November 2009
Wow... I cannot believe I haven't posted since August! I have been out straight busy with shows mostly. It's a good thing Chuck is full time on the farm now.
Beginning in August registration opened for the VAOBA show. We beta tested the new AOBA registration software and it was an experience. I think that once it is ready the next testers will have an easy time of it. It has potential but I am afraid it just isn't going to be something that is appreciated. I ended up finishing the show up manually. I never did get access in to be able to do anything myself and having reports in PDF files just doesn't cut it. Anyway, the show itself went well and Jeff came and made the changes that were needed. It was nice having that task off my shoulders and it was really nice that I was able to get some sleep the night before the show. What was unfortunate was that we had about half the number of entries as the year before. I have since heard that a lot of people have just given up when they have issues with the software and now have to wonder if that didn't play a larger role in our entries being down than I thought. I guess we will never really know.
The week after the show in October saw us with a visit from my good friend Sara and her family - mother, husband and grand kids. Three of which are way too old and big to let me pretend to be somewhat young still. Why is it that when your own kids and grand kids age it is the way it is supposed to be but your friends family is stuck as they were ten years ago? Odd but it happens all the time. The entire family suffers from animal allergies so it was a short visit. First time I have ever served up Benadryl and water to guests! LOL
That weekend I flew to Denver for the Alpaca Fiber Symposium. I have been with the Symposium since the beginning and totally enjoyed being there for this one. We really are doing a worthwhile venture here... I hope that it continues on and am really hoping we can get one here in Virginia for the next time around...
Next up was the AlpacaFest West show out in City of Industry California. That is outside LA in the San Bernadino foothills. Nice show. I really enjoyed it and everything went well. I have to say that the hotel accommodations were outstanding.
One more show this year - that's next weekend in North Carolina, the Carolina Classic. It's a Level II show and will beheld in one day. Usually there is an auction on Saturday but this year there are seminars and a pen sale instead.
In early November we had two new crias born... Miss Wise and Whitney were both bred to Amerikhan Legend; Wise gave us a dark brown girl and Whitney a very light male. We named them Amerikhan Obsession and Amerikhan Klassic. Both are doing really well.
Black Velvet had her cria too - she had a dark brown female whose name is Autumn Bliss. Now we are just waiting on Clara. I am actually surprised that she is still hanging in there. She's not late by any means - it's just that she had been going early. She's bred to CVA Cadbury, a true black male owned by All About Alpacas... Maybe a black female? I really do want a female from Clara. All she's given us so far are boys. But healthy - that's what is really important! I don't ever forget that.
Registration opened yesterday for the Carolina Alpaca Celebration and I was happy to see we had about eight entries already. Good start. That show is in February. In March I have the Palmetto Classic in North Augusta, SC. New venue this year. Finally, if all goes well I will get the California Classic in April. Just answered that RFP today but I expect to hear before Christmas...
That's about it business wise. On a personal note our sister Sue has had a really rough time of it. She's been fighting skin cancer since 2002 and has had surgeries and treatments for that regularly. She also had an accident at the stables and wrecked her leg and foot. She's undergone a lot with that as well. The last cancer check found that it had metastasized to a spot on her lung and a couple of significant spots on her liver. She went into Yale for treatment in October. She had the IL2 treatments and they are pretty brutal. She did round one and had almost a week off and went back for round two. The blood test following round one looked promising, her blood was almost back to normal. After she finished a rough week of round two of treatments she somehow broke her hip and leg. That ended up being life threatening and it was touch an go for awhile. Everything seems to be on the mend finally and except for the fact that she has missed going to the Philharmonic tonight with her daughter we are hoping she will be back in circulation really soon. Chuck is going up to visit soon and that's a good thing.
Until the next time!
Beginning in August registration opened for the VAOBA show. We beta tested the new AOBA registration software and it was an experience. I think that once it is ready the next testers will have an easy time of it. It has potential but I am afraid it just isn't going to be something that is appreciated. I ended up finishing the show up manually. I never did get access in to be able to do anything myself and having reports in PDF files just doesn't cut it. Anyway, the show itself went well and Jeff came and made the changes that were needed. It was nice having that task off my shoulders and it was really nice that I was able to get some sleep the night before the show. What was unfortunate was that we had about half the number of entries as the year before. I have since heard that a lot of people have just given up when they have issues with the software and now have to wonder if that didn't play a larger role in our entries being down than I thought. I guess we will never really know.
The week after the show in October saw us with a visit from my good friend Sara and her family - mother, husband and grand kids. Three of which are way too old and big to let me pretend to be somewhat young still. Why is it that when your own kids and grand kids age it is the way it is supposed to be but your friends family is stuck as they were ten years ago? Odd but it happens all the time. The entire family suffers from animal allergies so it was a short visit. First time I have ever served up Benadryl and water to guests! LOL
That weekend I flew to Denver for the Alpaca Fiber Symposium. I have been with the Symposium since the beginning and totally enjoyed being there for this one. We really are doing a worthwhile venture here... I hope that it continues on and am really hoping we can get one here in Virginia for the next time around...
Next up was the AlpacaFest West show out in City of Industry California. That is outside LA in the San Bernadino foothills. Nice show. I really enjoyed it and everything went well. I have to say that the hotel accommodations were outstanding.
One more show this year - that's next weekend in North Carolina, the Carolina Classic. It's a Level II show and will beheld in one day. Usually there is an auction on Saturday but this year there are seminars and a pen sale instead.
In early November we had two new crias born... Miss Wise and Whitney were both bred to Amerikhan Legend; Wise gave us a dark brown girl and Whitney a very light male. We named them Amerikhan Obsession and Amerikhan Klassic. Both are doing really well.
Black Velvet had her cria too - she had a dark brown female whose name is Autumn Bliss. Now we are just waiting on Clara. I am actually surprised that she is still hanging in there. She's not late by any means - it's just that she had been going early. She's bred to CVA Cadbury, a true black male owned by All About Alpacas... Maybe a black female? I really do want a female from Clara. All she's given us so far are boys. But healthy - that's what is really important! I don't ever forget that.
Registration opened yesterday for the Carolina Alpaca Celebration and I was happy to see we had about eight entries already. Good start. That show is in February. In March I have the Palmetto Classic in North Augusta, SC. New venue this year. Finally, if all goes well I will get the California Classic in April. Just answered that RFP today but I expect to hear before Christmas...
That's about it business wise. On a personal note our sister Sue has had a really rough time of it. She's been fighting skin cancer since 2002 and has had surgeries and treatments for that regularly. She also had an accident at the stables and wrecked her leg and foot. She's undergone a lot with that as well. The last cancer check found that it had metastasized to a spot on her lung and a couple of significant spots on her liver. She went into Yale for treatment in October. She had the IL2 treatments and they are pretty brutal. She did round one and had almost a week off and went back for round two. The blood test following round one looked promising, her blood was almost back to normal. After she finished a rough week of round two of treatments she somehow broke her hip and leg. That ended up being life threatening and it was touch an go for awhile. Everything seems to be on the mend finally and except for the fact that she has missed going to the Philharmonic tonight with her daughter we are hoping she will be back in circulation really soon. Chuck is going up to visit soon and that's a good thing.
Until the next time!
posted by A of NH at 11:16 PM
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