Today we are going to the alpaca show in Shawnee, Oklahoma.  We  only go to two shows a year.  A show in Topeka in the fall and this one in January.  We're taking four animals.  Missy, Freckles, Isis, Ebony.   When we get to the show a vet will look at our health certificates.  Another person will  scan their microchips with a little hand held thingy like they use at WalMart. (We might be mistaken as to which of our animals is which)  Then we stand in a line with all four animals and get our stall assignments.  Then another line to get all the animals color checked.  Then we find our stalls .The folks that run an alpaca show provide stalls. In the barn there is row after row after row of stalls. Finding your stall is not an easy matter.  We were pretty late signing up so we will probably be at the far end of the rows. Then we unoad the animals and get them comfortable and fed, then we can sit down.

Saturday we'll be up early and to the judging ring for the handlers meeting. This is a little lecture from the judges as to how our animals should behave. They remind us to clean the animals back side of "dingleberries"  so the judge doesn't soil her/his hand when checking male attributes. They remind us that the ring steward is the judges helper not ours. Alright already. Nuff said!

Ebony will be the only one that shows Saturday,  because browns are one of the first classes.  Then we'll watch other classes. On the look out for an appealing sires for all our girls. Including our newest cria we have nine girls.  Yes we have been blessed with girls but now we have to pay for all these weddings!  The performance class is fun to watch.  Youngsters take the alpacas through an obstacle course.   I am amazed how some of the young people have such a trusting relationship with their 'pacas that the animals would follow them anywhere!  Tomorrow night we'll go to the banquet.  They sent us an e-mail telling us they had revived their Saturday night banquet with some kind of a comedien/magician.  Gotta be better than the past speakers.  A K-state vet talking about alpaca diseases or a person back east speaking about her own prize winning alpaca fleece, yawn. For thirty dollars a person it needed a lift. 

Sunday will be our big showing day.  Freckles and Missy may be in the same white juvenile class.  It depends on what color they put Freckles into. She has light beige spots on her face and legs. Then Isis will be soon after in the older white females. We have made several inquiries into some breeding possibilities for our girls and some of these animals will be at the show so we'll get to see them in person.  We have made friends with several farms in the area and some of them will be there.  An alpaca show is nail biting while you are in the ring.  The rest of the time is spent looking at wares of the vendors, and making our own animals comfortable  and having fun. 

we'll return home Sunday evening hopefully with a couple ribbons!?  I'll let you know how that works for us.
...farm living is the life for me.Sanetha