5/15/2009:  Show Season & SHEARING!!  
After a LONG winter, we have shaken off the snow, brought home some lovely ribbons (come see The Black Medallion-many-time blue and Color Champion!), and are looking shearing day right in the eye!  This last year we started a retail alpaca end-product store in downtown Hood River (314 Oak Street) which has taken on a life all its own!   We just completed a fabulous clinic on parasites (Thank You to Dr. Michael Foss) and have a clinic on Fiber Sorting & Grading on the horizon.  Destiny is now 75 pounds and visits the store in downtown Hood River on First Fridays and special events. We are now able to offer our own herd's products at the store:  lucious woven blankets and woven floor rugs, various felted arts (slippers, animals, headbands) and hand-knit scarves and hats.  Due to requests and interest, we are offering Saturday Farm Tours now, so please come visit us either at the store or at the farm!! We will be having about 30 babies this season (starting any day now) and love to share the joy of a birth and the love of a new baby.  

8/20/2008 Arrival of Destiny!:
Velvet's Accoyo Destiny Arrives!  At a mere 8 pounds, four weeks early, Destiny made her way into the world on a hot August night!  Many sleepless nights later, she is now 10 pounds, humming and walking around the house looking for food and parents!  We are starting to socialize her to the herd, and hope to graft her onto a new Mom in the weeks ahead.  She is our Tiny Dancer -- our Littlest Miracle, and Autumn's most precious girft to us!  Thanks to Mike and Sharon Foss for all the help pulling Tiny through her first week on the outside.  

2008 SHOW SEASON!!  
We brought home 28 Blue Ribbons, 8 Color & Reserve Champions, 19 Second place Reds plus numerous others.  Included were several Breeder's Best Three, Get of Sire and Produce od Dam.  it was a long way from start to finish to complete all 5 shows, but worth it to see so many of our genetics out in the showring not only under our Farm name but so many of our clients out showing and WINNING!!  Alexander the Great, Prince William and McGwire offspring all brought home countless ribbons!!  An excellent affirmation that we are on the right track according to the judges!
2/8/2008 CLINICS!!

1/1/2008: January 1 2008! Sightings in Goldendale!

The New Year is here and we have some great Clinics scheduled beginning with January 12th on Gearing Up for and Navigating the Show Season! We will also include information on scheduling shearing since that needs to be done early in the year. this is your opportunity to hear about all the show dates, types of show and details about them from prior years, how to get animals ready for them, how to market your farm at them with or without taking animals. It is an especially exciting season this year since the AOBA National Convention is being held in Salt Lake City Utah - very close to home (Usually held back east). IN Feb we will host a Clinic on Taxes, Farm & Ranch Insurance and Insuring your Herd. March will bring the Birthing?Neonatal Clinic, and then the next few months of April, May & June will be totally devoted to the shows. Clinics will resume in July! There is a rumor that the group of alpaca breeders in the Gorge is growing . . . there are reports of alpaca sightings all the way up in Goldendale!! Several now in Stevenson and even Carson. And so many more getting ready to take off this year! There is nothing quite like the high energy of new breeders . . . . so contagious! Hopefully everyone will introduce themselves to others at these clinics and begin building those marketing bridges. Meanwhile the snow is deep and pretty, and made for a beautiful holiday - but the days are already getting longer - can't you feel summer just around the corner?? BABIES ARE COMING!!! YEAH!!! Get out that catcher's mitt!!

8/31/2007: Summer Events and National Alpaca Days!

Show Season was far and wide this year with a string of offspring going to The Futurity Show In Louisville KY under Prince William, McGwire and Alexander the Great. . . . we were extremely pleased with the results – no surprise from the ribbon–winners McGwire and Alex, but this was our first showing of babies from William and all of his placed well! Our little Sierra Summit sold at the National Auction – out of 90 lots she was the third highest selling alpaca -- we will miss her!! Ken and Laura Slye, co-owners on Accoyo Marlon Brando, took a string of 5-6 cria from Marlon to shows this year and every single one placed, including a third in Get of Sire against competitive white Sires.

Next year we will return to the more local shows with Nationals being held in Salt Lake City.

At The Futurity, we were either crazy or lucky enough to purchase Aussie Hills Imbroglio in partners with John and Shannon Ellis . .. . he is the silver male we have been looking for to put over our dark and silver McGwire daughters. . . . his fleece must be seen and felt to be appreciated. Merino type crimp and organization, 5-time color champion before age 2, 16 micron at one year, staple length to defy all myths that finer fleeces bear shorter staple. Already settling females, his introductory breeding fee is $3000.

Babies are coming now, a fairly large crop of Alexander cria – we are knocked out by what he does over color females. We are getting our McGwire/Alexander crosses now and loving it. We have our first 10 babies coming from Accoyo Phantom (El Nino son) and our first 12 cria due from Accoyo Custer (Grand Master). Peruvian Incantation continues to put gorgeous fleece on his offspring. Our Hemingway/El Nino son, Rainman, seems to be settling his first females (pending confirmation – stay tuned) and we are excited about his offspring into the 10’s and 12’s!!! How come you have to wait an entire year?!?!!??

We will be open with tea on for the National Alpaca Farm Days throughout on September this year, so please stop by and enjoy the farm, Mt Adams, the reindeer and all our little cria and Moms. It helps us sit back and enjoy it when people stop in! On Sept 29th & 30th, we will be co-hosting with other Snowden area breeders an all weekend event with seminars being held at Miner Creek Alpacas just off Snowden Rd, 232 Acme Rd. Seminars start at 11 am and cover Getting Started, Alpacas as a Profitable Small Farming Endeavor, Barn and Farm Set-up, and Earning Income form Fiber and End Products. There will be end products for sale, snacks, hands on fun with the alpacas, and a drawing for an alpaca sweater! 10 am - 5 pm both days!