Our story begins with frustration with a neighborhood association, a chance encounter with a farmhouse, and a trip to a county fair. Upset with the "hustle and bustle" of a newly developed housing neighborhood, we discovered a wonderful farmhouse, the Durrett house, situated on 18 1/2 acres. The house was built near the turn of the century on what is now Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. After the military acquired the land for the base, the Durrett's moved the house to its present location west of the fort in 1946 and split it into two apartments - one on the first floor and one on the second. In 1967, the house and land were purchased by Dale and Annabelle Shafer, who resided on the property until we purchased it in 2005.

Shortly after moving in and breathing some fresh country air we decided to spend a day at the Orange County Fair, where we chanced into a local alpaca breeder. Needless to say, we were surely hooked between looking at these peaceful and marvelous creatures and the possibility of making a living by breeding them. We purchased our first female, Magic, in July of 2005 and quickly added three (rescue) boys in September and have been collecting more ever since.

We now have thirteen in all and we are having the time of our lives. We have visited other farms, some shows and other events and have been in contact with many other breeders in our area. We have only had good experiences while interacting with other breeders and all of them have been helpful and eager to offer advice. We hope that you will consider the alpaca lifestyle for yourself. Though technically considered work, it is extremely enjoyable to take care of these interesting and serene animals.