Trip East

My latest 'Great Sheep Adventure' has ended ... and it ended well ... :-)

My friend Pete and I loaded this trailer, pictured below, on Thursday evening, with eight ewes and one ram (in a crate). We had one other ram that went into a crate on the back of the truck on Friday morning. Everyone had lots of food and water ... and we stopped frequently to replenish ... :-)

We dropped off the ram that was in the back of the truck just south of Montreal to Mehran and Nushin. The weather was pretty nice up until then.

Once we left there, it rained harder and harder ... and the fog rolled in. Canadian folk who have made the drive north from Quebec, then across to New Brunswick and down along the Maine border, KNOW how hilly and twisty the road is. It was a slower than expected drive, but I had good tunes, a good outlook, and a good friend to travel with.

The trip of about 1100 Km, took about 13 hours. We arrived, unloaded sheep and then spent a short night at a lovely B&B ... AFTER a LONG chat about Shetlands and polled genetics with our hostess, Cathy Gallivan.

The next morning, Cathy took us across the world's longest covered bridge, which is almost across the road from the Tim Horton's that she REALLY wanted us to see ... hehehe

By noon, Atlantic time, we had Margot and Jamie Roode, the William's, and Chris McLaughlin all there to pick up their sheep. I had, of course, already loaded the little girl that I was buying from Cathy ... Spring Water Eve, a white 2008 ewe out of Valley Road Sydney and WillowGarden Nelson. What a doll SHE is! ... and ... she is the ONLY sheep that I brought home ... :-)

Since everyone was on their way home with their new sheep by 1 PM Atlantic time, Pete and I decided that we'd do the same and thus get to SEE those hills and twists that we'd 'experienced ' the night before. What a GLORIOUS drive through some breath-taking landscape. There is nothing like a drive in heavy rain and fog through rough and unfamiliar terrain to make one TRULY appreciate the beauty and magnificence when the weather and time of day are PERFECT!

We got home by midnight and unload the ONE sheep. The entire trip was 2200 km (1,367 mi). Neither of us slept as well as we thought we might, but today has been a wonderful, sunny, relaxing and glorious (I LOVE the word glorious!) day.

I have eight more sheep sold, that need to be delivered, hopefully this week.

There are also three boys going to 'Disneyland' this week ... followed by a visit to a local pastry shop for processing into 'lamb pies'. And then there are five more culls that will visit 'Disneyland' in December ... followed by a visit to Wind Mill Sauages.

When the dust has settled, hopefully by mid-December, I will have a flock of 41 Shetlands here ... 20 bred ewes ... 14 ewe lambs retained for evaluation ... and seven rams that I just can't part with. This is a MUCH smaller flock for me ... but OMG ... you should just SEE (and feel) the sheep that I have kept ... :-)

Life is good ... :-)))