Cria Cuteness, Redux

Wow.  It HAS been a while since I last posted.  Seems like life has thrown all of my plans up in the air lately.  I think I've managed to do a few of the things I actually had planned.  Everything else has been a lot of juggling.

Today I wanted to go visit my friends who have the alpaca farm, but they weren't home.  I took pictures of the girls, and the baby boys.  Yes, they had a 2nd baby recently.  He wasn't nearly as big as Samson at birth, and because of the weather, he was also suffering from hypothermia.  Gideon spent his first night in the Florida room instead of the barn, surrounded by warm towels and blankets.  He's been a fighter, and is now doing just fine.  He's was skittish around me today, but Samson came right up to me, and tried to nibble my fingers!  Silly boy.

Gideon, sporting his coat.  Since he was smaller and had hypothermia, the humans don't want to risk him getting cold; Samson wore that same coat several times after he was born and the temps started getting lower.  It's pretty typical for crias (baby alpacas) to wear them in colder climates.

Gideon and Samson together.  Samson is definitely the more outgoing of the two, at least for now! He wasn't too far away from Gideon while I was there; he was a good big cousin!

He's just so stinkin' cute!  I really wanted to pet him, but kept my distance so I didn't upset him or his momma (Pearl is his mom).

My next self appointed alpaca photography challenge is to get a shot that REALLY shows off the eyelashes these animals have . . . beautiful and LONG.  How does Samson manage to keep getting cuter?

I think this is Pearl looking out the closer door of the barn, and there's baby Gideon coming out the other door.

I noticed today when I was reviewing the pictures, that Samson seems to be smiling in all of them!  Oh, and when he nibbled, it just tickled.

Samson checking out some of the hay in the barn.

Gideon in the "protection" of the ladies of the herd.

He's just so cute . . . wish I could cuddle with him (after brushing the hay out of his "hair."

The little ones checking out the bins inside the barn.

Gideon seems to be doing just fine these days, gaining weight as he should.  Hope to visit again in about a week and see how much he's grown.  I'm thinking it won't be long before I won't be able to tell the two boys were born a couple of weeks apart, and that Gideon was much smaller.

I wanted to get some pics of the boys running (when alpacas run, it's called pronking), but by the time I got the camera up to my eye, they were finished running . . . I think they were messing with me.

Pretty Little Cria

I love learning new words.  I love learning new words and being able to use them.  About three months ago I first read the term "cria" and have been looking forward to using it.  There are a couple of reasons I've looked forward to using it:  1) because I don't feel I've really learned a new word unless I've used it; and 2) a cria is a baby alpaca (as well as other types of camelids, i.e. llama, vicuna).

My friends at Purdy Lil' Suri Alpaca Farm experienced the first birth at their farm this past Monday.  They now have a male cria, as of yet unnamed, who is simply adorable.  Of course, I invited myself over to take some pictures of the little guy, and feel the need to share the overload of cute with you!  In these pics, the cria is only 2 days old; they gain about 0.5 lbs a day.  Poor momma alpaca has a gestation period of about 11.5 months.  Yikes!

These next 4 pictures are sequential shots of the little guy yawning . . . he was just so cute with the toothless gums.

I wanted to touch his fur/hair, but kept my distance to keep him from being anxious.  I know there will be many more chances for me to visit with the girls and cria (and another cria is due with in the next month!), and I'm hoping I'll be able to get closer.  I really want to get better pics of the eyes/eyelashes . . . just one of those things that's intriguing me.

Suri is one of two types of alpacas.  The other is huacaya.  The suri's locks are long, twisted or flat fibers, draping along the side of the body; the huacaya's (wuh-KAI-uh) fiber resembles that of a sheep.  Interestingly, alpaca fiber is warmer than wool AND hypoallergenic.  There are a lot of items made from alpaca fiber, but you have to know where to find them.  Check out the facebook page for my friends' farm for more pictures (some you will recognize).  They do have some items for sale as well, but not via facebook or internet at this point.

Captured in Time

Way back twenty-some days ago when I started blogging, I featured a picture taken when friends were having a pole barn raising for their alpaca farm.  I'd forgotten how many pictures I took to chronicle the event for them (I ended up keeping about 400 of the shots I took). 

It was a fun day, and a wonderful opportunity for me to do a little experimenting.  I'm in no way, shape, or form a morning person, but since they were beginning the day early to get as much work in as possible, I grumbled my way to their house until I saw what I've come to think of as the canvas before me.  I was quickly excited by all of the possibilities for many different kinds of pictures (artistic, geometric, action, setting, etc.).  It lasted pretty much all day.

The fog was pretty heavy when I arrived . . . it took several
hours to clear up and start warming up.

I liked the lines created by the braces, as well as the pointy pieces
(no, I do not think that is the technical term!).

Posts in place in their holes, getting things ready to start the real work.

Sharp.  Amazing tool.  I best keep my distance.

This is to hopefully prevent one of my pet peeves.  Concrete  was
used in the post holes, NOT cement.  Cement is an ingredient
in concrete.   That's a lot of concrete, too.

I liked the almost silhouette look.

Then, I turned around for some reason,
and saw this.  I must have taken about
10 shots, but this is the best.  I loved the way
the beams of light broke through the fog
and trees. 

It's kind of silly how excited I was to capture the "action" of the
wood falling here.  I'm still very glad I caught it!

There were plenty of angles and geometric shapes to catch.

But I couldn't forget the setting around us!

Every time I found myself starting to think I was getting the "same old pictures," I would turn slightly or catch a movement, and I'd notice a more intriguing angle, or a beam of light that I'd swear wasn't there before.  Or, I'd yawn (I told you, I'm not a morning person!), and then I'd notice more of the nature around the work being done . . . a few minutes photographing it, and my eyes were ready to "see more creatively."

This was a long day for everyone, but it was also fun, and it helped to stretch my creativity.  There were several "God moments" throughout the day that had me unable to do more than soak in the wonder of His creation (man, nature, animals).  It was a challenge to chronicle the day in a way that showed the totality of the experience.  Not only was this the physical construction of a pole barn, but it was also the expression of friendship and love by all who participated.

A photograph captures a moment in time.  I go for the pictures that capture the mood of that moment in time as well.  Sometimes that happens in a single picture; those are the pictures I cherish.  That's why the following picture is my favorite shot of the entire day (and why I'm sharing it again).