FUN AT THE RANCH

Sept 26-27th

My childhood friend, Diana Dunn Coe, has moved to New Mexico, near Santa Fe, and she came to go riding with me and have lunch. When I first moved from California to Greenwich, Conn. at age 10, Diana became my best friend. We were both into horses and she got me into hunting/jumping. I was with her, at her house, during some pretty targic and difficult times. I found shelter there. I write about her in my memoirs. I had not seen her in 60 years when, in one of those coincidences that both she and I consider miracles, I found her again in Colorado and interviewed her for the book. Then we didn’t hear from each other for another 7 years or so and now she’s moved to NM and we have reconnected. I interviewed her for my new book. She brought me a photo of the 2 of us at age age 11 years and we posed here in the exact same position 60 years later on the lawn after our lunch and 2 1/2 hour horse back ride.

Yesterday I went fishing. They weren’t biting as much as I expected but I caught 7 or so. 2 were in the 16” range and 1 was 19”. It had been Waaaay too long since I last fished here. I used to do it all the time. Heck, I used to spend 7 months a year here when I was writing full time. Now that I am making more movies (and workout DVDs) I am not here as much which makes it even more precious.

Ted comes to visit on Wednesday. That’ll be fun!

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19 Comments
  1. Jane, that’s great and you rock! I wish I could be there with you…a kiss from a 17 year old admirer from Venice, Italy! 🙂

  2. Loved the photos, and that’s a really good sized trout!

    I LOVE fly fishing, and would spend all day every day doing it if I could!!

    What a wonderful place to spend time!

  3. Hi Jane,

    I used to live above Pecos on Cow Creek. We had a great place and miss our time there very much. Thanks for sharing the photos of your ranch. It is in a very beautiful area. And, I love the mesas!

    Peter

  4. Enjoy the beautiful countryside. I, too, love riding horses and don’t often have the opportunity to ride them anymore.
    I appreciated your notes about re-connecting with your childhood friend. What a coincidence that you met again! Some things are just supposed to happen!
    Stay well, and be happy.

  5. Hey Jane! I have had my best friend since we were 11 (we’re nearly 48 now). Our lives are very different in many ways but we are closer than ever. Looks lovely there in your photos. Take care.

  6. so peaceful so relaxing so inspiring a holiday
    at the ranch.
    i have just seen your oreal advertisement on tv.

  7. Always nice to reconnect with old friends!!

  8. Fly fishing is awesome! One of life’s simple pleasures. Something about a gathering food from a river that is so rooted in the earth and primitive.
    Love it!

  9. Hi Jane,

    I have receiving your blog posts and enjoy keeping up with what you are doing. I will do what I can to get a photo up, but hope you remember me from the CED/Santa Monica days. Have always wanted to reconnect and now it is possible.

  10. Jane-
    Wow, that looks like so much fun. I haven’t been fishing in such a long time. Time was, as a child, I used to be forced to go with my father and brother…how I’d love just one of those days back. I know it’s not too late. Although, my father is not in good health right now and I’m not as close to my brother as I should be…I think we still have a fishing trip due. Maybe one of those little miracles that can happen in life!! Thanks.

    Take Care,
    Bill

  11. it’s great to find a friend like that after so many years. Your ranch looks to be a place of dreams…and you seem very good for fishing !!

  12. By the way dear sweet Jane, I do love your book, I want 2 read it 4 the second time, u r a GOOD person, u say in your book u r a good person…man, that s so hard 2 say!!! seriously, nowaday people r so mean, sometimes I think it s the end of the world but then I think that there r good people so we can survive anyway!!!! That s really cool, isnt it? Lol!!!

  13. I was hoping to see the original photo from before you were Jane Fonda (the star, I mean). Will it be in the book? Always glad to share good times that you are having. You’ve been working so hard-two movies back to back one of them in French. How many films have you made with other generational actors? You and Jeff Bridges were such a pairing and now you and Geraldine Chaplin (both Americans in Paris). Have you seen “Big Night?” Charming indie produced by Stanley Tucci and his cousin in which Stanley appears as an actor. Its cast includes Isabella Rossalini and Campbell Scott. Another kind of generational film appearance is the “High Noon” DVD, which I studied with a student. Beau Bridges, who was present during filming remembers on film as does the late John Ritter, whose father sang the theme song and David Crosby whose father wrote the movie. Do you remember that I challenged Victor Nunez to get all of the acting Fonda’s into one of his films. I loved “Ulee’s Gold.” Since I issued the challenge Troy has begun making films and you have gone back to it. Maybe all of you could convince him. I’d like it to be a Cracker Western from a so named series published by Pineapple Press, a Floridian publishing house. Look up one of the books. I can’t wait.

  14. i remember reading about Diana in your book. what an amazing story to reconnect after all those decades. i went fishing for the very first(!) time this summer in South Dakota (lake fishing). my brother, a former commercial fisherman, was sort of blown away…said i’m “a natural.” who knew? really enjoyed the Zen of it. 🙂

  15. the picture of you and diana is radiant. oh how our lives go full circle, and are blessed with miracles!

  16. I love it when you share things like this about yourself and your past! What fun you must have had with your friend! Those were special moments for both of you, I’m sure! So glad you had a chance to go fishing!! You look like you’re really enjoying yourself! Wish you could spend more time at your ranch! You seem so happy when you’re there!:)

  17. Hello Jane,
    Must have missed this blog post , great shots and good story, having read your book,very nice to see you connect again.

    Anyways now that I’m here,
    I sent my script over to CAA, and asked for the forward to you, va a PDF file. I do have a cleaner state of the script without(some type o’s), but that is one that gives you the idea in full.
    I write because of the media interest and the area of focus if my script. The problems of , bullying and the deaths of young people in the news from it. My script take on a more importance as it could save someones life. I still feel that a film can make a change in the minds of people who see it. Taking this into concern I become ,more proaction in seeking out help in the production. So I do hope you get the script.

  18. I remember reading about Diana from My Life So Far and it’s so great that you too caught up with each other and even managed to recreate the same photo many years later at your ranch. I’ve had some issues dealing with my past recently. I have since changed with age as we all do, but I am a little nervous about actually reconnecting with friends with high school. I am a little afraid of their expectations of me and wanting the old high school Tim to return. I know I have become a lot more confident in myself and no longer as timid and shy and conflicted, but still. I know you aren’t Dear Abby, but since you have also experienced this, I wonder if you could help in any way.

  19. The should be for Janes eye’s only concerning a script

    (More post script on your characters development and background. You may have questioned a few things in your mined , I answers the questions in the book I’m writing and should be in the next film. This Answers some verble sounds of speech concering events in the Characters life.
    Margret O’Brien name, in short for Marguerite a name her mother liked but her father thought was to Spanish was crossed and became Margaret, that sounding more Irish. Margret came from the potato growing area of Idaho, rich in history. A grandfather who come from Ireland and with humble starts , created a Potato empire.
    Margret friends call her Maggi and not Maggie (although some people do call her Maggie who do not know the story), the joke came on a outside newscast where a Magpie keep making load noises during a interview, sense than the nick name shortened to Maggi from Magpie is warmly used. The Magpie was making so much noise that Margret threw a rock at it and hit it dead, to everyones surprise, especially Margret. The film of the event got out and bird lovers were writing for years. Although the Magpie is a obnoxious and loquacious talker,( a inside joke ) some people did not want is discarded in on blow, on live television. ) anyway a little more light , do I hear Maggie or Maggi ? Or do I hear Margaret from gargret ? close in the ear , make people wonder and think all in the next script and this book

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