in which I am home again

Before I tell you all that I can remember about the Black Sheep Gathering, let me shout from the rooftops that my car gets 34 mpg with freeway driving! 250 miles on only 7 gallons of gas!!!! Also, the hundred miles of I5 north of Eugene are quite possibly the most boring miles to drive, even if you do pass through the grass seed capital of the world. (Kat said the scenery was quite nice but a flat, perfectly straight road is rather dull to drive). 

Lots of sheep and goats and alpacas. Next time I take a lot of pictures of livestock, I should take detailed notes because I can't remember what all the different sheep breeds are.

Anyway, some photos:

These are Jacob sheep.

Check out those horns!

I think this is a Shetland sheep, the traditional source for all those amazing Shetland shawls.

 

There were fleeces for sale, but Shetland fleeces were really expensive. Part of it may have been because it's a popular sheep wool, but I think another bit is because the sheep are rather small. One sheep just doesn't yield a lot of wool compared to other breeds. 

I think this is an angora goat (not to be confused with an angora rabbit).

Angora goats are the source of mohair fiber. 

This is a pygora.

Pygoras are a cross between a pygmy goat and angora goat. This creature was amazingly friendly and curious. Pygora fiber is also extremely soft and lovely. 

And this is my favorite animal of the entire fair--a Babydoll Southdown Sheep

These little guys are great. And I mean little, about 1/3 of the size of the larger sheep breeds, even smaller than the Shetland sheep. (I swear the Babydolls could walk under a merino or Rambouillet with room to spare.) They are about as tall as my dog Kate (about two feet high at the shoulder), extremely mellow and good natured. If I ever do decide to get a miniature sheep for natural lawn care (and wool), this is the breed I'd get. 

And the final pic for today:

One very annoyed sheep, breed unknown.