Easter At The Ranch

I am so grateful to have the opportunity to visit All American Alpacas on a weekly basis to see my Alpacas, as well as all the others. Rick & Pati have approximately 75 Alpacas (and 2 wonderful Llamas, "Lillith & Rose"). As time goes by, I have learned most of their names and personalities. Many have become my "friends" and I cherish the time I can spend with them.

On Easter, I arrived about 10AM. It was a dreary day with a light drizzle. The Alpacas seemed to enjoy the cool weather. I was hoping the Easter Bunny would bring a cria or two, as Carmella and Summer are ready to pop! No such luck. Pati made a very nice Easter lunch, complete with wine, and we sat and talked for awhile before she had to go to work.

Before I go any further, I should probably describe my Alpacas, as I will be writing about them often:

Princess - my first dam, and mom to my first cria "ALPHA". Princess is an 8 1/2 year old, medium fawn, Huacaya. She has been bred, again, to Snowmass Jericho's Conquistador (lovingly known as "Fred"), and expecting 11/3/07. She and Fred did so well with ALPHA, I'm anxious to see what they produce this year.

ALPHA - my first cria. ALPHA is a 5 month old, light brown, Huacaya. His sire is Snowmass Jericho's Conquistador (Fred). Rick & Pati say he has all the qualities of a junior herdsire. His fiber is dense and crimpy, his conformation perfect, and his color very uniform.

Vanilla Sundae - my first maiden. Vanilla is a 9 month old, beige/medium fawn, Huacaya. Her dam is Carmel Sunday, whose grandsire is Pperuvian Leon. Vanilla's sire is Vivace, who was sired by Ppperuvian El Moustachio with Peruvian Hemingway as his grandsire. What an impressive family tree! Most of her body is beige, with a significant medium fawn spot on her bottom. To me, it looks like she's wearing a thong :) She is quite mature for her age and could possibly be bred as soon as her first birthday the end of June 2007.

Felix - my first pet male. Felix is a 7 month old, white, Huacaya. Although he is a good looking little man, Rick & Pati say his fiber isn't herdsire quality. He's my little love bug. He'll let you rub his neck and give him kisses. And, he has the cutest face you've ever seen! I've been halter training him once a week for about 5 weeks. I'd like to train him as a therapy animal and use him for public relations for the Alpaca industry. He has the perfect personality for it.

Smokin' Antoinette "Star" - my second maiden. Star is a 19 month old, light brown, Huacaya with a striking blonde streak in her topknot and a blonde star on her nose. Her dam is Antoinette of Bolivia, and sire is Smokin' Antonio. She's being bred to "Show Me The Money" (lovingly known as "Mo"), which should produce a magnificent cria. "Mo's" sire is Royal Fawn and half brother is Dom Lucillio. Mega-champions in those genes!

One more very important inclusion: Rick & Pati Horn are my mentors. They own All American Alpacas in Murrieta, CA. They have sold me all my Alpacas, board and care for them, teach me the business, and let me come out and play on a regular basis.

Now that you know the cast...on to my Easter story:

While Pati was preparing lunch, I haltered Felix to show her what he could do. Over the past few weeks, I've walked him all over the 5 acres, and introduced him to walking on concrete, rocks, walking through small spaces and in to enclosed areas. Since Pati is usually at work when I'm there, she hadn't seen his accomplishments. When I walked him on their patio and had him look through the sliding glass door that leads to their dining room, Pati opened the door. To my surprise, Felix walked right in the house! He walked through the dining room, into the living room and right next to the fireplace (which had a fire going). Nothing seemed to scare him. He seemed perfectly "at home". When he started eyeing a box of donuts on the kitchen counter, Rick scooted him back outside :) I really feel he is beginning to trust me, and knows I won't put him in harms way. He is really connecting with me, which brings me more joy that you can imagine.

In about a month, ALPHA will be weaned and join Felix in Boy's Town. Felix should make a great companion.

I always finish up my ranch visit by taking photos out in the field. I love to go in to the field and sit down on the ground. I usually sit by the feeder and inch closer and closer until I can get a good close up. Today, when I walked into the field, several of the Alpacas ran up to me. So, I sat on the ground in the middle of the field and was surrounded by my wonderful friends. Star actually came up and started chewing on my jeans. Then, she started sniffing my head and before I knew it, I was able to give her a kiss right on her nose. That was a first. Meg Ryan tried to untie my shoelaces. ALPHA actually got close enough for me to get some good, close photos. He's famous for dropping his ears when he sees the camera. Today, he actually let me get some shots with his ears up. He is sure a good looking little man! I got some good shots of Fantasia, Bianca, Vanilla Sundae, Percy, Star, ALPHA and Otie. Rick came out with his camera and got some great photos, as well. Soon they'll be posted on this site.

The Easter Bunny may not have brought any crias today, but it was still a very memorable holiday.