After using some 2 x 6’s to frame in the room, Paul smoothed out the gravel in there and lay down a sheet of plastic. Then came these little metal riser thingys that hold the wire mesh up so that when the concrete is poured, the wire is in the center. Then the wire mesh is put on top of that. Then he called the concrete company.

A couple of hours later the truck arrived and they quickly went to work pouring the concrete into the barn door. As the truck driver expertly maneuvered his truck back and forth and moved his boom, Paul stood in the concrete and helped spread it around.

Meanwhile I was running in and out trying to take all these photos to document our progress. As I was standing in the barn in what will be our Vet Stall so that I could get the best shot… something came flying at me. It swooped up and down frantically trying to find a resting spot. At first I thought it was one of our resident barn sparrows getting angry at me for being too close to her nest… But then that flight pattern looked familiar…. sure enough it was …..

As you can see he found himself a nice comfy spot in between two floor joists for the loft. I had to take his picture 3 times before it came out right !!!

The concrete was smoothed over and then after a short while a push broom dragged over it ….. and finally I was able to make my mark. Now each time I do this Paul kinda makes a face at me. So today I asked him… didn’t you ever want to put your name in the cement on the sidewalk when you were a kid. He said. “Yes, but my mother would have killed me”….I said… ME TOO and now this is mine and I can do what I want…. and I did.

He put down about 4 inches on each side of the shelter and in the storage room in the back. We had some boards to divide that from the front but removed them for him to get in there… it was a tight fit.

But Joe is a good driver and he only hit the barn once or twice.

Now the boys have gravel down which I’m sure they don’t really appreciate… yet. But tomorrow Paul will put the Stall Skins on top and it will be much more comfortable for them. Of course they will miss their dirt floor. The last few nights they have spent out in the pasture… and in the morning they are wet with moisture… and mud !!! My white boys are BROWN !

So, now off to the water !!! Joe cut the pipe as it entered our property and installed a shut off valves for the house AND the barns. Paul always appreciates a photo of things…. especially when it’s going to be covered up so he knows what’s under there… so here’s his picture of the valves.

Now that we have that all hooked up we worked on finishing the watering stations. We were only able to get the girls done before it got dark and we got hungry and the mosquitoes were after us. Last week when Paul poured the cement… well I just couldn’t let it sit there all nice and neat and pretty. So using my popsicle stick I added. “BCF Girls” on one corner… “2010″ on the opposite corner… and on the side I added the names of the 7 girls currently in residence. Chardonnay, Sonatina, Ilsa, Judith, Sunspot, Jemma and Sept. Rain.

Now we have it all hooked up and working. We spread some gravel around the edges. Tomorrow… the boys !!!

Of course Alexis had to get in on the fun and help Joe with the water pipe.

And meanwhile…. the boys watched from their shaded area of the pasture… I bet they are thinking that all that dug up dirt and rocks will be fun to roll in when they get back into that pasture.!

The threat of rain had them quitting in the middle of the girls pasture where they need to make a turn to the left and go to the girls barn. The girls are also getting a faucet and watering station. They will return Monday evening to finish that up.

Today we went out and picked up some rocks!! This is what you get when you dig a ditch here.

There is no way we will ever get them all cleaned up real soon. So it looks like it will be an ongoing process. Mowing will have to be done with the push mower as that is higher up than the riding mower…. at least until all the bigger rocks are removed. We just finished this process with the other pasture… and now we start over again. Always something to do on the farm !

Next up was Judith… Judith did NOT like the procedure at all. She squealed a little and spit a little… but it was a lot less than what we have seen in the past. She was not very relaxed and it was a bit more difficult to even find her uterus … but eventually we did…. and it was empty So no bun(dle) of joy for Judith, better luck next time honey.

Sunspot was last up. She was relaxed and actually kushed near the pen when we were looking at Judith. Sunspot also complained…. a LOT more than Judith but not as much as we have seen in the past. She also kushed and she also showed up empty . In speaking with the Vet she felt that both were in good breeding condition and we should keep trying.

So in another 6 weeks or so when the weather cools off a bit, we will start breeding those girls. But at least we know that Dreamweaver was successful in breeding and he is able to get the job done… maybe even on his very first try WTG DW !!!

!!!

Then we strung high tensile wire from one side of the pasture to the other between the 3 sets of posts. Considering we have two pastures side by side, the wire stretched 100ft. We had to add a center support post on the fence that separates these two pastures. We threaded the wire through the grommets in the cloth, wrapped it around and through a hole drilled on each post at the other end. Then cranked the wire strainer to pull it tight. Creating a shaded area that can be moved along the wires from one pasture to the other when we rotate the boys !!

I think the boys love it because they are using it and the slight flapping the cloth does when there is a breeze does not seem to bother them at all !!

Along with Sonatina we brought home a very friendly 2yr boy to be our PR animal…. Eisenhower of Cedar Ridge… of course we call him “IKE”. He knows our other boys, however they had not been in the same pasture for a few months. So the next day there was a bit of neck wrestling between IKE and Trueno to determine their place in the boys herd. They have calmed down now and are getting along nicely.

As I am a small farm and had only two juvies to bring, I did not do a farm display stall. So one stall was right for me. Other ways I cut costs were to have my animals transported with another farm. This saved me from having to put tags and insurance on my new trailer ( In KY you don’t have to tag your trailer if you are using it in state ). I also did NOT stay at the host hotel… which was right across the street. I stayed there last year during my attendance of the Indiana Invitational. I’ts a nice new hotel, but it was full by the time I made my reservations. However, you can find some other less expensive accommodations within a mile or two of the Coliseum even without using the word Alpaca !. After all, if you plan to spend all day at the show and then eat out…. what you really need is a safe place to sleep and shower. I just don’t think I need to pay a huge price for this … so I don’t. I also did not buy a dinner ticket….I’ve rarely attended one of those that are really worth the meal and entertainment.

As my luck would have it I had an end stall that was next to some pretty large farms…. Hobby Horse, Magical and Crescent Moon all surround me as well as a couple of other small farms from Indiana. I began to feel like a small itty bitty fish in a very large pond !

Upon my arrival around noon on Thursday, my animals were already comfy in their stall having arrived early that morning. Having a stall near the bathrooms was nice… but it also meant I was on the opposite side of the arena from the water hose !! I started to “decorate” the stall with my farm banners, one on the back inside and one one the side outside. Then I set up my small “hang it off the stall panel” display which consisted of their ARI certificates encased in Plastic displays, a promotional flyer holder with post cards of Americano’s Dreamweaver and my business cards, the emergency contact info, a small basket of Dreamweavers fleece…. and the ever present AlpacaSocial Button !!! If you don’t have one yet….find me at a show to get one !

I still needed to do color check in. They had several color checking “teams” wandering the area. They went into each stall and did the color check. All I had to do was bring my alpaca listing from the Vet Check in area to the center ring and “command center” to be put on the color check list. This certainly beat having to walk my alpacas to the ring and waiting in line. Especially since my boy Chispero does NOT like to walk on lead… more on that later. After color check I returned to the command center to get my “packet” which contained the numbers for the animals. I also had to check in at the AOBA desk to receive my AOBA bag and name tag along with an assortment of promotional material from other farms.

Once I was “settled in” I walked around a bit. By this time the line for vet check in the parking lot was growing and growing. Flatbeds arrived piled high with hay, feed, buckets, rakes, poop scoopers, banners, stall curtains, tables, chairs, water jugs, ribbons, flags and everything else people bring. The stalls began to fill up, the bags of cardboard bedding were opened and dumped on the floor. Displays sprang up around the arena and alpacas were unloaded from transport and stalled. Busy busy busy….. people saying hello, hugging, laughing, shaking hands and wishing each other good luck in the rings.

I always enjoy this time, walking around meeting new people and alpacas. I also enjoy seeing people I’ve met before and the alpacas they’ve had in the last year or so that I may not have seen before. Since I don’t go to very many shows… I am not one of the familiar faces, unless of course I’ve met them online. Almost immediately a man boisterously approached me. A big smile, a firm handshake… “Hi!!! nice to meet you I’m Scott Miller !! I have to say, I’m so glad I voted for him. What a nice guy !!

Friday brought the beginning of the show. An awesome LIVE performance of the Star Spangled Banner was sung at the opening courtesy of an alpaca farmer from Michigan !. The show began, ON TIME, with an impressive selection of black animals. The auction animals were on display in the lower lever. Vendors were on both levels selling a wide assortment of alpaca equipment, supplies and wares. OH The amazing work people are doing with fiber these days. The volunteers started putting up the Spin off results ~ Oh I just could not wait to see how I had done with my entry for Dreamweaver. I found his entry on the wall, with a RED RIBBON attached. Another great placing … he now has 9 spin off ribbons, 4 of them being RED. I quietly flipped over the entry to see there were 80 points. Then I looked at the Blue Ribbon winner…. 84 and the 3rd place winner with 79. It’s nice to know how close I came, you don’t get to know how many points you missed by when you are not in attendance at the show.

The auction began and progressed throughout the afternoon. I did not stay for the entire auction, as I had no intention of buying anyway. But the prices were a great disappointment to many. I dare say there were quite a few animals that did not make the reserve and were either taken home or posted for sale with the hopes of making a sale before the end of the weekend. Several consignors I spoke with were disappointed at the selling prices but were accepting of it based on the knowledge that their alpacas were going to nice homes and would be well cared for. The alpacas that were donated to AOBA were paraded on the stage and then taken back to their stalls on the lower level to be bid on through the “Silent Auction” procedure. This was THE WORST IDEA I HAVE EVER HEARD. Some very nice alpacas were bought for a VERY LOW price for the quality of the animal. Some people may have gotten a good deal, but AOBA got the shaft and at least one donor I know was so upset that I would not be surprised if they never participated again.

Saturday brought a fast paced show in 4 rings !! All Full Fleece classes were shown !! My own experience began with my juvie male Esplendido’s Chispero !! Now this little guy just turned 1 year last week after the show. To say he’s been a challenge in the halter training area is a BIG UNDERSTATEMENT. With all the rain we had the last few weeks before the show, I was unable to work on his training, AND the rain and mud did not do justice to his fleece… but that did not matter. My greatest fear was that he would be the oldest alpaca in the class and the first to enter the ring. When I got my show book I was relieved to know my fears were unfounded… he was SECOND. Still he REFUSED to walk into the ring. The judge, Wade Gease, was very understanding and had the third alpaca in line come out to assist by walking in front of me. Well dear old Chispero took a few steps…. but….not many. The ring steward did his best to urge him on from behind and we eventually found our place in line. As I stood there totally embarrassed, the other 11 entries entered the ring. I knew we didn’t have a snowballs chance in … well you know, but we were there anyway. Chispero proceeded to kush, would not move to line up OR show profile… he was a statue When our turn for judging came, Wade was apologetic and explained to me that the alpaca DOES have to walk into the ring for judging. He examined his bite and took a fleece sample as he said this and was generally sincere … I said thank you and he moved on. Now the problem was getting him OUT of the ring when the time came… and it did. But my competition once again came to the rescue as one of the other handlers lifted him by the tail and pushed him along like a wheel barrow ! I think his show career is over…. he will only be entered in spin offs from now on and he IS on the sales list ! That evening I ran into Wade in the parking lot… he was still apologizing !! I told him it was OK and that I had not expected to place anyway and I was only there to have a good time.

Later on I entered the female ring with my September Rain. Rain easily walked in the ring. However it was standing in place that she had a problem with. She moved around, lay down and rolled on her back a couple of times and kushed. Being as she is only 8 months old, she was #14 in line out of 15 alpacas in the class. So we had a long wait to enter the ring, and she was quite antsy. She also did not place in this large class. The judge was Ken Hibbits. Although the competition was pretty tough, I do think he could have been a bit more thorough in his assessments. nuff said.

With my showing behind me I was free to browse, shop, talk, look at alpacas and watch more judging… and that is what I did for the rest of Saturday and Sunday. I bought some things from a vendor for my farm store, I bought some Extreme Alpaca Socks from AFCNA…. they had a tub of seconds for only $8.00 EACH. I donated my bag of 18lbs of alpaca fleece to the large pile being collected for the Gulf Oil Spill. I picked up some items from the ARI display and asked a couple of questions about some transfers. I watched a demonstration of a felting machine and marveled at the many creations of others… oh if I only had the time !!! I went to the “BLUE ROOM” upstairs where they had the fleece competition results displayed. I marveled at the champions, I felt the fleeces and left in AWE…. I have a long way to go.

The one disappointment I had was the shearing services. With so many alpacas in attendance that needed to be shorn… they had but ONE shearer lined up, $35.00 a head. Some people waited in line for as much as 7 -8 HOURS !! Another farm decided to take matters into their own hands and bought a pair of clippers from a vendor… they were planning to get another pair anyway. They borrowed a table from Light Livestock and sheared their own animals right next to the other guy and then began charging $50.00 a head !!! My two were shorn by a fellow breeder on the way home in Indiana along with the 6 from my transporters farm. Although this meant they were up all night and did not arrive home in KY until early Monday morning… it sure beat waiting in line for 8 hours for a shearer that was moving quickly and sometimes not doing a very good job.

At 3PM on Sunday I packed up some of my things, said good bye to old friends and new and headed to the parking lot for that 6 hour drive home.

I had a GREAT TIME and that is what I set out to do. I know that during past National events, they have had numerous seminars and classes, this time they did not. It was a cost savings initiative and one that many people missed. I hope that they can include them again soon, as many smaller farms would be interested in them. I look forward to my next showing adventure, which will be the Kentucky show this fall in October. I’ve yet to decide who I will take, if anyone at all… we’ll just see how their fleece comes in between now and then… but I’m thinking I might be taking my two year old Trueno ….. he’s good on the lead and a sweetheart with some nice fleece character… I probably should have taken him to Nationals….instead of Chispero !! You would never know they are 1/2 brothers.

It’s now been just over a week since we separated Chispero and September Rain from the main herd because they are going to Nationals next month. Not wanting to have Jemma get lonely while they are away, we put her right in with the older girls. She’s doing great ! Rain is a big girl and she is kind of missing the older girls. Chispero has finally stopped standing at the fence staring back at his Dam…. well, most of the time anyway. For an older male he is such a mamma’s boy!!

I continue to work with both Chispero and Rain for halter training when weather permits. This last weekend Chispero and I spent a bit of time walking around the pasture, or shall I say back and forth near the fence. He still needs a little nudge to move forward. He still has a way to go before “show time” and I’m determined that he will NOT embarrass me in the ring !!

The morning brought us cool cloudy skies and some sprinkles. The shearers showed up right on time at 7:45. We decided to do Dreamweaver and Trueno first since they were out in the open and getting wet. As the shearer set up in the barn Paul and I went for the pasture to get the boys. It took us a few minutes to get them corralled in the shelter, but once we got the halters on, they were easy to walk right into the barn. After a little drying off with a towel, Trueno became the first victim. He screamed a bit, but was not too bad. When it was all done he had shed 6 lbs 12oz of fiber.

Next up was Dreamweaver. He also was pretty good and relaxed while shedding his 8lb contribution to the fiber pile.

Next we did 3 other fiber boys from a neighboring farm. Otis, Elmer and Jasper !! They were pretty good boys and were done in out to go home pretty quickly. Jan and Greg were thankful to have a place to bring them for shearing.

After a quick break we moved on to working on the girls. First up was Ilsa. She was calm but needed to be carried to the mats. Once on the mats she was a good girl. She’s so skinny under all that fleece !!! We also took some time to do a little dental work on her that was badly needed.

Sunspot was next and she was the one in every crowd that gives you are hard time. There was no way she was going down easy and she fought the whole way… and did not give up. After three men wrestled her down on the mat she continued to spit, scream, pee AND poop the whole time. Thank goodness this is a once a year event !!! She contributed 4lbs 10 oz of fleece. I really thought she had more, but her body frame is quite large.

Judith also was a screamer, but was not as bad as Sunspot. Judith contributed 4lbs 2 oz

Chardonnay was last and she was a dream. We haltered her and she walked calmly to the mats. She was down easy and lay there QUIETLY while don gently worked his blades to remove her dense fiber. Chardonnay contributed 6 lbs of fleece !!!

All in all it was a good day. We were finished by noon, everyone got a nice haircut and will now be more comfortable in the warmer weather. Since Dreamweaver and Trueno’s fleeces were a little damp I took them into my office and spread them out on the skirting table and floor and put the fan on to help dry them off. They are very nice looking fleeces and I can’t wait to get busy skirting them for the spin offs this year !!!