Spittin' Mad

Some things I learned on our field trip yesterday to the Sweet Maple Alpaca Farm:

1. Always check your memory stick before you leave home. I left mine AT home. Thankfully I had my film camera, and was able to take photos. However, I had to wait to get them developed to share them with you. Forgive the crappy photo quality, as it is a digital picture of an actual photograph.

2. As much as I enjoy where we go, and the day out of school, I don't enjoy field trips. Actually, it's not the field trip itself that I don't enjoy. I hate the bus ride. The bus ride there isn't too bad... it's the bus ride home. I think I blogged about this last year. Ah-hah, I knew it. Read right here, my thoughts on last year's field trip. They haven't changed. Kids are pretty good on the way to where we go. They are excited, how long will it take, what will we see, what will we do when we get there? Then they do the thing, and they have to GO.BACK.HOME. And they are annoying and loud and obnoxious and a billion other adjectives that describe awful. I was so exhausted last night, that after my kids went to bed, I feel asleep on the couch. Out. Like. A. Light. I had a great time, but I'm glad it's over. No more bus rides until next year.

3. Alpaca's are the coolest damn animals ever. Did you know they have no top teeth? They use their bottom teeth and the roof of their mouths to grind their food. Also, they have three stomachs like cows. And they chew their cud as well. And when they get mad, they spit. Their fur is soooooooooooo soft and thick you can lose your hands in it when you pet them. Also, they are playful and curious. They watch you like a little kid, and will follow you to see where you are going and what you are doing. And the ones we met, that were brothers, were wrestling and fighting with each other, just like .. well, brothers. Alpacas only get shorn once a year, and yields 3-8 pounds of fleece. These alpacas are getting shorn on May 16th. They look like they weigh about 100 lbs less without their fleece. The farm has it spun into yarn, but I didn't buy any. It was mostly light weight yarn, and I was looking for worsted or bulky to make dh a hat to match his scarf I made him out of baby alpaca. They actually had an alpaca in the SAME color as his scarf but it just wasn't meant to be.

All in all it was a good day. I decided I'd like to own an alpaca, but you know, there is that yard issue. And I don't think my neighbors would enjoy it too much.