People loved the poetry and art and the donkeys and Chloe but Red and Fate seemed to me to be the big stars of the day. We did four (maybe five) herding and training demos, even Fate was worn out at the end of the day. Doug Anderson, the poet and photographer and friend, came out in the pasture to take some photos, and he got close to the sheep who were eager to avoid the dogs.This was a moment of triumph for me and Fate, I had just given the “away” command and went off on a counter-clockwise outrun.

Red moved in from the right and Fate went off to the left, she repeatedly turned the flock, kept them together, kept a good distance. She got clocked a couple of times when the sheep charged at her and Susie butted Fate in the head and rolled her over. I imagine Doug got some good pictures, we had strong crowds all day long, Maria sold a lot of art, I think.

We are exhausted and exhilarated, the people could not have been more loving or appreciative. We have never regretted holding open houses, every one of them has been a joy and a pleasure for us. We are humbled that so many people want to come and see our farm.

Fate is really coming along, I have to work on her staying out more, keeping a greater distance from the sheep. She is lying down reliably, moving well getting her directional commands straight, although she is much stronger on the clock-wise side than the counter clock-wise side. People loved watching these two work, I loved showing them off. Fate and I have been working quite hard today, it is beginning to really pay off.