By Karen, on February 16th, 2012
 Calendar Girl's baby Twilight
Calendar Girl received so much attention from her alpaca picture with Taylor Lautner that people are calling her the Twilight alpaca. It made sense to me to call her baby daughter Twilight. It seems to fit her and it’s a cute name for an alpaca. So officially Kya now has a new name… Twilight!
In fact I like all of the names from the Twilight Series that I may have to name Calendar Girl’s future babies New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, and Midnight Sun. I think they’re wonderful names for alpacas!  Calendar Girl It amazes me how Calendar Girl continues to dazzle people with not only her charm but with her photo too. Since people enjoyed that photo of her so much I decided to turn that photo into a puzzle. Her puzzle is now online on our website at Calendar Girl’s Puzzle.
Maybe I should have made the puzzle with the picture of Taylor Lautner with Calendar Girl… now that would be funny! 
By Karen, on February 1st, 2012
 Raw yellow diamond Dave and I took a little break away from the alpacas to visit the Crater of Diamonds State Park over in Murfreesboro, Arkansas this past weekend. It’s about a 2 1/2 hour drive, heading east, from our alpaca farm. It’s a diamond mine where they actually let you dig for diamonds plus you get to keep whatever you find!
We met with a geologist there at the mine and she explained why the diamonds are there and what to look for. There is an 83 acre funnel shaped crater that they plow every once in a while so people can look and dig for the diamonds. She said it wasn’t a kimberlite as they originally thought. They found out it was a lamproite by the rock types they find there.
No we didn’t find any diamonds but we did find agate, a tiny tiny garnet, and some other funny looking rocks. They let us keep the dirt we were going through so maybe there will be a diamond in there. We did get to see some raw diamonds that were there and they are absolutely gorgeous. I didn’t realize how beautiful a raw diamond is. I definitely prefer the raw diamond left in it’s natural state rather than a cut one. Oh and they come in differently colors too.  Colorful raw diamonds Over the years thousands of diamonds have come out of this mine plus there have been some truly amazing finds at the mine… the Strawn-Wagner diamond which is so perfect they say it’s one in a billion. The famous 4.25-carat Kahn Canary diamond which was left in it’s natural state. The Kahn Canary is the diamond that Hillary Clinton wore several times. There are many other famous finds but the biggest one ever found there was a whopping 40.23-carat white diamond… now that’s a diamond!
The Crater of Diamonds is a state park that not only has a diamond mine but they also have camping, hiking, water park, and a wildlife observation blind. You can visit their website at Crater of Diamonds State Park.
Well we had fun taking the day off and exploring the diamond mine. I know diamonds and alpacas don’t have anything in common but I have to say they are both awesome treasures!
By Karen, on January 26th, 2012
Meet the three alpaca bunnies of Pen 1… Cate, Cleopatra, and Cassie. Hey they all start with the letter C and all three are a class act… they’re our alpaca show girls!
-
-
Cate gorgeous face
-
-
Cleopatra style and grace
-
-
Cassie lovely lady
is out of Peruvian Coalie and BF Riccardo. She has an incredible staple length, fine, furry, and overall fantastic! Great combination of genetics!
Cleopatra is out of BF Tasia and BF Riccardo. She also turns heads with her bright, fine, crimpy fleece… what a knockout! Her bloodlines are from Benvenuti Farm… awesome breeding program from the Angotti’s!
Cassie is out of Carol and Masterpiece Aslan. She’s amazing with her fine, crimpy, dense fleece… what a heartbreaker! Her bloodlines are from Masterpiece Alpacas… way to go Tamara!
So what to do with all of the amazing gals of Pen 1… let’s go to an alpaca show. We’ll see you all in April at the A-OK Alpaca Blastoff!!!
By Karen, on January 21st, 2012
Our horses play a big part in our daily life here on the ranch so I felt it was time to add a new section to our alpaca blog. We have 10 horses, 9 run free on 380 acres and one colt that is kept in the front pond pasture.  Kiloa waiting for Dave to bring hay
We no longer breed paint horses so we sold our stallion, Blue. Kiloa is Blue’s last colt born on our ranch. He’s kept separate from the other horses because he hasn’t been gelded yet. Once Kiloa is gelded he will join the other 9 horses out on the ranch.
The horses are much rougher than the alpacas when it comes to introducing a new member to the herd. His mother, Vegas, is the lead mare so when he joins the herd I’m hoping his transition will go smoothly. I’ll have my camera ready when the time comes because there will most likely be plenty of action.
By Karen, on January 12th, 2012
 Celeste's cria's first steps I used this baby alpaca picture for the month of January in my new alpaca baby calendar for 2012. I thought a new baby struggling to his feet would be a good start for a new year.
I’ll be the first to admit that I intervene too much when it comes to the baby alpacas. Most of the babies don’t need much help. They’ll stand and start nursing without me. When the mom lets me help I try to get them nursing a little quicker. I like to see them get plenty of colostrum as soon as possible. In fact I have to remind myself to be patient and that there is a reason they call it nursing.
Celeste’s cria was born on a beautiful day so I let him struggle to his feet all by himself. I sat back and took pictures and let him do his thing. He was up and nursing in about ten minutes so I’m happy to say I didn’t get very many pictures of him struggling. He was able to stand strong quickly.
So my saying for the year ahead is…”it might get tough at times but we all need to get to our feet, stand united and stand strong… God bless our troops and God bless the USA!”
By Karen, on January 2nd, 2012
 Dave at Sardis Lake Dam  Dave, my wonderful husband We hope everyone had fun bringing in the new year for 2012! We had a wonderful day that started at the Sardis Lakeview Cafe. I couldn’t think of a better way to start the new year than to eat at my favorite restaurant and visit with good friends. We were greeted with big smiles and great food… many thanks to Steve, Sherry, Karen and Bob!
Afterwards Dave said he would take me anywhere I wanted to go. I wanted to go to the Sardis Lake dam. I brought my camera along in hopes of getting a picture of the bald eagle that comes every year to the lake. There was an eagle at the lake but he was just a little too far away for my camera to get a decent shot. I had the 50-200 mm zoom lens on my pentax and it didn’t quite get the shot I was looking for. I guess I’ll have to break down and get that 300 mm lens that I’ve had my eye on.   Bald eagle flying over Sardis Lake
Well seeing that eagle flying over Sardis Lake is a wonderful way to bring in the new year. My favorite bible verse to start the new year with… Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
So wait on the Lord… He will give you strength and He will direct your path and mine too… happy new year!
By Karen, on December 24th, 2011
 Baby alpaca sleeping Everyone here
at
Walnut Creek
including
the alpacas
plus
the horses,
the dogs,
the cats,
and
Dave & Karen
would like
to wish
you and yours
a blessed Christmas
and
a wonderful New Year!
By Karen, on December 22nd, 2011
 Anatolian Shepherd, Lacey We had to face the fact that our Anatolian Shepherd, Leila, wasn’t going to come back home. Emotionally I wasn’t ready for a replacement. It doesn’t matter whether I’m ready or not, I just know we need another guardian dog here to protect our alpacas. We have a big place with a lot of coyotes so we need at least two working dogs on our ranch at all times.
When Pac’s sister Sadie died, Pac worked all of the time. He was running himself down, working day and night for a few weeks. Then he became a recluse in our barn. It was so sad because he went into a deep depression. We replaced Sadie with Leila and then slowly Pac returned to his old self once again. Now that Leila is gone I’m not going to give him a chance to get weird on us.
I’m going to stick with the Anatolian Shepherds. They are amazing dogs. Anatolians are an old Turkish breed and they are specifically bred to be guardian dogs for livestock. I found a beautiful full Anatolian Shepherd not too far from Hot Springs, Arkansas at Livestock Guardian Angels. They have beautiful Anatolian Shepherds and they raise all of their dogs with goats. They are wonderful people to do business with.
 Livestock guardian dog, Lacey
We named our new guardian dog, Lacey. She is marked almost the same as Leila except she has red hair. Lacey turned 8 months old this month so we had her spayed quickly. Our dog, Pac, accepted her as his companion right away. Since she was raised with goats she made an easy transition to guarding alpacas. We were happy to see that Lacey fit right into her guardian role so easily. I still miss Leila… she was an amazing dog and she will always have a special place in my heart. Lacey has big paws to fill but she is off to a great start!
By Karen, on December 12th, 2011
 Sardis Lakeview Cafe Calendar Sherry and Steve Rogers are dear friends of ours. They own and operate the Sardis Lakeview Cafe. They also have a hobby farm not far from our alpaca ranch here in southeastern Oklahoma. Sherry and Steve take care of neglected animals. They have horses, dogs, cats, chickens, ducks and even a parrot.
Sherry’s passion is horses so she put together some of her favorite photos and made a calendar. She’s dedicated her calendar to the neglected and abandoned horses like the horse she has now, Buckie. Buckie is the lead horse on the front of the calendar.
Buckie was adopted in 2010 by Sherry and Steve. He was starved and abused. Today he is a happy healthy free roaming horse with their other horses on their farm.
Sherry has a great eye for photography. I always enjoy her photos and you will to so be sure to check out Sherry’s calendar. The sale of this calendar will help take care of these wonderful animals. Thank you for your support!
By Karen, on December 10th, 2011
 Alpaca Baby Calendar Our new calendar for this year is a baby alpaca calendar. Most of the alpaca pictures are from our fall baby season. I tried to use the baby photos from my new camera rather than my old one. I think the pictures from the new camera are so much more professional looking.
My new camera is the Pentax K-5, a 16.3 megapixel digital SLR. It’s a big upgrade from my old Panasonic DMC-FZ30. The Pentax K-5 is an awesome camera but I still have a lot to learn. I’ve been playing around with the settings quite a bit. When I get the settings right the photos are much improved from my old camera. I don’t know why but my pictures seem to come out sharper when I lower the pixels to 10 megapixels. Maybe it’s because the alpacas are moving around quite a bit.
I have two lenses for my camera. The one that came with the camera is the 18-55mm kit lens which is a pretty nice overall lens. The other lens is the DA 50-200mm F/4-5.6 AL weather resistant lens. It’s a very nice mid range zoom that takes beautiful pictures. I like it better than the kit lens that came with the camera.
I love taking pictures of the alpacas. They are wonderful subjects… warm, fuzzy, and smiling too! Be sure to check out my new alpaca calendars for 2012!
By Karen, on December 2nd, 2011
 Our Anatolian Shepherd Leila
Our livestock guardian dog, Leila, has been missing since Sunday. Leila guards our alpacas along with our other guardian dog, Pac. She’s a beautiful Anatolian Shepherd. She is so wonderful with our alpacas. Actually she’s great with all of our animals. Leila is one in a million to us.  Leila loves the alpacas
I’m so worried that something horrible has happened to her. It’s hunting season right now so I’m afraid she may have gotten shot or stuck in a trap. I can’t stand the thought of her being out there hurt. I can’t help her if I don’t know where she is. I keep praying she’ll come home.  Leila loves our chihuahuas
We’ve been out looking for her everyday but so far no leads. It’s so hard for me even to write this. I’m so attached to her and I love her so much. I’ve be in tears everyday since she’s been missing. I’m so sad and I just want Leila to come home safely.  Leila even loves cats
Leila has been an amazingly wonderful guardian dog. The picture below was taken at the bottom of the alpaca pen. She would jump out of the pen on to a column of rocks. She would stand on the rock column and look out to see if there was anything lurking out there. I love the Anatolian Shepherds. I think they are the best livestock guardian dogs a ranch could have.
 Leila amazing livestock guardian dog
If anyone sees this blog post and knows something about what happened to Leila please call or email me. Thank you. 
By Karen, on November 24th, 2011
At Walnut Creek Alpacas we have so much to be thankful for! God has blessed us so we can be a blessing to others. We are blessed with a beautiful family, health, happiness, and wonderful friends!  Our horses at Walnut Creek  Our alpacas at Walnut Creek
A friend just emailed this to us “…give thanks in all circumstances…” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Even though we went through a rough summer, with some losses, we still have so much to be thankful for.
Everyone here at Walnut Creek Alpacas sends their best wishes and blessings to all and have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!
|
|
Outstanding Herdsires at Walnut Creek
Subscribe to Alpaca Blog!
Associations 
ARI Registered Alpacas
AOBA member
A-OK member
|
