When you sit on Nonnie and Poppy Mitchell’s back porch, you find yourself in a place you don’t want to leave. Birdfeeders hang from shade trees, and rocking chairs look out over the river from beneath rock arches built by Dean himself. Susi offers fresh lemonade or iced tea.

Completed by Dean and his crew in April, the 3-bedroom house is filled with history. The rock itself was collected one piece at a time from the banks of the Frio. Stone sculptures crafted by Dean, along with canvases, brightly decorated by Susi, decorate the rooms. Photographs are pleasantly scattered as conversation pieces, and maps and books adorn walls and shelves. Artifacts from other cultures – Indian, Mexican and South American – are arranged throughout the house.

This is the Mitchells’ dream house. They designed the house, and waited for the right time to build it. That time came in 2006 when Ruby Stevens of Fredericksburg announced plans to fund the sixth grandparents’ cottage at the Big Springs campus, after funding number five just the year before.

Last October, Dean began work. A professional stone mason, Dean served as general contractor for the house and personally set each stone. Over 250,000 pounds of hand-picked rocks were hauled from various parts of the Ranch to the site for Dean to place. Handling each rock "at least three or four times," Dean turned his labor of love into a showcase home.

Susi partnered with Dean the whole way, sharing ideas. Such teamwork is typical of Dean and Susi Mitchell. Married since 1970, the two have embarked on many adventures together. They continue to blaze trails at their new calling – as grandparents to the children of Big Springs Ranch on the Frio.

As a young married couple, the two moved from Texas to rural Arkansas and "learned about poverty from the inside out," according to Dean. As city kids in the country, Dean and Susi started exploring nature and are now avid birdwatchers and outdoor enthusiasts. This knowledge has proved invaluable in their new roles at BSRC, where Dean teaches outdoor safety and takes the children on hikes, kayaking and plant identification outings. Meanwhile, Nonnie Sue co-hosts tea parties for each of the girls at the Ranch, holds birdwatching classes, and teaches girls and boys alike how to bake.

Susi worked as an educator for 20 years with the Kerrville School District and other programs. She served on the Board of Families and Literacy, and taught the well-known course "Love and Logic" through Partners in Parenting. "I still use these techniques every time I am with the children," she says. "When they come over to visit, along with giving them treats, I try to impart lessons they can use in their every day lives, as well as in their futures."

The Mitchells truly embody Oma Bell’s vision of the perfect grandparent couple. And according to the Mitchells, "we have been in training all of our lives to do the job we are now doing – we just didn’t know it at the time."

After a series of odd-jobs in Arkansas, Dean was offered a job by a brick mason in 1976. It was then that he learned he had both a talent and passion for working with rock. "It was the first thing I tried that I really liked. I loved working with the materials and enjoyed standing back at the end of a long day and looking at something that I had done, with my own two hands."

Shortly after moving to Kerrville in 1978, Dean and Susi opened Dean Mitchell Masonry, a business they ran until moving to Big Springs Ranch in 2002. An accomplished sculptor, Dean has carved more than 50 pieces from raw limestone. They are on display throughout Texas. Dean serves as a tour guide at the Seminole Canyon State Park, and he and Susi have taken the children there to visit the prehistoric rock art and shelters.

It was through his business that Dean met Gary Priour and first worked at Hill Country Youth Ranch in Ingram in the 1980’s. Gary had heard of Dean’s accomplishments as a mason, and asked him to build a 40-foot wide fireplace for HCYR’s new Community Center. Dean accepted the challenge.

He remembers the conversation. "I asked Gary why in the world he needed a 40-foot fireplace and his answer was, ‘I want to put up a 40-foot long mantle.’ I explained to him that it could be done, but would be quite an undertaking. I continued to do work for Gary and the Ranch through the years, but it was 10 or 12 years later, when I happened to be at the Ranch at Christmas time, I looked over at the fireplace, and saw the entire mantle covered end-to-end with Christmas stockings, one for every boy and girl. It was at that moment that I decided I wanted to do more ."

Dean began to take on more projects, on a volunteer basis. He constructed a bath house on the west side of BSRC for hikers and campers. He also built the rock columns at both Ranch’s entrances.

According to Gary Priour, "A pivotal key in the development of the Ranch has been the work of Dean Mitchell, anchoring our village in quality construction. And what a blessing to meet someone so talented who is so willing to give of himself! Dean and Susi are folks who make things happen."

Susi first got involved when visiting Dean’s projects at the new Ranch. "The first time I visited, I knew I wanted to live on this Ranch," Susi shares. The Mitchells soon moved into Miss Perry’s garage apartment. Susi and Oma Bell became close friends, while Dean "knocked out the rock work". Susi got first-hand mentoring from Oma Bell about her vision, including the new grandparents program.

Susi also learned about the Perry family’s rich history in culinary arts. In 2005, with fellow Ranch grandmother Judy Fisher, Susi compiled a cookbook, including Oma Bell’s family recipes, as well as those of neighboring families, staff, Auxiliary members, alumni and other friends. To date, almost 1000 cookbooks have been sold.

In 2003, Gary asked the Mitchells to become Ranch grandparents. Already so active in the programs and daily activities, it was only a matter of making it official. With three biological children and five grandchildren of their own, Nonnie explains, "We enjoyed being grandparents so much, we’ve gone professional!"