Easton Series Character - Michael "Uncle Mike" Sanders

Michael and Marian Sanders are the owners of the Sanders Ranch which is 1-1/2 acres of pastureland located on S. West Avenue in Easton, California. The ranch is a goat farm with a few other animals thrown in. There are the herd of goats, naturally, the Sanders’ lone cow, Moo, a couple of sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and in the spring, a new batch of turkeys will be added to the menagerie.

Michael Sanders is father to Shelley Sanders and foster father to the various boys and girls staying at the Sanders Ranch. He loves Aunt Marian and indulges her.

Michael or Uncle Mike as he was known to the kids on the ranch liked his quiet time. He would get impatient with all the noise that accompanied kids playing and having fun. He wanted dinner on time and he wanted to relax in the evening watching TV or reading. The Angels knew to keep their rowdiness down when Uncle Mike was home.

Uncle Mike had started out working for a local hardware store in the garden department after high school. He took classes in the evening to be trained as a real estate agent and at the same time started ranching in the San Joaquin Valley. Since the Sanders Ranch was such a small ranch, Uncle Mike supplemented his income by selling real estate. The real estate market in Fresno was booming and kept Uncle Mike was busy promoting houses and himself. After several years, he was finally doing well. He was so busy with real estate he had left taking care of the ranch to his family.

Uncle Mike’s sense of right and wrong guides the Easton Angels in their many mishaps and adventures.

Easton Series Character - Marian Sanders aka "Aunt Marian"

Marian Sanders is Shelley’s mother. She’s of average height. She wore her hair short, just a curly cap around her head. When she was a child, she had been a toe head, very, very blond, almost white. But like a lot of children who start out blond, her hair had darkened until it was a rich dark shiny brown. Aunt Marian has an easy smile. It came quick and often. She was pretty with large, blue eyes, a small delicate nose with a high forehead and rounded chin all set in an oval face. Aunt Marian had a silent beauty that most people overlooked, at least until she smiled, then there was no doubt, Aunt Marian wasn’t just pretty, she was beautiful.

Aunt Marian had a soft spot in her heart for troubled kids. She calls the boys and girls in her charge Angels and when the Angels bring friends home, she likewise refers to them as Angels. It didn’t matter to her who they were, Aunt Marian considered all the kids her Angels; they were one big, happy family. She insisted everyone call her Aunt Marian.

The Sanders Ranch is the home of Marian and Michael Sanders, Aunt Marian and Uncle Mike to the boys and girls living on the ranch. The Sanders Ranch is 1-1/2 acres of pastureland located on S. West Avenue in Easton, California. The ranch is a goat farm with a few other animals thrown in. There are the herd of goats, naturally, the Sanders’ lone cow, Moo, a couple of sheep, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and in the spring, a new batch of turkeys will be added to the menagerie.

Aunt Marian is an avid photographer; she constantly has her camera in hand. Aunt Marian's philosophy on photography was, “photograph everything you can. You never know when an instant in time will be the one instant to span a lifetime. All photos are memorable, but that one photo is so elusive. So just keep taking pictures. You never know.”