Has it really been a Week?!

...since the Black Sheep Gathering?

I got away without buying much... except a Shetland ram and a semen tank. Those I arranged ahead of time and Garrett Ramsey brought them out from Minnesota.

Here's the handsome fella who gets all our Shetland ewes this fall. All 9 of them. Unless some get sold.

Meet FirthOFifth Barish, an F1 Campaign Timothy son. Barish produces only black based sheep, and his katmoget (badger face) pattern is my favorite. With the modified genetics we got from Buddy over the last 3 years, perhaps we'll get some shaela offspring. Barish is a small ram, very nice Shetland size, and is half polled, even though his scurs/aberrent horns are fairly good sized.

Barish will be staying with Michelle at Boulderneigh to service her ewes before coming here to continue his job. While he's with Michelle, her Blackberry is sharing quarters with our two 75% Gotland rams. Blackberry isn't much smaller than they are and all seem pretty amicable.

On Saturday evening at BSG, right before the Spinners' Lead, there was a Shetland Costume parade. Most of my photos were dark and blurry, but I did get a couple of my favorite costumes. Tracy had a great sign, especially considering all the discussion surrounding fleece types in our little sheep. I remember wearing those foamy curlers!!! Mine were pink.

Lynn Deshler dressed her little sheep in a peacock costume, and carried a stuffed peacock. They were very colorful, and I wish my photo had been better. Notice her tail feathers in front of the curler sheep above.

There were several sheep led by kids - monsters and ballerinas, Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, and this cowgirl with her bucking bronco.

The sheep were remarkably tolerant of their saddles, sweaters, hats and wigs. I hope it'll be on the NASSA AGM video!

- Franna

EverRanch Farms last lamb of 2010

I **thought** I took the rams out so we'd be done lambing in May. Apparently, my timing was off by a good week. Jewel, one of our 75% Gotland ewes, delivered her son mid-morning today, out in the sun in the nice green grass. That's the way they all should be. He'll be curly and grey like his parents - and for sale. (75% Gotland, 12.5% Finn, 12.5% Shetland)



Jewel's boy has three similar aged future playmates. Our only purebred Shetland lambs of the year are these two ruffians, both rams, both sired by Michelle's Blackberry. The moorit gulmoget is out of EverRanch Mindy (musket), and the black fella is out of EverRanch Moira (moorit). Both Mindy and Moira are V Creek Buddy daughters. These two Shetland boys are for sale, as are moorit yearling ewes Moira and Sister, out of Bitterroot Bessie.


One of our 50% Gotlands, Topper, gave birth to this little grey cutie (62.5% Gotland, 25% Finn, 12.5% Shetland). She's a keeper and needs a name. Her face looks like it'll turn dark as she matures, although she might retain a krunet spot like mom's. (The sun makes her forehead look lighter in this photo.)

Did I mention that she needs a name???

Below are Wanda and Smudge, the "supplemental" bottle lambs. Smudge has started nursing less from the bottle and I've seen her nursing from mom more. Wanda still yells for her bottle. This morning, I started them drinking from a dish instead. WOW! What a mess!! Lambs and I got all covered with formula! By the bottom of the dish, though, both lambs had started drinking fairly efficiently. Both are plump and growing, even though they're still smaller than sisters Surprise (white) and Cat-Face (black with white blaze). All 4 sisters are for sale - 62.5% Finn, 37.5% Gotland.


Also growing strong and getting friendly is Alice, our 75% Gotland/25% Shetland out of EverRanch Bunny and New Zealand Gotland ram, Hoppy.


Alice, and sister, Marie, will be registered and eligible for purebred Gotland classes at Fairs this summer. Alice and Marie are not for sale.

We had lambs starting in March this year - almost 3 months of lambing. Every year I vow to concentrate lambing to a shorter time span. Maybe I'll actually follow through this fall :-)

I will be paring down the flock severely this year. Three registered Finnsheep ewes, most of our 50% Gotland ewes, plus several very nice 37% Gotland yearling ewes, and two 75% Gotland rams are for sale in addition to many of this year's lambs. They're all very nice sheep, many are halter trained, all are well socialized. Prices range from $125 to $400.

- Franna

Indulgence

My son and daughter are fabulous cooks! They live together in Richland, Washington, and invited me over a couple weeks ago for an early Mother's Day celebration. I loved it! We had Oysters Rockefeller, Grilled Porcini Mushroom Burgers, homemade Olive Bread and Potato Rolls, and Green Salad with Homemade Dressing. And for dessert - Chocolate Orange Mousse - My! Oh! My!

(To my FaceBook friends, Bryan posts photos of his gourmet meals; I'm tagged in some of those. We supply him with lamb, chicken, and occasionally pork and turkey. He transforms them into incredible meals.)

Then, on Mother's Day itself, I was sick and didn't feel like celebrating... EXCEPT that I indulged myself to a rare fiber order. Spin-Sales had an ad for Stansborough Grey fiber - something I;ve been coveting since I got interested in Gotland sheep. The Stansborough folks are the ones who provided fabric for the Lord of the Rings Magical Elven Cloaks, and other costumes in both the LOTR and Narnia movies. Last year, we talked seriously about importing some of the Stansborough Grey sheep to cross with our Gotlands. The Eldridges bred their Gotland sheep over the decades to have a finer fleece and retain the luster of the original flock, resulting in a separate breed - the Stansborough Grey. At least for now, we put that effort on hold pending financial and other matters.

So, I went to the International Fleeces website - http://www.internationalfleeces.com/ - looking for the Stansborough roving and found it! Threshold crossed, I added some Shetland/Silk top and Swedish Gotland top to keep the Stansborough company. I ordered 3 ounces of each - enough for a hat, mittens, scarf, bag, or other small article. After all, it was a Mother's Day present to myself.

The box arrived in about a week, and opened, yielded not 3 but 4 bags of beautiful fiber.

(btw, the background is a Gotland lamb pelt from the UK. It lives on our bed and I get to pet it every morning and evening.)

I opened each one and fondled the contents.

The Swedish Gotland (above) is a fiber addict's delight! The hand is silky, the luster wonderful and, the top looks like it'll be a breeze to spin. The steely blue-grey color is one of the unique characteristics of the Gotland breed.

I opened the Shetland/Silk (also above) next. This is a blend I've heard of and been intrigued by. It's "black" Shetland with white Tussah silk. It has a bit of a bronze cast to the black, very typical of Shetland "black". This, too, is very clean, well produced top that looks wonderful to spin. The hand is soft and it should make striking yarn.

Next, I opened the Stansborough Grey Roving (a trend - this photo is above). Well, hmmmm. It is soft feeling, and it is a nice clear grey color. I didn't find the luster I was expecting and the roving is a bit rustic. It's more of an amorphous blob in several pieces than evenly drafted roving, and it could be cleaner. It has more resilience than silkiness. To my hand it feels more like a very nice Shetland than a Gotland derivative. It's very nice, just not quite what I expected. I look forward to spinning it! Perhaps as a yarn it will have more luster and Gotland character.

The fourth, and bonus, bag is a lovely sample of recycled Sari Silk from India in vibrant colors (this is a recording - photo above). I've been wanting to try spinning this and the colors are lovely with the clear greys. Thank you, Talia!

I am very pleased with my newest fibers! Doing business with Talia of International Fleeces was enjoyable and hassle free. (No affiliation - guess I need to include that :-) I'd buy from her again, and recommend you take a look.

My plan is to spin these up when I get a few moments between lambing and farm chores... oh, and playing on the internet ;-)

- Franna

Awwwwwwwwwww....

Giving supplemental bottles to Wanda and Smudge - two of Freckles' quads.

Start with the End

Some of you asked about photos of the Welsh Springer National. Well, neither Dave nor I took any photos. However, it seemed like everytime I turned around, there were several cameras clicking away :-) Those photos keep trickling in and bringing back pleasant memories.

Today's post is of Clifford's last retrieve of the last event of the National, the Hunt Test. He had already clinched the Iron Welsh Champion title, but needed this retrieve to get a qualifying score in the Junior Hunter test.

Julie Wickwire, one of the judges, gives me instruction about the test, while...

... the gunners think they've been signaled to throw the bird! Clifford gets a GOOD look, and locks in on the bird.

Julie lets me decide, and I opt to send him. MISTAKE - never do this. Clifford sat for more time than he should have while we talked and then I took off his slip lead. The fall wasn't fresh in his mind, and could have spelled disaster for our qualifying score.

However, Clifford being the IRON WELSH CHAMPION that he is...

...went directly into the water and straight to the bird! Then turned right around...

...and brought the bird straight to me for a clean to-hand delivery!

A well done Qualifying Score for Clifford in spite of his handler!

...and Clifford, of course, wants more.

I love the reflection in the water. The weather that day was really unsettled. At the beginning of Clifford's land work it was pelting rain and blowing. Later, the sun came out. Here it was calm and overcast and you can see by the clothing that it was NOT warm. Not too long after, the wind kicked up again and made mini-white caps on this enchanted pond.

By then, The 2010 Welsh Springer Spaniel National Specialty was complete. We gathered up our things, left this beautiful, verdant forest and headed home, tired and happy.

- Franna

Acclaim, the alpaca, and 2 day old Gotland/Finn lamb.

The Cascade Iron Welsh Challenge

As part of the Welsh Springer Spaniel 2010 National Specialty (just completed on April 5th), there was a new competition - the "Iron Welsh Challenge". Basically, dogs had to participate in at least 3 of the 6 events offered - tracking, agility, obedience, rally, conformation and field. Points were awarded based on difficulty level and scores appropriate to the event. The top point winner is declared Champion, gets bragging rights - AND - a custom portrait by prominent NW spaniel artist, Karen Lee. the Fetcher Sketcher.

What the heck, I thought, enter in all the events! Maybe we'll pass one or two. Our qualifying rate in Agility has been dismal of late, but Rally is as much of a sure thing as can be with dogs. Clifford and I went outside our comfort zone and trained in Tracking and Obedience, starting Tracking in November, and Obedience in February. We practiced in Agility and Rally, and I conditioned him in the Field. And I entered him in all 6 events, some in multiple classes - had to have backup plans considering our recent record.

By the last event of the National, Clifford was in the Iron Welsh lead. There had been 4 different leaders, and the final outcome was to be decided by the Hunt Test - just as it should be. He could clinch the title just by passing the Junior Hunt Test - not always a given, as he's sometimes out of control and doesn't always bring the bird all the way to me. By the end of the test, he'd passed and became the First ever Iron Welsh Champion!

Clifford was amazing during the National weekend. On Thursday morning, he worked and worked at his track without passing, so was already tired going into the afternoon agility trial. He went out and passed his first agility event - the Open FAST class! Next was Open JWW agility, and despite a bonehead handler move, passed again to earn his OAJ title, a title we've been trying to earn for about a year and a half.

Friday morning, we went into the Novice obedience ring, and he earned his first obedience leg - something I thought would never happen. (Even though on the long sit, the dog next to him got up and got right in his face!)

It was easy from there. Rally Excellent and Advanced were fun; classes we'd been in before and enjoyed. And, he was in a conformation class by himself, so earned 1st place, though his handler (me!) didn't leave enough time to do a decent job of grooming.

At the All-breed agility trial on Saturday, he earned both his Open FAST title (garnering 75 out of 80 possible points!!!), and first 2 MACH points.

For Clifford, the very best event was last. BIRDS! He ran second in the Junior Hunt Test, making great finds, staying in control for one flyaway, and bringing in his second bird after catching it in the air. His water retrieve was no-nonsense and delivered directly to hand. WOWEEEEEEE!

The accomplishment is still sinking in. I met many new friends at the National, got reacquainted with others, and had a great time sharing ideas and talking "spaniel". Clifford's breeder, Adrienne Bancker, flew out from Georgia and got to watch him earn the IWC. Amazing. There will be photos and video. I'll have to share the painting! For now I'm floating amongst the clouds. :-)

Franna - proud kibble provider to Clifford - the Cascade Iron Welsh Champion.

Oh, Uncle!

I should have had the commitment that the Olympic athletes have. Or, should I say, I should have had the commitment to my Oscar vest that the Olympic athletes have to their sports.

My pattern wasn't quite right. The vest is turning out longer than it should be and not wide enough. Not good. I need to rework the pattern, frog, and start over. Oh, well, it'll give me a chance to incorporate some ideas I have for double knitting the pocket more effectively.

I have, however, finished ordering and gathering awards for the Welsh Springer Spaniel Club of America National specialty, of which I'm the Chairman. I've put together three Quillows made with custom printed fabric that I designed, have 6 banners ready to sew (also from fabric that I designed), and a whole bunch of fleece strips cut (while watching the US hockey team trounce the Finnish team!) and ready to braid up into dog tugs.

So, it is the knitting that got postponed - my version of getting hung up at the top of the snowboard cross hill, while completing the downhill in style.

Cast On!

I got several rows done before I fell asleep in front of the opening ceremonies.

This bit will end up as the right front band. I was just starting the light grey, when I started examining the insides of my eyelids. It will be interesting, as the knitting is oversize and will be heavily fulled to size (as was my gage swatch).

- Franna

Change of Plans

...yes, already.

I found my Shetland yarn (from a ram named Oscar). And with it, ALL my notes and gage swatches for the side to side knit, purple-garter-ridge-striped vest. Well. I even wrote down the needle size, saved the needle with the yarn - and - charted the design!

So, my Olympic event is going to be an ORIGINAL sweater vest using the Oscar yarn. I can still do the Sleeveless Hoodie in some incredible Gotland yarn.

Cast on tonight! The bag is sitting in my recliner. Stay out of the bag, House Pumas!

...better get chores done now, so I won't be late starting :-)
- Franna

Knitting Olympics!

Oh, dear, oh, dear. I've gone and committed to knitting the Sleeveless Hoodie for the Knitting Olympics. I must be nuts with all the other stuff going on.

Well, there it is. I have either a light grey handspun bulky Shetland or the millspun Gotland from my own sheep in a worsted weight. Better decide soon!

Shetland handspun - spun several years ago by my own little fingers on my Ashford Traveler.

I earmarked this yarn for a vest, but haven't been happy with a pattern yet. The purple was going to be vertical stripes. Some sketching is in order. :-)

- Franna

Sleeveless Hoodie

OH, OH, OH!

I just HAVE to knit this vest!
How would it look in Gotland Grey???



...is that a New Year's Resolution?

Pattern courtesy of Interweave's Knitting Daily and Nashua Knits.

Merry Christmas to All

EverRanch sheep once again played supporting roles in the Living Nativity. I find the production very moving. This year, Marissa, Bessie, Electra, Snowflake, Astrid and Chloe played the part of the shepherds' flock.

Happy Birthday, Jesus. Peace on Earth, Goodwill toward Men.

- Franna

EverRanch Ice Princess

She was special from the day she arrived. Niblet's daughters tend to be extra friendly. As a lamb she'd follow us around and be content to lie by our sides in the pasture or barn. She was first to come up for scritches and a great sheepie ambassador. As a bonus her conformation was excellent and fleece beautiful, lustrous and purled - much more Gotland in character than Finn. She was an excellent mom and I was looking forward to her 2010 lambs.

If you think this sounds like an eulogy... well, it is. This morning I found her head firmly wedged through not just one, but two hog panels, where she appears to have strangled sometime in the night.

Princess, I'm sorry I wasn't there to save you. May you graze in fields of clover, rye and alfalfa with plenty of pumpkins to rustle.

EverRanch at the Kitsap County Fair

This summer I took small strings of sheep to the Island County Fair and the Kitsap County Fair. That was in August. This is October. hmmmmm. Above is the poster spread I put above our pens. ...maybe it'll biggify if you click on it. The Homeland Security poster is one of my favorites.

Above is Town Crier, one of Electra's twin rams from 2009. He was Champion Shetland ram at both Island County and Kitsap County Fairs. Below are the two Shetland ewe lambs from Kitsap County Fair. Moira is on the left, Mindy is on the right. Mindy was Champion Shetland ewe :-) They were great ambassadors for the little sheep.

The two % Gotland ewes below both went to Island and Kitsap County fairs. Daisy was Grand Champion ewe at both Fairs. Her larger size probably did it for her; I like Chloe better.

This guy is a 62% Gotland ram. Beauregard was Champion % Gotland ram at Kitsap County. His fleece is gorgeous!

Fairgoers can be rather unique. This one wasn't too out of place.

I'm almost ready to consider going to another event open to the public. :-)

- Franna

Gotland Gloves and Airplane Knitting

Two weeks ago, Dave and I flew to Denver to judge 3 days of agility trials for the Terry-All Kennel Club. It had been 70 degrees in Denver. That weekend, a big, arctic storm drove in to the Great Plains from Canada, across Montana, Wyoming and into Colorado. Sub-freezing temperatures and snow was predicted for the weekend. Of course.

We both packed for cold weather. Alas, I couldn't find my fingerless gloves, so, at the last minute I threw in a skein of handspun and a circular needle, guessing, at size 9.



This was no ordinary handspun - oh, no! It was a sample I'd taken from a Gotland/Shetland lamb fleece, before sending out the rest of the fleece for commercial spinning (for a friend). The 4 oz raw fleece became 2.8 oz of carded batts (along with a bit of blue mohair and turquoise Shetland for accent :-)

I hoarded the batts for a while, then finally spun them up at various events - Sumner days, Island County Fair.... They made a beautiful skein of yarn. And then it sat. It went to more events and got fondled whenever I could engage folks into talking about Gotlands.

Then... packing day for Denver. Arctic cold. Impending snow storms. Unheated arena. Three days of judging... and AWOL mitts.

I started knitting on the airplane. It was cozy. My (other side) seatmate marveled at how I could knit on and on... and on. "Don't your hands hurt?" he asks. Well, no. At least not yet.

I made up the pattern as I went, guessed at how many stitches, had to redo the thumb once. I wanted the top to snug my hand, but let my fingers spread (for signaling to the scribe during the agility trial), so put a wide ribbed band there. I fit checked often (!) and the yarn felt so smooth and soft against my hand. Yes!

The first glove got finished as we taxied in Denver. The next day it was still in the 50's with ominous black clouds coming in from the North. That evening it started snowing. I finished the second glove that evening in the motel room, using a bobby pin to work in the ends (since I'd forgotten a yarn needle (!) My hands would be warm in the morning!

Well. It was COLD in the morning. In the teens. There was snow on the ground. We cautiously drove to the trial site and walked into the building where ... it was warm. There *were* heaters in the building. Four of them, and they'd been running all night. Dave and I started peeling off layers. My beautiful gloves stayed in my pack along with my handspun, handknit (Shetland) wool hat.

When we flew out the next evening, it was already thawing, and the next day it was back in the 60's.

I'm ready for the cold!

- Franna

Kemp Photos and a Few More

These are some photos I took years ago, and put on the EverRanch website to help folks evaluate their fleeces. The subject of kemp came up on one of the lists I'm on, so I'm posting a few of those photos here.

Kemp in the lock (Scottish Blackface - they're supposed to have some kemp.)

Closer of the base with some kemp fibers pulled out:

And a few other fleece faults:

Note: the dark fibers in this photo are not kemp. Are they "medulated" fibers, perhaps?

Note on the canary stain - this ewe went on to produce fleeces without canary stain. I've heard that once they have this organism, it never goes away. Not true, at least in this case.

- Franna

EverRanch Autumn Color

Here is our little Asian Pear tree. We planted it in 2001 or 2002 and it's given us just a few pears until last year. Last year it outdid itself... then someone stole all the pears just before their peak!

This year, as if trying to make up for our loss last year, it outdid itself again. I thinned quite a bit and still got 2 big boxes of fruit. We shared a few with neighbors and friends, but most went into juice for cider... hard cider :-) This little tree gave us almost 6 gallons of juice, and it is delicious juice, too. Now, it's providing eye candy for the front yard. I'm going to miss that little tree when we move.

Jennifer (DD) and I picked several boxes of crab apples in Mattawa (Eastern Washington) in September, also for cider. We're trading with Donna and Tom for more Asian pears, plus have several hundred pounds of Winter Banana apples for more juice.

Two years ago, we made 2 batches of cider. One an Asian pear, Winter banana apple blend, and one was several apple types plus some crabapples. The pear/apple blend was outstanding; better than any commercial hard cider I've tasted. The apple was okay, but could have used more flavor. So this year, we're making more. More batches, and using more Winter Bananas.

Ask me in the spring how it turned out. :-)

- Franna

Lots of Good and a Little Sad

It's all flying by. I keep waiting for good photos to write up a blog, yet the camera sits neglected and days go by. Well, today there are no photos, just a bit of verbiage.

Goodness! In August, between sheep shows, I made a trip into Oregon to deliver sheep, pick up sheep and pick up two Livestock Guardian Dogs! I got the dogs in anticipation of moving to ERN - where the eagles and coyotes play! They're from Carol Ronan of Ronan's Country Fibers in Selma, Oregon. Waaaaaay down south, and toward the Coast from Grant's Pass. Carol swears by LGD's as flock protectors. An epididymous-ectomized ram lamb accompanied me back. He's our teaser ram for the Gotland AI girls this year. "Lad" is well grown and is a son of our 75% Gotland ram, Bill.

Abby (Anatolian Shepherd) and Maggie (Maremma with some Great Pyrenees and Anatolian mixed in) have settled in fairly well, though they still need to get comfortable with our electric fence. (See why I wanted to wait for photos???)

On my way down, I dropped off Shetland Minx at Marybeth Bullington-Bury's place. Marybeth was showing goats at the county fair, so we didn't get to talk. Minx was happy to get off that trailer! Two of Tammy's ewes accompanied Minx on their way back to Shady Oaks and to Stonehaven, so she didn't get too lonely.

On the way back home, I stopped off at Michelle's Boulderneigh farm to visit and see Blackberry (who I think is an improvement on his sire, and worth using). Michelle fed me really well with homemade tomato soup, fresh zuccini salad, and my Pay it Forward goodies!! OMG!! Michelle made the most delicious mocha bars and delicious, if crunchy, walnut fudge. Michelle, both made it home, but the fudge never made it out of the truck. :-) She also made three oh, so cute, safety pin and seed bead sheep in different colors. Did I say they are cute! Oh, yes. Thank you, Michelle. (I could have inserted more photos....)

Both these ladies put me up at their homes - very nice for someone who doesn't drive well at night, and after getting lost in downtown Salem during rush hour while pulling a horse trailer. (no photo needed for that!)

Back home again, I packed up the show string for Kitsap County Fair. This is another quality local fair. It was well attended and packed with friendly, down home folks. The sheep people were really nice, and anytime I needed help, someone was there to do it. We were the only Gotland sheep showing. Daisy repeated her Champion Gotland ewe award, accompanied by Beauregard as Champion ram. In Shetlands, Town Crier gained the Champion ram, and Mindy - now that she didn't have to compete with sister, Minx, won Champion ewe. (sorry Kendara, we really didn't mean to take over the Shetland show!) Kendara's lambs were rather nice, but quite a bit younger, and the judge was a "bigger is better" kinda guy. The fleece judging went similarly. Bigger was better. Some days are like that. There's no way a Shetland fleece can compete with a Romney in size/weight. Neither do they need as much space, or eat nearly as much feed. So there. ...however, the winning fleece, from a Romney, was well deserving of the win. It was a huge, silvery charcoal grey fleece, very clean, delicious handle. :-)

Unfortunately, at the show, Sherman the Shetland started feeling peaked, so went home early. He perked up at home, but never fully recovered. So sad, he died just a week ago. I guess I'll never know why. He had a dry cough, so was on antibiotics, got vitamins, another dose of wormer, etc, etc. He'd improve and eat for a few days, then regress again. I always feel like I failed them when they die.

Back to better - I applied for a job! It's the CSA coordinator for Greenbank farms on Whidbey Island, a one year long position. So as not to jinx the application, that's all I'm going to say about it for now :-)

It was a tough decision for me, but the sheep won't be going to the Puyallup Fair. Besides Sherman, several other lambs were feeling punky with a bit of cough and snotty noses. After a round of LA200, most are feeling better, but a few are still coughing. These are both fair lambs (still in quarantine) and "home" lambs. Ebby, TC's brother and alternate fair lamb, broke a horn on Saturday, so he wasn't going anywhere, and I sheared the yearling rams so late they still look bad. Not what I think would make a good exhibit. So, the sheep will stay home this year. I'm disappointed and will miss the premium money, but the sheep will be less stressed, and I have plenty of other things to keep me busy!

Coming up! LAI using the New Zealand Gotland semen, OFFF, end of the season at Take Root Farm, shearing, agility, and much more. I'll get some photos to share, too.

- Franna

Island County Sheep Show

ERN is in Island County, so as such, our "home" fair will be the Island County Fair. For the second year, we entered sheep in the Open class show. It is a very small fair, and the Superintendent has flexibility in what classes are offered. Another Gotland breeder, Joanne Martinis, and I, offered to bring two classes worth of % Gotlands. We had a class of white Gotlands and a class of colored (grey) Gotlands. It was a lot of fun. The judge, Linda Pfeiffer, studied the GSBANA standard ahead of time, and did a great job of judging and was informative in reasons for her placements. She understood the different characteristics brought in by the Foundation breeds and the importance of selecting characteristics from both the longwool side and the Northern Shorttail side in our "final" product.

The top awards were split between Joanne and I. My ewes won Grand Champion white - Chamois - and Reserve Ch. white - Rugby - Grand Champion colored - Daisy - and Reserve Champion colored - Chloe. Joanne's rams won Grand Champion white, Reserve Champion white and Grand Champion colored and Reserve Champion colored. (sorry! I missed their names)

The photo below shows Rugby in her winning pose.

...and the white ram lamb class.

I have more news... but it will have to wait for another blog post. :-)

- Franna