Hogs, sheep, llamas, alpacas, and Garden of the Gods (and the kissing camels).

Hog Sale with 4-H!  They did a workshop and sale of hogs and sheep timed just right for the kids to participate in the Douglas County Fair.  No we did not purchase a hog of sheep but some of the kids in her group did.  It is actually a good event meant to give the kids the experience of bidding and taking care of the animals.  It was to provide animals that are of a high quality for the kids who cannot afford things like heated and a/c barns to have a chance of winning something.

The bidding begins.

Apparently cliche is not part of the pig vocab.

Seamus had a few of the pigs going playing chase like dogs.

Izabel's 4-H group provided the refreshments.

Seamus' class had a field trip to Garden of the Gods.  He rode a bus with his class.  Matt and Izabel were there to participate when he arrived.  The hat was also able to enjoy the trip.

The kissing camels formation up at the top.  

Izabel is wearing my back-up rain gear from my hiking bag.  I have no idea why or how she got a hold of it; to top it off it is incredibly hot to wear.

The class did rubbings of the rocks.  They learned about not taking anything with them except the rubbings and leaving things for the next people to see.

Sometimes it is nice to have a sister as a field trip buddy.

It is also nice to have Papa there to be artsy with his photography.

Back on the bus.

Snack time back at school.

Another 4-H event.  They have to do a community service project and the kids decided to bring their llamas and alpacas to a retirement community to let the residents come and meet them and learn a bit about the animals.  We did not bring the ferret since he would have set off the llamas and they were tense enough being out on their first trip since winter and being around strange other llamas.  It was a rather hot day and we had to hike from a parking area, along the highline canal to the community.  Izabel took turns with her friend Addy walking an alpaca named Durango.  One of the residents used to be very active in the llama community in Colorado so he is the inspiration for this event.  They have a bunch of kids who volunteer there so many hours to get scholarships.  They all came out and had time with the llamas and alpacas.
For those who don't know llamas are bigger with banana shapped ears; alpacas have the same llama attitude but in a smaller package.  Llamas are used for fiber and as a pack animal while alpacas are used for fiber and are not out on walks as much.

Llama bookends.