Tag Archives: ranch life

On low impact stock


Seven years ago, long before the alpaca ranch was even a twinkle in Dad’s eyes, I went to Ecuador. It was part of a travel class. We studied some aspect of Ecuadorian ecology for a quarter, and then spent about … Continue reading

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Snowflakes that stay on your nose and eyelashes


Winter seems to have come to us a bit early this year! We had our second big snowstorm yesterday, and it kept Mom and Dad hopping. Wow, right? Talk about a winter color palette. Dad took this picture from the … Continue reading

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The best laid plans


After an unseasonably warm early fall, we woke up on Saturday morning to 4 inches of snow and white out conditions. Beautiful…the only problem? Saturday was the Cliff House Ranch open house. Then the power went out. Dad, the eternal optimist … Continue reading

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Alpacas in sprinkler video


If you’ve ever wondered what alpacas look like when they’re playing in a sprinkler? No? Where is your curiosity? Well it’s a fairly tame sort of “playing” but it’s adorable.

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Does this make us official?


It only took us over a year, but we now have a sign for the ranch! Awesome, right? Dad took the old sign, turned it over, and used a router to carve in our logo. I spent most of the … Continue reading

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Fall barn cleaning


Note: Sorry for the lack of pictures lately, Dad is out of town. Mom keeps a very, very clean barn. The daily barn chores keep the place spick and span (cleaning: 2 horse stalls, the horse paddock, 2 alpaca stalls, … Continue reading

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Herd dynamics


One afternoon last weekend, I went out to the alpaca turnout to shoo the girls into their paddock and let out the big boys, and I couldn’t find them. They weren’t at the feed troughs, or grazing on the stubbly, … Continue reading

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Retroactive post: A quick story about gates (and closing them)


The very first day that I took care of the animals all by myself was a proud one. Mom and Dad were somewhere, off at a work conference maybe. I only had to keep things running for one whole day … Continue reading

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This is Brittany’s story


Millions of Americans are struggling with addiction. This is Brittany’s story. Brittany had a rough childhood. Her mom, Bookoo, couldn’t provide what she needed, and Brittany nearly starved. She was forced to turn to foster parents for milk and love. … Continue reading

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I knew there was a reason I’m scared of bears


First, you should know that everyone is alright. Now, here’s the story. My big little-bro is home from his summer job, and not yet back in college. He and a buddy were hanging out at the ranch one evening last … Continue reading

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