The sky darkened, the temperature dropped and a soft snow settled over the farm. The critters took refuge in the barn and all was quiet for the night.

But the next morning the boys were pronking and chasing each other in the snow. This being her first winter, Asa took a good roll in the white stuff and was covered with snow.  For us it means hauling warm water to the troughs and breaking the ice on top so they can have a drink. It's been staying at just about freezing during the day so the snow is still with us for a second day. The trees are still covered and the road icy.  And they are predicting more for tomorrow.

Click on the gallery to see more of alpacas in the snow!

As we head into 2012 our thoughts are full of gratitude for all of our farm visitors. We thoroughly enjoy sharing the alpacas and our farm life with others. And without the generous help of our volunteers we couldn't have had such a successful Whidbey Island Farm Tour event in early September.  Nearly 200 families came to the farm and enjoyed plenty of photo ops along with weaving, spinning and felting demos and educational displays.

We had 2 beautiful new cria this year. . .Kuro and Asa. They have delighted visitors with their soft fleece, adorable faces and curious natures. Much bigger than when this photo was taken...they will be preparing to wean from their mom's by mid February.

We had a surprise visit from 2 women on a 5,000 mile cycling trip. They spent the night on the farm and told us about their goal to raise money for an inner-city girl's school through their journey across the country. To follow their blog or make a donation to support their cause go to their website:  www.anothermileanotherstarfish.com

This year we also had visits by 2 classes of 3rd grade Waldorf students from Brightwater School in Seattle.  One group came in the spring and one in November.  Again, our fabulous volunteers made it both fun and educational for the students.

FiberQuests happened twice this year. We collaborate with other local fiber farms for this multi-day event. Fiber lovers from both the island and the mainland visit all the farms and have a chance to win a basket of fiber products. We'll be doing another FiberQuest in spring 2012. Watch for the notice and get in on a fun Whidbey Island fiber event.

4H and the Island County Fair was another highlight of our summer. We had 6 fabulous young people (ages 8 - 16)  work with some of our alpacas  and a llama on halter training and obstacle course work during the year. Their work culminates at the County Fair during a lively competition open to the public.  The Fair is a great community event and we get to chat with many of our friends as they come through the alpaca barn and enjoy the fair.

For the New Year . . . we've been working on an upgraded online store. Please click on Farm Store navigation button and take a look. Products are frequently changing and expanding so it's good to check back now and then to see what's new. Let me know how it works for you and let us know if there's something you'd like to see in the store.

Our family wishes you all a very Peaceful and Prosperous New Year!