SCENE | Yearling Row

Ronald and Nancy Reagan at their Malibu Canyon Ranch “Yearling Row” in the 1950s.

"And so when Ronnie bought Yearling Row, his first ranch in Malibu, I went out and took it upon myself to paint his picket fences. That was no small job: It was a 360-acre ranch! I painted into the sunset, until there wasn't a single streak of light left in the sky. At the end of each day, I'd take off my blue jeans and they'd be so caked with paint that they'd almost stand up on their own. My skin would be in similar condition. One day my makeup man at Metro said to me: 'I have to tell you, Nancy, this is a first: I've never had to make up an actress at Metro and first remove paint from her face.'"—Nancy Reagan in an excerpt from I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan

I want to note that Nancy Reagan really wasn't a tomboy by any stretch, but in the context of their ranch life, I think the First Lady is owed some credit for convincingly, as a good actress would, playing the role. Happy Presidents Day. —LGM