In one of said newsletters was an announcement about a tour of a farm called Camelot Downs. I signed up for one of the spots, requested the day off and decided it would be an adventure.
In December I was lucky enough to be invited to join a friend for a fundraiser dinner. It was a chef's dinner at local restaurant Lark, a place I will definitely have to revisit, benefitting the PCC Farmland Trust. I had absolutely no idea who the trust was or what they did, but my god, the dinner was absolutely fabulous. I decided right then and there that anything that could get a fundraiser to be so enjoyable had my support. Actually learning about what the trust did helped too. I signed up to receive their e-newsletters and went about my business. In one of said newsletters was an announcement about a tour of a farm called Camelot Downs. I signed up for one of the spots, requested the day off and decided it would be an adventure. Located on Whidbey Island, Camelot Downs is a small farm that raises colonial animals. Colonial animals are breeds that were introduced between 1620 and 1820 and have not been crossbred. Their main animal is the Southdown Sheep, rumored to be Henry VIII's favourite sheep for eating; this also is where the farm gets its name. The owners of the farm, Lois and Gary, welcomed us all into their beautiful home, stacked high with knick-knacks, hunting decoys and wildcat skins. Gary gave us a very informative little speech about what they do on their farm and why small, different farms are important. He spoke from an old wooden chair on his porch, coffee cup shaped like a bullet casing in hand (he is ex-navy) and wood smoke pouring over us all. When he finished Lois took us down to visit the sheep, birds and guard llamas. It was freezing cold but the five-day-old little lambs and thickly wooled sheep didn't seem to mind too much. They baaed at us, ran around a bit and generally acted cute. The tour ended with some hot cider and lunch at a local restaurant. Lois joined us and during the meal we were regaled with tales about running a farm. It was a fun day and I hope to return to Whidbey to visit some more of the farms there (only when it is warmer!) and also to see more of the PCC Farms in the future.
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