo urged a Bed, Bath, and Biscuit client to seek the advice of Cesar Milan, The Dog Whisperer. He came to Willis to help with the dog, and then spent time with the zebras. Be sure to browse their site, Zebra Guru. It has some really great photos.



Anyhoo, it was really great to visit with Nick, Sammi Jo, and the animals, but it was extra special for me to spend time with Melissa, Melanie, and Olivia. We mostly hung out around the house, but also spent time with the water buffalo, zebras, and camels. We visited the Sam Houston statue, which is ridiculously large, and ridiculously revered, took of tour of the "Biscuit", and helped Melanie find her first geocahe. We only got to visit with the girls for about 4 four days. It was kind of hard to say goodbye to them, but I'm excited to see them again in Oregon in August!! I love you guys!