 |
Our Story
My husband and I had become fed up with our current lifestyle in suburban Queens. My husband especially wanted out since he had been born and raised in Holland and had come to America specifically for me. He had been working for a landlord in the South Bronx for 18 years, managing both the office and the buildings. It was time for a change. We knew we wanted a little land and have mountains surrounding us. Where? No clue. Immediately following that alpaca commercial, I went on line and started the search. The following day I called AOBA, they sent out the Farm and Ranch Guide and I quickly learned of a farm about an hour away. I also subscribed to Alpaca Magazine. Then I started receiving brochures from other Northeastern farms and notices of alpaca shows in the near future. We visited our first farm and fell further in love (with the animals). We went to the North American Alpaca Show in April of 2002 and simply could not get enough. We also met two future friends.
We began to visit other farms and were convinced we had to find a way to make this happen. On our way home from an alpaca weekend the 4th of July, 2002, we took a wrong turn, saw the sign welcoming us to Vermont and then saw a barn like structure with a sign "FOR SALE". A week later, we sold our house. On September 18, 2002, we moved into a renovated barn in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont; all within a year of seeing that commercial. Which proves two things. One - TV can be good for you and two - dreams do come true. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
As I sat watching the news in early October 2001, I switched over to the Animal Planet and suddenly found myself looking at the most adorable creature imaginable. My first alpaca. Needless to say it was an epiphany for me. I realized I owned a winter white coat for about 15 years and a black links sweater for more than 20. Not only did both products still look new, but also now I had the face of the animal from which they were made, permanently burned into my memory.
That's all it took for me to start the odyssey.
Then one day we received a notice from a farm in upstate NY offering a seminar. We went, we learned, we again met two more future friends. We also decided beyond a shadow of a doubt that we both needed to be around these animals and could handle the caring for them.