MORE ADVENTURES

ELWOOD'S GOT CAMEL MILK; OR HOW I SPENT MY TIME WITH GIL AND NANCY!

ELWOOD CAME TO THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY FAIR TO VISIT THE OASIS CAMEL DAIRY DURING THEIR EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT AND SHOW. MOST INDIVIDUALS ARE PRETTY INTIMIDATED BY CAMELS AT FIRST; THEY ARE QUITE LARGE AND HAVE A DISAGREEABLE REPUTATION, ELWOOD WAS QUICK TO LEARN IT WAS UNDESERVED.

THE FIRST ORDER OF THE DAY WAS CLEANING AND FEEDING THE CAMELS ENCLOSURE. ALL THE SOILED PINE SHAVINGS WERE REMOVED AND REPLACED WITH LIGHT, FLUFFY NEW ONES. FRESH HAY WAS ADDED TO THE FEEDERS AND THE WATER CONTAINERS WERE SCRUBBED OUT AND FILLED WITH CLEAN, FRESH, COOL WATER.
THEN IT WAS TIME TO MEET THE CAMELS! EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD SHEBA, ONE OF THE OASIS CAMEL DAIRY’S LARGEST CAMELS CAME OVER TO SAY HELLO FIRST.

BEING SUCH A BIG GIRL, THE BEST WAY TO GIVE ELWOOD AND EYE-TO-EYE “ HELLO” WAS ON SHOULDERS OF CAMEL DAIRYMAN, GIL RIEGLER. FROM HIS PERCH ON GIL’S SHOULDERS, ELWOOD LEARNED FIRST HAND OF THE INQUISITIVE, GENTLE NATURE OF CAMELS AS SHEBA GENTLY TICKLED ELWOOD’S HANDS AND FACE WITH HER SOFT LIPS.

BABY DIEGO, ONLY SIX WEEKS OLD WAS QUITE SHY AT FIRST AND IT TOOK ALL OF ELWOOD’S PATIENCE TO STAND QUIETLY AND COAX DIEGO OVER FOR A QUIET GREETING. ONCE OVER HIS INITIAL SHYNESS, DIEGO HAPPILY TOOK TREATS RIGHT FROM ELWOOD’S HANDS. BABY CAMELS, CALLED CALVES, HAVE SUCH SOFT FUR AND SUCH LONG, GORGEOUS EYELASHES!

DIEGO’S MOM, JAMILLA WAS THE STAR OF THE CAMEL MILKING DEMOSTRATIONS. JUST LIKE DAIRY COWS, GOATS AND WELL, EVERY MAMMAL; THE CAMEL FIRST MUST HAVE A BABY TO BEGIN LACTATING OR HAVING MILK. UNLIKE A COW DAIRY, THE CAMEL CALF STAYS WITH THE MOTHER WHILE THEIR HUMAN CARETAKERS SHARE THE MILK. DIEGO AND JAMILA WILL BE IN THE MILKING PROGRAM FOR A YEAR AND A HALF. AT THAT TIME, DIEGO WILL BE READY TO HANG OUT WITH HIS FRIENDS WHILE JAMILA BECOMES PREGNANT AGAIN AND, AFTER A THIRTEEN MONTH GESTATION, HAS ANOTHER CALF AND STARTS THE MILKING CYCLE OVER AGAIN.

ELWOOD GOT TO SEE HOW THE CAMELS WORK WITH GIL AND NANCY AS AMBASSADORS WITH THE PUBLIC. AT EACH SHOW, CHILDREN WAITED EAGERLY BY THE ENCLOSURE FENCE TO PET AND FEED SHEBA. ELWOOD WAS NOT ALONE IN HIS EXCITEMENT! ALL THE CHILDREN REALLY ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE.

WHEN IT CAME TIME TO WASH UP, ELWOOD GOT TO TRY SOME OF THE OASIS CAMEL DAIRY’S CAMEL MILK SOAP MADE RIGHT ON THE FARM FROM JAMILA’S MILK.
AFTER THE SHOW, ELWOOD GOT TO HANG OUT WITH THE AUDIENCE MEMBERS WHO STAYED BEHIND TO PET SHEBA AND PURCHASE CAMEL MILK SOAP AND IMPORTED CAMEL MILK CHOCOLATE. ALL IN ALL, A VERY EXOTIC DAY ON THE FARM!

ALTHOUGH GIL AND NANCY COULD NOT SHARE THE RAW MILK WITH ELWOOD, THEY DRANK IT IN FRONT OF THE AUDIENCE EVERY SHOW AND RELATED WITH GREAT GUSTO IT’S SMOOTH, LIGHT TASTE AND HEALING PROPERTIES. MAYBE ONE DAY SOON, ELWOOD AND HIS FRIENDS CAN TRY REAL CAMEL’S MILK AT THEIR LOCAL GROCERY OR HEALTHY FOOD STORE.