Meet Cedar Haven Maxmilian

Or Max for short. Max is a lovely moorit Shetland ram. He's seven years old and loving his new home. It's been rumored that Max won Reserve Grand Champion at Blacksheep (huge fiber festival and show in Oregon) in his hay day. Looking at him I can see it. He is a handsome boy. And a real sweetie.

Wasn't quite sure how the flock would take to Max. It's been quite some time since there has been a ram in pasture. I thought for sure that the girls would be stand-offish and a bit mean. Boy was I surprised at the very friendly welcome he received from not one...or even two....but four of my ewes! Looks like fall lambs this year. The other three ewes haven't been as friendly. While they are curious about the newcomer they aren't as anxious to get to know him as well as the other four have. As for Max.....he has spent his first day in his new home either "cuddling" with a ewe or running after those that aren't as friendly. He's even chased the wethers a bit....until he realized they have absolutely no interest in him. It's rare to see him not in motion. He usually looks like this...

Or this.... (Sophie is one of the not interested ewes)

Or this.....  (Oreo, on the right, gave him a very warm welcome)

Or this....

.....before he is off and running again. I'm sure he will start to settle down in another day or so.....or once he realizes the ewes aren't as friendly as they were. Until then the flock is split. A few with Max....and the rest with the alpacas and llamas.

Sunday Drive....Homewards Bound (lots of photos)

We had a wonderful time visiting the farm where my new ram is from. We got to do a brief "meet and greet" with the new ram before he was loaded. He's a real sweetie. At one point he was nuzzling the back of my leg. My hubby spent most of his time out with the ram while I went inside to collect his pedigree and visit a bit. Show and tell was tons of fun. I saw some beautifully spun yarns and fiber. It's not often I get to chat with another spinner/shepherdess. It was very enjoyable. Wish the visit could have been longer but the ram wasn't too happy in his current accommodations. It was time to head home.

The scenery was just as beautiful on the way home as it was on the way up. Here are some photos of the Columbia River taken from a look out spot. The river is low right now....as you can see by looking at the bank.

There is still snow at the higher elevations. You can see snow on the mountain in the distance.

Logging is a pretty big industry up here. Here is a log mill that we passed. I always find it fascinating to watch them run. There are a couple of small lumber mills in the local area that mill their own lumber.

More of the scenery. 

I was enjoying the landscape when I noticed the skies were changing. Things were getting darker.

You could see the rain moving across the valley. 

Then you could see where it was clearing up after the storm.

We passed a bison ranch on the way home. Discovered that there is a small gift shop there and will definitely be going back up for a visit in the very near future. I have tons of respect for anyone who raises and works with these massive animals.

We arrived home to partly cloudy skies.....

........and inquisitive onlookers. Everyone was curious about the new arrival.

Sunday Drive Continued. (Lots of photos!)

After about two hours of driving we finally arrived at our destination. It was so beautiful!  The first thing I noticed was.........sheep!

Lots and lots of sheep....everywhere! We followed a little Shetland ram lamb down the drive. His partner in crime had ducked under the fence soon after we had turned in. This little guy ran the entire length of fence before finding a place he could squeeze under. Wish I would have thought to take a photo or two but it was so darn cute that all I could do is watch and giggle.....especially when he would look back over his shoulder to see if we were still there.  :)

(These are a Suffolk/Texel cross...meat sheep.)

The view was breathtaking. You could hear the rumble of thunder as a storm rolled across the mountains on the other side of the Columbia River.

The farm itself was so pretty and serene with lambs, ducks, and geese. There were lots of tree sparrows flying and swooping all over. At times you felt as though you had to duck just to avoid being hit in the head. While they came close they never made contact. They are very graceful fliers. Sorry. No photos of the tree swallows. They were too fast for me.  :)

He was camera shy.  :)

She wasn't!

Some photos of the Shetland ewes with their lambs....who were sired by my new ram. It's always nice when you get to see a ram's offspring.

This is one of my favorite photos of the day. I love the way the camera focused on the budding branches blurring the sheep in the background.

Another one of my favorite photos of the day.

To be continued.......

Sunday Drive ( lots of photos!)

The day was a bit blustery and wet with temperatures on the cooler side, but perfect for a drive.....and we had a bit of a drive ahead of us. About two hours each way. We were heading north to pick up my new ram.  :)

The little Canon came with and I took lots of pictures. The drive up was amazing! Lots of beautiful country. 

A quick stop was made at riding arena so my hubby could drop some papers off....

....then it was back on the road continuing our drive north. While the photos may not do the scenery justice, it was spectacular. We were driving through a valley with mountains on both sides of us.....in front....and behind.

The scenery started changing as we climbed in elevation. The wide valley encircled by mountains turned into winding roads with trees on both sides and breathtaking views ahead.

That is the Columbia River peeking through the shrubbery and trees.

There were some pretty amazing skies as well. 

To be continued......