CCNF at the 2016 AOA National Fleece Show
Hey, ever wonder why those that work in Washington, D.C. and have a choice in the matter, get the heck out of Dodge during the dog days of summer? The Lutz family became intimately familiar with the answer a couple of weeks back, while using the presence of the AOA National Fleece Conference and Show, held in nearby Crystal City, VA as an excuse to show our boys some of the sights of our nation’s capital!
Is it possible to walk more than a city block without sweat running down your back in 80% humidity and 103 degree heat? At least in my case, no. As a result, we found ourselves hitting most of the major Washington monuments (the Jefferson, George Mason, FDR, MLK, Lincoln, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials in that order) early one morning starting around 7:30, in order to have relative peace — the city was still awash in tourists, hot weather be damned — and be able to walk the route in a comparatively mild 80 to 85 degrees. While in town, we of course also took our aspiring commercial pilot to see the National Air & Space Museum which was fun, as well as dragging both boys somewhat willingly to the National Portrait Gallery, likewise a part of the Smithsonian and therefore free of charge to enter, something which never ceases to amaze me (in a good way). Unfortunately, the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, which is being built right on the National Mall itself, wasn’t yet open (apparently September) but looks, at least from the outside, as though it will be just as impressive as everything else the Smithsonian has done.
Having rented a car, we also took the time to drive (on Saturday when one could allegedly avoid the joys of beltway traffic, no such luck) out to Quantico, VA and visit the very impressive National Museum of the Marine Corps, and to see the memorial that was dedicated there several years back to the unit (VMO-6) that Jen’s dad, Rod Croft, served in during the Vietnam War. On the other end of the emotional experience spectrum, we spent our final afternoon in D.C. at the US National Holocaust Memorial Museum. My own dad took me to see the Holocaust Museum when I was in my early 20s — not coincidentally, some 6 years after also visiting the Dachau death camp outside of Munich — and I had been meaning to show our kids the museum in Washington for quite some time now.
In between all of the memorials, the museums, and waving at the White House (which was just a block over from the hotel we were staying at), we bopped around downtown eating at various restaurants the likes of which we simply don’t have in Vermont. I have after all, never been one to shy away from embracing my inner-hobbit! Having been taken years ago — probably on that same father/son trip — to try Ethiopian food in D.C., we made a special point of going to an excellent place, Ethiopic, where we could indulge in that. We also on multiple occasions happily haunted the restaurant empire of chef Jose Andres (Oyamel, Zaytinya, and Jaleo: Mexican, Greek/Mediterranean, and Spanish respectively), which is conveniently based in D.C. Waving a white flag, Max made us swear by the final night that we wouldn’t take them to any more restaurants that traded in so-called “small plates!” Very hip but way too much sharing apparently.
And all along, there was a fleece conference and show too! After Jen had spent the better part of 2 weeks skirting show fleeces in the Arena’s now blessedly air-conditioned fleece room — worth noting, BTW, that they were the fleeces of alpacas that had been bedded on the worst f@%#*%* straw we have ever seen in 19 years, loaded with full seed heads that seemed to joyously embed themselves in the animals’ fiber: unfortunately when you’ve just bought said bedding by the ton/truckload one is rather committed — we (the most royal “we” of all time, given that all I did was drop boxes off at FedEx) had shipped our 40+ fleeces straight from Vermont to the conference host hotel. That meant that even though we did check in just long enough on Thursday to get our placards and lanyards, yours truly never actually stepped foot into the conference until Sunday, when the fleece show itself opened up for viewing and we came back over to pack everything up and ship it all north again. Many, many thanks to all of the folks who ran both ran the conference and especially those who volunteered at the fleece conference/show, who are the people that really make it all happen. As folks that helped run an alpaca show (the North American) through it’s first 10 years of existence, we understand that simple reality as well as anyone. A special shout out to both our friend Dee Sherman of Arrow Acres Alpacas and Timm Hermann of Sugartown Farms for helping us with the decidedly tedious task of gathering and boxing up all of our fleeces on Sunday afternoon! I can assure you that the vibe between myself and my better half was way more chilled out as a result.
Though we would of course always like to do better in any show we compete in (this, by the way, is either a great motivational tool or a major character flaw depending upon which of our beloveds you ask), it is awfully hard to come home with 22 blue ribbons, 4 Championships, 2 Reserves, the Spirit of the Industry Award, as well as our 4th Heirloom Fleece Cup in as many years, and not feel in the big picture like it was mission accomplished. As in previous recent shows — both halter and fleece — it was mostly the kids sired by either Elixir or Matrix Majesty that made the most noise for us and it was not by chance that their offspring finished 1st and 2nd in the Get of Sire class. Anyway, no complaints really. We had fun, got to have a mini civics/history lesson with our boys, ate like kings, and even won some nylon! All good. 1st places, Championships, and specialty awards listed below…
Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC – Championships, Specialty Awards, & 1st Place Finishes at the 2016 AOA National Fleece Show, Crystal City, VA
CCNF Magistrate (SHRA Virtual’s Reality x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Brown Huacaya Male
CCNF Nikita (CCNF Margaux x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Brown Huacaya Female
CCNF Prima Majesty (CCNF Bellarina x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Champion Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Delilah (CCNF Lilah x CCNF Elixir) – Champion Light Huacaya Female
CCNF Majesty United (TGF Let Freedom Reign x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – Reserve Champion Brown Huacaya Female
CCNF Dreadnought (CCNF Prima Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – Reserve Champion Fawn Huacaya Male
Snowmass Oh Be Joyful (Snowmass Infinit Joy x Snowmass Matrix) – Spirit of the Industry Award
Cas-Cad-Nac Farm LLC – 2016 AOA Heirloom Fleece Cup
Snowmass Matrix Majesty – 1st Place, Get of Sire (CCNF Prima Majesty, CCNF Majesty United, CCNF Night Hawk)
Sugar Snow – 1st Place, Produce of Dam (CCNF Sugar Love, CCNF Sugar Maker)
CCNF Magistrate (SHRA Virtual’s Reality x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Adult Dark Brown Huacaya Male
CCNF Baldric (CCNF Bellafina x CCNF Invictus) – 1st Place, Juvenile Light Brown Huacaya Male
CCNF Nikita (CCNF Margaux x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Medium Brown Huacaya Female
CCNF Majesty United (TGF Let Freedom Reign x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Juvenile Light Brown Huacaya Female
CCNF Luna Majesty (CCNF Moonlight x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Yearling Light Brown Huacaya Female
CCNF Reignmaker (TGF Let Freedom Ring x Snowmass Conopa’s Kahuna) – 1st Place, Dark Fawn 2 Year Old Huacaya Male
CCNF Dreadnought (CCNF Prima Majesty x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Medium Fawn Huacaya Male
Spirit Wind’s Maestro (Aussie Colorado Philly x Xanadu P. Concerto) – 1st Place, Adult Medium Fawn Huacaya Male
CCNF Couture (CCNF Gabbana x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, 2 Year Old Dark Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Prima Majesty (CCNF Bellarina x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Mature Dark Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Sienna (Happy Hearts Gemma D’Oro x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Juvenile Medium Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Delilah (CCNF Lilah x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Juvenile Light Fawn Huacaya Female
CCNF Caipirinha (CCNF Questra x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Yearling Beige Huacaya Female
CCNF Pachelbel (CCNF Bellafina x MFI Peruvian Precocious) – 1st Place, Adult Beige Huacaya Female
CCNF True Vigilance (Truly Scrumptious x CCNF Centurion) – 1st Place, Juvenile White Huacaya Male
CCNF Dropshot (CCNF Sugar Drop x CCNF Elixir) – 1st Place, Yearling White Huacaya Male
CCNF Sugar Love (Sugar Snow x Snowmass Elite Legend) – 1st Place, Adult White Huacaya Female
Snowmass Oh Be Joyful (Snowmass Infinit Joy x Snowmass Matrix) – 1st Place, Mature (5+ Years) White Huacaya Female
CCNF Marcello (CCNF Musette x CCNF Invictus) – 1st Place, Juvenile Pattern Huacaya Male
CCNF Eden (CCNF Johanna x Snowmass Matrix Majesty) – 1st Place, Juvenile Pattern Huacaya Female
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