Estes Park Wool Festival

We had THE BEST WEEKEND EVAH!!!!!

Besides doing a lot of awesome family things, we also managed to get away on Sunday to Estes Park, the gateway to the Rocky Mountain National Park,  for the annual Wool Festival.  This four day extravaganza is a paradise for anyone who crafts with fiber.  During the first two days classes are held in spinning, weaving, knitting, felting, etc.  Then on Saturday and Sunday the vendors show up, as well as the animals who produce all those glorious fibers.   

Our first stop was the alpaca tent.  Alpacas produce fiber that is much softer than sheep's wool, and therefore highly prized and much more expensive.  Alpacas are docile and sweet, and make a humming noise when stressed or frightened.  Most every animal we saw had been shorn, making them look other-world-ish like the fellow above.  

We here in Colorado are on constant guard about cougars, who have been known to kill the alpacas.  One rancher told us that his solution was to get a llama, who will serve as a guard to the alpacas.  I was surprised to hear this, because while llamas are much larger than alpacas, they also were quite sweet.   
These are sisters, Endine and Henrietta (please use the French pronunciation).  The owner is hoping to sell them as a pair.  Sadly, my yard isn't large enough.