Black Sheep Gathering 2024

Posted on July 11, 2024 by Robin

I’m already on my next adventure, but need to catch up with the last one. After the quick trip to Idaho I decided against going to Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon the following weekend. I had not planned to take sheep this year and had not entered wool, fiber arts, etc. But half way through the week I changed my mind. Without entering any shows I didn’t have to be gone as many days, so I left Friday morning. I will admit that two hours into the drive I thought about turning around and coming home because I had so much to do at home before the next event (where I am now). However I had told a friend in Oregon that I’d visit along the way, so I kept going.

Here is where I stayed the three nights I was there. As I set up my tent I realized that I think I’ve had this tent and my sleeping bag since my college days or shortly after.

I took very few photos in the barn, but here is one–a Valais Blacknose. There was a new Jacob breeder there and I helped her show. Because she was the only person with Jacob sheep she had to show in the All Other Breeds class, as I did last year. Maybe I’ll enter again next year and we’ll have a Jacob show.

I took a few photos in the exhibit and vendor hall. These are the main award winners in the Fiber Arts Show.

I spent a lot of time with a few vendors and tried to make time to see the rest.

I met this vendor last year at this event. She lives in Sacramento and I encouraged her to sell at Lambtown last fall. Her booth was next to mine. Even though I specialize in locally grown wool, including my own, I was intrigued by her yarns, many of which are not natural fibers and are certainly not local. But they sure are fun! The larger skeins are all lengths of yarns that are tied together. I had bought a few of these crazy mixed fiber skeins and brought the scarf I had just finished to show how I had used the yarns. I plan to create a class using this idea.

I spent time with one other vendor, business name of Shuttle Creek. Annie is a weaver and was working on a loom in her booth, She sells her mostly cotton garments at local shows I think. I just looked at the website and there are some gorgeous items there but blog and Facebook activity seem to stop in 2021 and I was thinking that she said she doesn’t do much online. Anyway, after talking to her a long time she pulled this piece off a hangar and put on me. I bought it and that’s what wore all day at the weaving event where I’m teaching (next post). I need a button that “no, I didn’t weave it”.

I spent part of the day at the vendor hall, helped the other Jacob breeder show sheep, visited with friends (most of whom are from California), and watched Spinners’ Lead. I packed up fairly early on Sunday and started home.

I’ve seen the sign for the covered bridge every time I’ve driven to Oregon but I’ve never stopped. It’s not far from the highway and an interesting site. There is a museum nearby but it wasn’t open on Sunday morning. The bridge was built in 1920 and the sign talks about the history of the area when white settlers came there in the 1840’s and 50’s.

I always at this site in California.

This means I’m almost home. (Sort of.)

Black Sheep Gathering – Day 4

Posted on July 6, 2023 by Robin

I just realized that I never finished the Black Sheep Gathering series, and I have other things to write about. So here it is, although it is less about the event and more about the trip home.

Crochet project with book spread out on grass.

This is a sample of the crochet project I was working on when we were sitting near the tents and visiting. There is more of a story to this, but that will be a later post. I was visiting with friends when I heard the activity in the barn.

There is a junior show on Sunday morning. These kids were mostly there helping their families show sheep on Friday and Saturday, but on Sunday they had their own show. I was pleased that the judge spent some time before the show talking with all the kids about general show principles and tactics. Then the kids were all invited into the ring to select colorful halters that had been made for them. After that there were three classes for showmanship. I don’t know the age requirements for each class but the first was the senior class (under 18).

Sheep show with three young teens holding sheep and a judge talking to them.

The second class was for intermediate kids.

The third was juniors. I think my granddaughter is probably at the upper end of the Juniors. As I watched these classes I thought that it would be fun to have Kirby there next year to participate in all the events she could. That will take some thinking though–there is a long drive on either side of the actual event and it’s not like you can go home at the end of the day. It would change my experience for sure. Also, I don’t know if our trailer is big enough to accommodate all the sheep that would make up our two sheep flocks. However, I’m still thinking about it.

The show management released those who had a long way to drive a bit early. By the time we were packed and loaded it was close to 3. We made good time. Once in California I pointed out the vista point where I have always stopped on my way home from Oregon.

Woman photographing Mt. Shasta topped with clouds.

The mountain top was covered in clouds.

Mt. Shasta sign with mountain in the background topped with clouds.

Livestock trailer parked at Mt. Shasta viewpoint.

My cute trailer posing in front of the mountain!

We turned around and found the view to the west just as stunning.

Selfie time. I really appreciate that Vicki offered to drive and Doris came with us too.

Sheep on the road.

The sky continued to amaze us.

Rainbow with Mt. Shasta in the background.

After Yreka we left the freeway to drive west.

We were picking up a ram for Vicki. He was at a ranch about an hour to the west in the Scott Valley. It was a beautiful drive but I stopped taking photos as it got dark.

We drove in our driveway after 3 a.m. and it was after 4 when I finally got to bed. A long day to finish a great weekend.

Here is what I came home with. Two dishes to go with the mug I bought last year. The potholder loom and loops is what I chose from Eugene Textiles, the business that provided the prize for Spinners’ Lead. This will be my granddaughter’s birthday present this month. I’ll also try their heddle clips. Of course I needed a new BSG t-shirt and the pouch they made for this year. The yarn is a mixed art yarn from Art Fiber Frenzy. I can always use a new basket.

Looking forward to next year!

A Sheep Adventure – Part 1

Posted on August 21, 2016 by Robin

It took me almost a month to finish the blog posts about our road trip partly because I interspersed other stories into those posts. I’m still catching up on the things I wanted to share. One of those is another adventure on the road, this time involving sheep.

Just after I came home from Black Sheep Gathering I found out about a ram for sale in northern California. I had just purchased a ram lamb at BSG but, after selling rams this summer, I would still have only two rams here for breeding in October (except for whatever of my own ram lambs I might keep). The new one was small and I wasn’t sure that he’d be up for the job on October 1. The one for sale was an adult so he would definitely be ready for breeding.

I planned a day trip to the Klamath River area west of Yreka, but in the meantime my friend, Jackie, had purchased a couple of sheep that were to be delivered to Selma, Oregon that same week. We decided to combine the two sheep pick-ups, but that turned the trip into a two-day Sheep Adventure.

The drive north on I-5 gets more interesting once you leave the valley and get into the mountains.

Mt. Shasta, at 14,179′, is in view for many miles. I had never stopped at this vista point. I made Jackie take a photo with me.

I love this mountain and, although I have never climbed it, I spent a couple of summers working in the Klamath National Forest where it was always a presence. My husband has been at the top, but that is another story.

There were bear tracks in the cement walkways.

It turns out that bears became the theme for the day. We planned to spent the night in Grants Pass, Oregon and pick up the sheep the next day. It just happened that Grants Pass was celebrating Bear Fest, “a hands-on touchable art event, proving that art doesn’t have to be “serious” to be great. Local artists decorated, embellished, bejeweled and painted larger than life size bears” which were on display through the summer.

Our motel had bear themed furniture…

…and bear art over the fireplace in the lobby.

This bear was outside the motel. We drove downtown and parked. We took our Bearfest Map and found some of the fifty bears that were displayed around town.