I would like you to meet Alice.

This is Alice. Alice is a breeder of Romeldale/CVM sheep and she and her amazing sheep have won many awards. If you ever get a chance to feel, squeeze, spin, knit or wrap yourself in Romeldale/CVM wool DO IT! This stuff is amazing!
My good friend Kelly and I took a little trip south to Eatonville to visit Alice and her sheep (and her little yarn store) on her farm. Alice is a great lady full of funny stories (she has a Canadian goose that thinks it's a shepard!) and wonderful information on raising sheep. We got to meet her rams, ewes, her English Shepard dog and her two beautiful and sweet Maremma/Pyrenees mix guardian dogs (LGD).
Well, I left with two lambs (they're HUGE) and a beautiful lambskin. Thank you Alice!
My husband and I will be leaving this Thursday to Eugene, Or. for the Black Sheep Gathering where we can cheer Alice on, she will be entering some of her lambs.





the following pictures were taken by Kelly, Rusty Tub Farm. Thanks Kelly!

Around The Farm

I am joining Farmama in posting about what's going on Around The Farm.




A lot of strawberries!

The hops are coming up.

Yummy raspberries.

Artichokes and bush beans.

Celery.

Peas.

Cherries.

Apples, plums, walnuts, currants, gooseberries and beautiful lupines.

Happy chickens and ducks (except for one that got carried off by an eagle last night!).

Sweet kids who are not too happy about all this wet weather.

Bunny the goat going for a walk with me while I take pictures.

I have let them on to pasture and they are getting fat!

Tomatoes (and carrots).

Bushes and bushes of blueberries!

I'm using my Columbia yarn by Imperial Yarn to make my youngest daughter the Esprit Folk Tunic. The yarn isn't the softest but it's raw and earthy and I'm enjoying it.

Hipstamatic

I have been playing around with the Hipstamatic App. This photo and the ones from ROADTRIP were taken using the John S lens and the BlacKeys B&W film.

It's amazing to think that back in 1995 I used to shoot with my Holga all taped up (to prevent light leaks) and would have to spend hours in the darkroom to get a similar type of image.

Yarn from Shaniko, OR

Of course I had to order some Imperial Yarn from the Imperial Stock Ranch in Shaniko, OR and it arrived today. LOVE IT!



For Mothers'Day I got a lovely wire egg basket. It does look pretty with yarn in it but I will use it for eggs.







House slippers for a toddler.

ROADTRIP!

Friday morning I woke up early and headed out on the road, destination, Sisters, Oregon to pick up two more lambs. I was planning on taking I-5 South through Tacoma, Portland and then Salem before heading east to Sisters but I changed my mind last minute and decided to take the other route, one with smaller towns, no traffic, open sky, and rolling high desert ground. I am SO glad I did. Wow, we live in a beautiful country! From the wet and green western Washington to the snowy passes and the beautiful desert, I LOVE IT ALL! There is nothing like driving ALONE with good music and beautiful country side to look at.
I drove through towns so small and sweet, ones that I have NEVER heard of but have amazing history. My favorite little town is Shaniko Oregon. I first stopped in Shaniko on my way down for a quick little pee brake and thought it was so sweet, but it wasn't until my trip back home that I fell in love! I pulled in to Shaniko while heading back north to feed the lambs and give them water. I spoke to one of the ladies in town (there were only 6 people in town, all women) and she saw my lambs and asked if I would be coming back in September for their fiber festival. WHAT?!?! This teeny tiny town that I never heard of before has a fiber festival! She handed me a flyer, wished me a safe journey and sent me on my way. Back home I looked up the Shaniko Wool Gathering and learned that in 1903 the sweet little town of Shaniko was referred to as the "Wool Capital of the World", AMAZING! Also, the breed of sheep known as the Columbia was first developed near the town of Shaniko at the Imperial Stock Ranch that still exist today, I need to call and see if I can schedule a tour! My husband and I are going to Black Sheep Gathering in Eugene at the end of June and a few years ago we went to the Oregon Flock and Fiber Festival but I'm thinking this fall I might need to make another road trip to the Shaniko Wool Gathering!

The Shaniko Hotel (it's for sale!!!!!)



and finally, meet Nettle and Thistle.

You're never to old to learn how to...

read music and play the guitar.


ski.


ride a horse.



All new to me and I'm having SO MUCH FUN!