ADGA Convention 2017-Atlanta, GA

Mom and I took a 6 day trip to Georgia for the annual goat convention. I didn't get out my camera as much as I should have, but hey, it's better than nothing!  

It was cold-I think I wore my sweatshirt the entire time. There was one evening, when we walked to a restaurant, that it was nice, warm and sunny, but otherwise it was overcast, windy and cold. On Saturday is was pouring rain and some thunderstorms all day. Yesterday, it was warmer at home than it was in GA. So much for going south for the winter!

A lot of the breed groups had booths with information on their breeds. The Oberhasli booth also had a youth essay. I thought the parts about the Nubians were funny, and I relate to her 100%. Down with Nubians! 

I liked to stand and watch the airport from the elevator area. It was super busy-Atlanta is actually the busiest airport in the world! Planes were taking off every 2 minutes, and often 2-4 were taking off at the same time. From our room window,  if I craned my neck hard enough to the right, I could just see where the planes were coming in to land. I must have checked that window around 50 times during our stay, and only twice there was not a plane landing when I looked. Often-and they were especially visible at night-I could see three or four more planes coming in a circle behind the landing one, waiting their turn to land.

 I got a kick out of this common site-using the baggage carts for nitrogen tank transport in the fancy hotel!

 

 

The vendor room-this was during classes so not much business at the moment.

 

I didn't like that the hotel was so much like a maze. There wasn't really any areas where you could just look across and go to your destination-you had to follow all the signs down through the hallways or the Grand Promenade. 

I also got a kick out of the goat sale being held inside the Grand Ballroom/Salon, in the fancy hotel. I mean, I knew they had it inside, but it was just funny to see it, especially the stinky bucks and made the place reek. Fortunately, they took the smell with them again when they left.

This Toggenburg doe sold for $3200

 The Nubian buck sold for $3000 and is coming back to WA with his new owners.

 

The unhappy little Nigerian doeling sold for $1800

The Saanen doeling was so dainty and pretty. She brought $2200

 I really liked the bloodlines and dam of the Alpine buck. Unfortunately, he brought the lowest at $750.

 

I loved both of the Lamancha does-this one sold for $2050.

 Oberhasli doe #1, who spent more time on her back legs than all four, $1100.

The zebra striped Sable buck sold for $2000. 

 

The first milking doe in the sale for 15? years was a Saanen who sold for $1900.

 I liked this pretty little Toggenburg too. She sold for $2600.

 

This Nubian doe, full sibling to the Nubian buck, sold for $2300.

This little Nigerian buck, the smallest goat in the sale, sold for $10400!! And most of my family thinks I'm crazy when I spend more than $200 on a critter! 

 Oops, I guess I didn't get a picture of the 2nd Lamancha doe. I was too busy still swooning over someone spending so much money, I guess! The doe was a very pretty Sundgau, and sold for $2900.

Then came this pretty Sable, who was very grumpy about being there and said so with her posture and facial expression the whole time. Poutiness and all, she sold for $1700

 

This Oberhasli was better behaved than the last one, and sold for $2600.

 The second milking doe in the sale in ages, brought by the same person as the Saanen milker, was this beautiful Alpine. I loved her, and she sold for second highest(tied with the Saanen buck) at $3700

 

The pretty calico Nigerian doe sold for $3500

 This Lamancha buck is an April kid, and man he's huge! He sold for $2000.

 And the last goat, a feisty Saanen buck, sold for $3700 also. 

After the sale ended, we went back to our room and sacked-you know, ate popcorn out of a sack. Mom had to make two bags because half of it didn't pop, because the microwave wouldn't spin. Oh well, it still tasted good.  

 We flew out Sunday morning. I thought it would be cool if I took a picture, from the plane, of the elevator "shaft" where I liked watching planes take off. I thought I had done it in this picture, but later realized that this is the front of the hotel, and the elevators were on the left side. 

Georgia was covered by a thick layer of clouds, and when we got above them, it was a really neat view.

I try to get a window seat whenever possible, because I love seeing the scenery. Just south of Kennewick, there are lots of these rounds fields. The shape comes from the irrigation being based in the middle of the field, and they just move the irrigation sprinklers around the base in a circle. I liked the PacMan in the lower portion of this picture.

The visibility was not great, so the pictures aren't very clear.

 

As we flew down the Columbia river, I was able to locate our farm.

 Mt. Adams is the close one, and Rainier is barely visible in the back.

 This was just to the west of Hood River, so I assume that it is part of that old fire, still burning a little bit.

 

You can kinda see how the fire burned on the west facing slopes, and can maybe see the contrast between the green and brown(burnt) areas. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to look.

I had lots of fun and learned a ton. I hope to go again when it comes back to Boise in 2019!