This is my favorite part of the house, the view out to the back porch from the main room, and then the back porch with the view out to the back yard. The "swamp" lies a bit past the trees. I enjoy sitting out here and listening to the wildlife sounds.

Artwork here at HHF:

The two oil paintings were done by my dad for me. He is quite artistic, I didn't inherit any of his ablility, but that is okay. The crab was something he invented. He would take crabs after they were cooked (ewww) and then paint them to look exactly like they do when they come out of the Chesapeake Bay. They are very life like.

The print of the girl was from when Kevin used to go to Mardi Gras or Jazz Fest every year. His parents lived there for about 20 years. He would buy prints from local artists. This one is my favorite. I have a fondness for pencil drawings.

The big print is a Leroy Neiman who was a popular sports artist especially in the 1970's. He had a handlebar mustache and was always around at big events. I always remember him from the Derby. This print is of Secretariat at some race (not the Derby), he is wearing the blue/white checked blinkers. Kevin's dad was a personnel director for a big company in the midwest (Armour, I think) and was "downsized" when they merged, they let him take whatever he wanted from his office. He took this print. His mom and dad gave it to us 4 or 5 years ago. It is really cool in person.

Alpacas

This is a brochure from the Alpaca farm we visited yesterday. The one on the top left, Artemus, is one that we will be getting if the deal works out. The deal is actually for a total of 15, 7 females (5 are preggers) and 8 males. We would immediately sell 5 of the 8 males. The people at this farm were very nice and most helpful. They really run a first class operation and will be a great resource for info and help. The deal we will be working on is not with these people. They used to have Artemus in partnership with this other guy, but the other guy bought out their share.

Apparently, the animals we are looking at are very good quality.

This is going to get interesting.

Here are some ariel views of HHF. The people that we bought it from had these done prior to putting it on the market.

See the grayish trees? That is "the swamp" that I refer too. It isn't actually on our property. The farm is actually two separate lots and is long and somewhat narrow.

The water in the background is Courthouse Creek that leads out to the James River.

Some Other Residents of HHF

I Wanted to Introduce Everyone Offically

Spot, of course is the Dalmation, he is 11 and just recently (finally diagnosed with Cushings.) He is my best boy and follows me everywhere I go, even when I really would like some privacy.

Elvis is the first dog that we rescued from the Charles City County death ward. We think he is mostly Walker Hound. He was about 5-6 months old and a total wreck when we got him. Somebody treated him very badly, he still has issues and probably always will, but he is a sweetheart and my special baby.

Graceland (aka Gatordog) is our most recent adoption. She was also at the death ward. We think she is a Jack Russell/Spaniel mix. She is so very cute and sweet but she is definitely a pistol. She thinks everything and everyone is a chew toy.

Colonel Parker is the Orange Tabby cat. We got him from a rescue in Richmond. He was supposed to be a barn cat, but he decided that the house was a much better place for him. He is a really nice guy and so good with the dogs. Gatordog loves to chew on him and wrassle with him and he puts up with it.

I wish I could post a pic of Casper Batman, but I can't find him, he is solid black with big yellow eyes He is an expert hunter. He decided to live with us about 6 years ago, his former family dumped him in our old neighborhood. I will try to get a pic of him when I can.

In Memorandum

The Dalmation is Big Mac Attack, he was Spot's full brother. He was a huge Dal, about 90 lbs of pure muscle. That dog could run, FAST. He was such a sweet boy, but he was also very territorial. The polar opposite of Spot. He started having really bad grand mal seizures at 3.5. I had him on every kind of drug they could think of, nothing helped. So I had him PTS about a year later. This pic is the day before my horse vet came to my place to put him down.

The little Beagle is Wilbur the Wonder Dog. We rescued him from the median strip on our local interstate. He was about 5-6 when we got him and we had him for 5 more years. He was the sweetest thing and was so comical, he made me smile and laugh every single day. He ended up with congestive heart failure that we were able to control for about a year and a half. But one day, he just went down hill fast and we did what was necessary.

I miss them each and every day of my life.

My Cute Critters

Cute Critter Pics

Critter Pics

The Dogs of Hummingbird Hill