September '09

Howdy folks and welcome to another month gone by with the Texas Camel Corps. It's amazing just how much activity can be squeezed into thirty days. Let's get to it!

Back To Work With VisionQuest

After a 2-year hiatus, I was back in Elfrida, Arizona working with VisionQuest (www.vq.com) the first week of September.

This residential treatment program works with kids who are adjudicated, but also takes in Foster kids. The 10 young men selected for the CamelQuest seemed excited and I can't thank the Elfrida staff enough for all their hard work. Ken B., particularly, was available and really hands-on with the kids and camels during our instructional time. Big thanks also to Leslie A., education staff from California for the time she put in, creatively combining education and barn time, all the while keeping it relevant to her academic mission.

After a couple of intense training days (twice-daily sessions) our group headed off property on camelback (pictured above), toward the Swiss Helm Mountains. Forecasted storms drove us to keep the experience close to the ranch, anticipating flooding in virtually every area we considered for trekking. Fortunately, we'd only see a sprinkle at most- enough to keep kids under shelters, but not enough to get my saddles wet!

Half the kids rode, while the other half hiked. Adventure staff Mike B. and Dave B. were along, as was the aforementioned Ken, plus myself making 4, so we were in good staff-to-youth ratio and the ride went without a hitch, more or less. If you ask VQ youth Alexander L., though, I think he'd tell you there was a hitch. Perhaps it was in his camel's "get along". Alex's camel, Jericho, is still a bit green, having given only short rides around the VQ property and, more recently, around my farm here in Texas, where we've been care-taking the camels since Nov, '08. This would be Jericho's first CamelQuest! I didn't let Alex know that beforehand.

As we were leaving the barn area Jericho did his best frog impression, hopping, trying to pass Sam (our biggest camel to whom he was tied), but Alex, quite an accomplished horseman, rode it out. In this picture he's shown here in the saddle for the first time, about to rise up on Jericho. I could not be any more proud of this young man. After 5-8 minutes, Jericho settled into his destiny as countless camels before him have done and the caravan was on its way. We arrived at camp with virtually no drama and the kids set up their shelters, did some light rock scrambling then dinner was served. My now famous cactus soup was on the menu and all but one youth proclaimed it a culinary masterpiece ("too greasy" was Jason's complaint).

The evening's shower ran the boys into their tarp-shelters and really only one youth had any trouble going to bed in a timely fashion. The youth, Terrence, flitted about for roughly an hour, but finally hit the hay. Terrence had two or three instances on the trip where it appeared the rules simply did not apply to him (his m.o. I'm told), but still, his behavior was better than we all expected.

Morning found us with a hearty breakfast of granola, fruit and orange juice (fuel for one more brief climb), then we saddled camels and headed back to property. The second group to ride was not as confident, nor focused, so we had a bit of a rough ride back, though without accident or injury, my ultimate litmus test. We'd split the group of 10 young men in half, along no particular lines. Among the second group were standouts Tommy and Mario, both of whose young camels decided to do a little jumping (Jericho being one, Marianne the other), but the rodeo was short-lived. My hat's truly off to these two young men for maintaining their composure.

Once back at the ranch, we gave hugs all around and proceeded to call it a day. Before I left for Texas, though, Alexander L. gave me a very thoughtful thank you letter and a pencil drawing of his camel, Jericho. It would be an understatement to say I was impressed with Alex's manners and decorum. Someone, somewhere along the way has taught this young man well. I hope we continue the good work with him and the other youth in our care at VQ.

Thanks to all the Elfrida staff and congratulations to Dave Boyle, former Wilderness Instructor, for his promotion to Chief Administrator.

Camels Visit Juvenile Justice Center

On September 10, camels Richard and Ibrahim, both Arabian camels, visited with the young men and women at the Williamson County Juvenile Justice Center (pictured at left) in Georgetown, Texas, just north of Austin.

This was my second visit to the facility, the first being back in the spring, sans camels. This time, en route to another engagement in nearby Austin, it was my pleasure to stop in at the request of Ms. Angie Hoard and share the camels with the kids in the alternative education program.

Arriving in military boot camp style, the teenagers marched to an open field on the northwest side of the facility where I’d placed the camels and they sat down, ready for the presentation. I was so impressed with the questions and comments some of the kids made. One youngster, who must’ve only just turned 13, simply could not get enough of the camels and I devoted quite a bit of time to his inquiries. I reasoned, “For thirty minutes, this young fella’s gonna forget that he’s locked up, away from his family, and I wanna help him be a little boy.” Even though some of the other young men razzed him, I think it’d be fair to say he had a great time.

Thanks to all the staff at the JJC and Angie Hoard in particular for inviting us.

Lawrence of Arabia Rides Again!

After visiting the Williamson County JJC, the camels and I headed south on Interstate 35 for a theatrical, 70mm presentation of Lawrence of Arabia in Austin, the Texas state capital.

We’d been asked by Brooklyn Barbieri, marketing queen at the historic Paramount Theatre (pictured at left), to bring a couple of camels to help promote the screening of this David Lean classic, starring Peter O’Toole and Omar Sharif. The Paramount’s Summer Classic Film Series was wrapping up and Brooklyn wanted to go out with a bang! Actually, last year I’d sent the theatre an unsolicited pitch for the very same idea, but timing and budgets didn’t allow. This summer, though, Brooklyn planned ahead and I was excited to be a part of it (and to see LOA on the big-screen).

Bueno amigos Paul Arellano, Rio Tenango and Leah Priese, all Austinites, were on hand to help. From taking pictures and shooting video to crowd control and poop patrol, the realities of placing two camels in a theatre’s drop-off zone along Congress Avenue was made much more manageable thanks to these fine folks. At times, city buses were just inches away from the camels. “Ho hum, just another day,” said Richard the camel.

The Paramount’s patrons were clearly enthralled (see image) with the camels and we had a really great time chatting with folks as they arrived and headed inside to watch this Oscar-winning masterpiece. Seconds before the curtain rose, the camels were placed in the trailer, Paul took my keys and headed to his house (the idea of sitting for nearly 4 hours didn’t interest him at all!) and Leah, Rio and I took our seats in the balcony.

WOW! I own the DVD of Lawrence and have seen this film 3 dozen times (maybe more), but this was like seeing it, literally, for the first time. The big screen is precisely the way this movie should be experienced. From the blowing grains of sand to the wide expanses of the desert, only a theatre can do justice to this classic.

Big thanks to Rio, Leah and Paul for their incredible assistance; thanks to Brooklyn for having us and a huge howdy to all the friends who came out to say hello (Pam!).

Second Training Trip In Cancun A Success

The week of September 13-18 took me back to sunny Mexico. For new readers, I’ll recap: a resort in Cancun has camels that need training; the workers also need training; my first trip in late August laid the foundation; in my absence between trips Raul and Mauricio (muy bueno camelleros) were to continue the training. Pictured here is our first group.

Upon arrival Emilio, the camels’ owner, picked me up and we headed straight for the ranch. Raul and Mauricio (and the newly-hired Fernando) met me, with camels saddled and ready to ride! I was so proud of the guys, not to mention the camels. Now, on trip numero uno we’d already ridden every camel, but there were a couple of tough ones in the bunch, Mushie and Clarabella. Clarabella, however, was saddled and performed perfectly (the jury’s still out on Mushie, unfortunately). Clearly Raul and Mauricio had done their homework!

Everyday that week, the three gentlemen and I took the camels, saddled and without riders, from the corral to the beach, back and forth, multiple times. By late in the week Emilio had gathered up some friends (guinea pigs) to come for the first test ride and on Wednesday the 16th (Mexico’s Independence Day), five folks arrived, perhaps bleary-eyed from the previous night’s celebrations and grito (shout) of Viva Mexico!!!! Pictured from left: Fernando, Raul and Mauricio with Flaco (skinny) the camel.

To say the hour-and-a-half ride went perfectly would be close to the truth. If I had to point to any hiccups, there was only one split-second where Shy (one of the younger camels) spooked as I emerged from the jungle after taking a picture, stepping on a twig and snapping it which startled him. Muy orgulloso (very proud)! The following day we had another group of riders and the boys’ homework since then has been to continue the test rides until I return the last week of October, when we’ll kick this thing off for paying groups.

On a personal note, I’d insisted to Emilio that putting me up in a resort was unnecessary and I’d be happy to stay with one of the rancheros if possible. Raul and his wife Fernanda offered their home and, as any of you folks who’ve ever traveled with me to Egypt know, this made the trip! Living in Raul’s neighborhood, shopping at the local stores and eating at the taquerias (taco stands) showed me a side of Cancun (actually the adjacent town of Puerto Morelos) that tourists simply don’t see. My kind of travel.

Muchas gracias to Emilio for keeping me employed, y tambien (and also) to Raul and his lovely wife Fernanda for the accommodations and amistad (friendship). Viva Mexico cabrones!!!!

Ms Jane's Preschool Visits Farm

On September 22, roughly a dozen 5-year olds and a handful of adults from Waco, Texas visited our place for an educational program, camel rides and some general fun on the farm. Pictured here is one youngster who had to muster up some courage to ride!

These farm visits are something I’ve started doing more and more to generate some income that doesn’t require hauling the camels hither and yon. The cost is $7 per child (adult chaperones are free) and I LOVE doing it! I get to share my home and life with the guests and they leave, I hope, enriched and entertained.

The morning dew still had the ground wet, so we threw some wool blankets down for the folks to sit on and we shared stories about the camels before taking each child for a short ride in the field, around our windmill and water tank. The look on each little one’s face reminded me of just how unique my livelihood is and the kids really seemed to have a good time. Following the barn time we settled in underneath a huge Burr oak tree in our backyard for arts and crafts. Most of the kids chose to draw something they’d seen on the farm: a camel, the windmill or our dog Gwen and some of the creations were really great. In the image below, one of the kids rides Richard.

Ms. Jane was fantastic with her charges and it was obvious why she’s still in business after more than twenty years. Before leaving she said she’d see me next year with another batch of kids. I’ll be looking forward to it!

Lunch And Lecture At Permian Basin Petroleum Museum

On Thursday the 25th, yours truly was the guest speaker at this Midland, Texas museum that celebrates the area’s rich, literally, energy heritage.

The talk came about as the result of an inquiry I’d made to the museum, trying to gather information on one of their collection’s oil paintings featured in last month’s blog. The piece, titled “Camels in Texas” is by Tom Lovell and is painstakingly accurate, down to the soldiers’ uniforms, the camels’ saddles and the native drivers who accompanied the U.S. Army camels of the mid-19th century. Education curator, Brenda Rathjen, took an interest in my email and asked if I’d be willing to come speak. I jumped at the chance.

Brenda requested that I talk about the historic U.S. Army Camel Experiment and I prepared a PowerPoint presentation called “Camels Don’t Spit” (see image above). I felt it was imperative that myths and long-held misperceptions about camels in general be a part of the overall message. I appeared in period military uniform and discussed all the various aspects of my business, the Texas Camel Corps, from education programs to guided trips in Egypt. To add color, each table had camel-related artifacts from around the world such as blankets, saddlebags, etc as centerpieces.

After the lecture Brenda wrote, “Camels will never be the same in the minds of everyone at yesterday’s lunch! What a wonderful speaker and educator you are and an absolute delight to watch!” Executive Director Kathy Shannon said, “Your presentation was wonderful- you easily managed to keep a room full of adults mesmerized with your stories.”

In this shot, I illustrate the etymology of the word "dromedary".

This was great fun for me. At first, I have to admit, I felt a bit “nekkid” without a camel, but the presentation came easily enough for me, talking about something I know well and love so much. The majority of the folks in attendance were retirees (many from the petroleum industry), people with lots of interesting experiences of their own to share. Some of the guests had reminiscences of working in the Middle East and I think I learned as much from them and they did from me!

Thanks so much to Brenda for thinking my story would be interesting to her patrons and also to Kathy for such kind comments. Special thanks to the Hahl Proctor Charitable Trust for sponsoring the Lunch and Lecture series and also to old friends Chuck and Ann Dixon for taking the time to come out and hear stories they’ve probably heard a thousand times before!

Homeschoolers Visit Farm

On Friday, September 25th, two-dozen homeschoolers and over a dozen parents visited the farm for an education program, camel rides and an arts and crafts project.

The families, mostly from the Dallas area, spent the better part of three hours at the house and I was impressed! The questions and comments these kids, ages, 8-16, threw at me really testify to the hard work their parents put into their education. Obviously older than the youngsters who’d visited earlier in the week, these kids were able to grasp deep concepts of biology and geography which I was happy to share.

For the craft portion of the day, shown in this image, I thought it’d be fun to teach the kids how to write their names in hieroglyphics. I gave each student a piece of “papyrus”, actually stiff card stock, a hieroglyphics key, crayons and markers. I supplied images from books on ancient Egypt to show the students how to make a cartouche, or oval shape, in which to write their names and some of the works were deserving of exhibition in the Egyptian Museum!

Young Curt S., one of the homeschoolers wrote, “Dear Mr. Baum, thank you for letting me ride Richard the camel. I liked Richard because he was cute. My favorite part of the tour was seeing you juggle camel poop. I like your house and the bathroom was cool. Sincerely, Curt.”

Thanks to Kristi with Homeschoolers Hearts and Hugs for organizing the day’s visit and also to the families who clearly put so much time into their children’s education.

Animal Health Supplement Trial Wraps Up

Just a note to let you know that the Steadfast trial, which our camels were a part of, has ended. The last blood draw has taken place and it will be a matter of weeks before all the data is analyzed.

The hope is that certain bio-markers in the camels’ blood will indicate strengthened joints as a result of the granular supplement being added to the camels’ daily ration of grain. Will update.

Thanks to Karen and Ellen from Novus, Steadfast’s manufacturer, and to Dr. Lloyd Hampe for all his visits and hard work on the drawing of blood from the camels.

October Calendar of Events

Oct. 2/3: Del Rio, Texas. Amistad Archaeology Fair, Whitehead Memorial Museum
Oct. 10-16: Sheffield, Texas to Ft. Stockton, Texas. Echols Expedition 150th anniversary reenactment
Oct. 17: Ft. Stockton, Texas. Sesquicentennial Celebration
Oct. 23: Waco, Texas. Baylor University private event (pending)
Oct. 25-30: Cancun, Mexico. Final training of camels for tourist rides
Oct. 31: Ft. Worth, Texas. Ridglea Country Club private event

Egypt/Sinai Update

January’s when I take folks to live with my “family” in Cairo/Giza (pictured at left) and the Sinai desert. I’ve not gotten any commitments , but regardless I intend on heading over in early January and have room and time to still arrange an itinerary if you’re interested.

Keep in mind, you’re living in the homes of locals, not hotels. This is a unique trip that includes camel trekking in the Sinai with Bedouin, all the major historical sites in Cairo, a day-trip to Petra in Jordan, snorkeling/diving in the Red Sea, hiking Mt. Sinai and visiting the 1,600-year old Monastery of St. Catherine.

I’ll need to have things firmed up by the beginning of December at the latest, so please give a call or email for more info. DVD and PDF brochure available upon request.

At left my daughter, Delany, delivers toothbrushes and toothpastes to Wadi Samghi village elder Mileyha.

Thanks as always for your interest in my camels.

Doug

August, 2009

Whew! This month’s blog is truly for those of you who stuck with me through the business doldrums of summer. Sit down, strap yourself in and get ready. Please, PLEASE read this one all the way through. From West Texas to the Caribbean, this month’s adventures are definitely worth reading.

 

Joint Supplement Study Continues With Camels

All the camels are still taking the Steadfast supplement. In fact, the trial recently hit the halfway mark and we’ve now switched the two camel color-coded groups. Those receiving the blue packets now receive green and vice versa (by design we don’t know which color is actual product and which is placebo). Gobi remains on actual product, though, a decision made early on, due to his pre-existing arthritis.

Three blood collections have been made, but the real results won’t be known until well after the study when all the data has been analyzed. There are mornings when I think the stiffness in Gobi’s front legs is less, then other days when I don’t notice any change. I think I’ll just have to maintain him on the supplement well beyond the 12-week trial to see. Wintertime will be the real test. Cold weather, predictably, seems to bind him up (and me, too!) more than during warm weather.

Blood continues to be drawn from each camel every three weeks and my kids, though having just returned to school, are incredibly helpful. As business has picked up again, I’m gone more and more and my wife, Trish, Vanessa, Delany and Pecos are making sure the supplement is fed daily, no small feat, as each camel has to be haltered, tied and given a specific ration of grain and Steadfast. This is why old farm families had a dozen children!

Thanks to our local vet, Dr. Hampe, for his help in the study and my wife, Trish, and our kids for all their hard work.

 

Camels Visit Davy Crockett Days In Ozona, Texas

Daughter Delany, at right in frontier dress, introduces Ibrahim to the crowd.

August 22, camels Ibrahim and Marianne (both Arabians- one hump) and Xian (a Bactrian- two humps) were in Ozona, Texas for Davy Crockett Days, representing Ft. Lancaster State Historic Site in nearby Sheffield.

The event itself, held annually in this West Texas town along Interstate 10, celebrates the county’s namesake: statesman and Tennessee volunteer/defender of the Alamo, Davy Crockett, and gives Ft. Lancaster a great opportunity to share their connection to the historic U.S. Army Camel Experiment with the public in an off-site setting.

My daughter Delany, 13, and son Pecos, 9, were along and were a lot of help. Chris Elliott, site manager of Ft. Lancaster and 16-year old Clayton Dowell, son of Ft. Lancaster employee, Cheryl Dowell, were in historic military uniform and did a great job sharing the camels’ stories with locals and other folks who just happened by off of I-10. Chap Traylor was also there representing the hardy frontiersmen who first ventured beyond the frontier in the mid-19^th century. Along with Chap was his horse, a cow and calf. The public really enjoyed Chap’s month-old heifer calf and the milking demonstrations throughout the day.

Clayton Dowell with Marianne.

Big thanks to all who worked the Davy Crockett Days event!

 

Camellos En La Playa En Mexico! (Camels On The Beach In Mexico!)

Raul Monge, left, and Mauricio Xooc, walk with Shy and K9 on the beach.

Now, from time to time I find myself in situations that even I cannot imagine. August 23-28 would be exactly one of those instances.

Best friend Jim Hale of the American Camel Company received a call from a Cancun-based businessman just a couple of weeks ago. The hombre on the other end of the line, Emilio Gonzales, said he’d bought seven camels and needed them trained. Jim, busy with developments in the U.S. camel milk industry, wasn’t able to head for the border and recommended me for the task. Jim had actually engineered an importation of about a dozen camels to Jamaica 3 years ago that I was unable to be a part of so it’s bitter sweet that I was now headed to Yucatan without him.

So, with less than a week’s notice, I packed my bags and two camel saddles, raising the eyebrows of airport security personnel in two countries and I eagerly embarked on the new adventure with a roundtrip ticket to (cue game show announcer): Sunny Cancun! (WHY, OH WHY COULDN’T THIS HAVE COME MY WAY IN JUNE OR JULY, WHEN I WAS SO WOEFULLY WITHOUT WORK?!!!)

Emilio, who looks uncannily like Al Pacino, met me upon arrival at the Cancun airport around three o’clock that Sunday afternoon with his right-hand camellero, Raul Monge, who is a dead-ringer for Antonio Banderas! We headed directly for the rancho, where the camels are housed and I went straight to work, ascertaining which camels were fearful of people and which camels might show some willingness to be trained immediately. Cinco of the siete camellos were kneeling down, on command, before the end of my first afternoon with them! Understand, Emilio bought these camels through a broker in Mexico City, who bought them from someone in the U.S., so who knows how many hands they passed through, before arriving less than three kilometers from the beach on the Yucatan’s shore of the Caribbean?

Mauricio, on Shy the camel, led by Raul.

Emilio was genuinely pleased with the progress we made that first session and the following four days took us from not knowing anything about the group of camels to taking five of the seven for a training walk down the trail, through the jungle. Before I headed home, we’d actually ridden all seven camels (I won’t say perfectly, ask Raul!) and took two of them all the way to the beach. Perhaps 60-70% of the instruction was done in Espanol (muchas gracias to Senora Wilson, my high school Spanish teacher and my mother who spoke Spanish fluently), but thankfully Raul and Mauricio, the other camel hand at the rancho speak great English.

Raul, originally from Mexico City, is a sculptor and experienced horseback guide in the area and took to the camels with a confidence and grace that, honestly, I could never have expected. He has a heart and head for the camel that is unparalleled in possibly anyone I’ve ever trained. Raul, a member of Mexico’s official Star Wars fan club, saw only potential in each camel; I encouraged him on in my best Yoda impression. “Faith in the camel you must have, hmmm!”

Mauricio, ethnically Mayan, resembles no A-list Hollywood star and is a true mechanic. Every knot, every possible way I know how to hobble a camel, he picked up with one viewing. Show Mauricio something once and it’s committed to memory. An eye for detail and attention to safety are traits that Mauricio has in surplus. His patience with my Spanish and cunning use of English were a constant source of laughter.

Raul, aboard Flaco (skinny in Spanish) wearing his k'fiyyeh and agal, picked up in Lebanon. Mauricio leads Flaco. Note traditional palapa under which we're working.

The three of us worked from 9 in the morning until 6 at night everyday, under the camels’ palapa, the thatch shelter particular to the Yucatan Emilio had constructed specifically for the camels. By day three, I was sitting on a water tub, watching the two students work the camels. Kneeling on command, accepting a saddle and rider, standing up, walking, stopping; all of these are the basic tools of a camel’s trade and I can’t describe how exhilarating it was to witness the rapid progress of not only the camels, but also of Raul and Mauricio. Did I mention we laughed? Hermanos (brothers), that’s how I feel about these two gentlemen.

It may sound like a lot of fun, but I literally didn’t do anything but eat, sleep, shower and work. I only briefly set foot in the azure waters of the sea once: the night before I flew home when I called to ask Trish if she could hear the surf breaking and tell her I missed her.

Raul, left and Mauricio mounted and ready for a trip through the jungle.

Kneeling in the sand on the beach, a result of less than a week of intense training.

I return September 13-18 to check on the project’s progress and I’m certain I’ll have lots more to report.

From left: Emilio, Raul, me, Mauricio and Federico (caretaker of the camels) with K9 the camel.

Muchas gracias a Sr. Gonzales, Raul y Mauricio. Especialmente, Yo quiero decir gracias a Sr. Federico. El mire los camellos toda la dia con un corazón tan grande como Tejas.

 

Camels Meet and Greet At Bosque Arts Center

Gobi and Ibrahim (Richard not pictured) in Clifton, Texas.

Gobi (Bactrian), Richard and Ibrahim (both Arabians), visited with folks in nearby Clifton, Texas on Saturday, August 29 at the Bosque Arts Center (www.bosqueconservatory.com).

The event was to raise money for Heifer International (www.heifer.org) and to raise awareness of the United Nations’ declaration of the International Year of Natural Fiber (www.keepthefleece.org).

Along with my daughter Vanessa, 16, the camels and I shared stories and artifacts from our camels and our travels with fiber enthusiasts and curious passersby. Fully 90% of the individuals we spoke with had no clue there was a camel farm in Bosque County. As might not surprise those of you who’ve met our family, we invited them all to visit our place anytime.

Big thanks to Lisa Rose for putting together such a wonderful event and the folks at the Conservatory for letting us park the camels on their lawn.

 

Egypt/Sinai Update

I’m looking at early January, sometime just after the first of the year, for the next Egypt/Sinai trip. With summer’s end fast approaching we need to go ahead and settle on dates and the itinerary, so please get in touch ASAP.

Remember, these trips are based on home-stays, not hotels, and offer what I believe no other trip can do: transcend the tourist experience and make you a member of the family. Two families, actually!

My daughter Vanessa, with two nieces of my Bedouin brother Saleh, in Sinai.

Vanessa and Matt T. discuss checkers strategy while Magdy's back is turned.

We trek Sinai with the family of Saleh bin Suleiman, my Bedouin brother and we explore all aspects of historic Cairo and Giza with my “city” family, headed by Adel Said Hamza. Simply put, you will hear the babies crying, drift off to dream with camels ruminating only yards from your sleeping bag and wake up to the Islamic call to prayer from the mosque, just blocks away. Oh yeah, take the stairs to Adel’s rooftop and gaze due west and you can see the Pyramids of Giza!

We also visit Petra, in Jordan, climb Mt. Sinai, visit the 1,600-year old Monastery of St. Catherine, scuba or snorkel in the Red Sea, explore the Egyptian Museum (where all of King Tut’s treasure resides), take in a performance of dervish dancing and eat the most outrageously delicious food (akl, in Arabic) you’ve ever tasted.

Dig in! Breakfast in Cairo of beans, dates, bread, cheese, falafel, eggplant and french fries.

Delivering gently used laptops to the Bedouin, thanks to good friends like Steve Leuschner and Frank Gonzales, is a highlight of the trips to Egypt and Sinai. Here, my buddy Ibrahim and his sons learn to use the language program.

Itineraries can be totally customized to suit your interests and I need only four folks to make a trip run. Maximum number of guests: 10. Average trip price is $2400 (air not included) for roughly two weeks. Give me a shout if you’d like to join up or build a custom trip for you and your group. Email or call, too, for references from past guests, now family.

 

Schedule Of Events

September 1-5: Elfrida, AZ. VisionQuest (www.vq.com)

September 10: Austin, Texas. Paramount Theater’s screening of Lawrence of Arabia.

September 12: Dallas, Texas. Movie shoot.

September 13-18: Cancun, Quintana Roo, Mexico. More camel training.

September 22: Valley Mills, Texas. Miss Jane’s Preschool visits Farm.

September 24: Midland, Texas. Permian Basin Petroleum Museum Brown Bag Lunch speaking engagement (no camels), 11:30 a.m.

September 25: Valley Mills, Texas. Home-school group visits Farm.

September 25: Dallas, Texas. Southern Methodist University, private party.

 

Thanks as always for your interest in my camels. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Doug

July, 2009

Howdy folks and welcome to another month gone by with the Texas Camel Corps.

ALERT: Recent technological snafus (read: fatal keystrokes!) have destroyed the address book in both my email and my cell phone (read: fatal fall into glass of water!). Please email or call me please, so that I can reenter your contact info into the cursed technological yoke strapped ‘round my neck.

In July, business activities were at a minimum, but we were still plenty busy. Let’s get to it!

 

Texas Camel Corps Participates in Animal Health Supplement Study

Novus, an animal nutrition company (http://www.arenus.com), approached the Texas Camel Corps sometime back about partnering in a study. The product, Steadfast, has already been tested in and is marketed for joint support in dogs and horses. In the days leading up to the trial’s start date, boxes of the supplement had been arriving via UPS at our farm.

On July 6, braving intermittent rain, two representatives from Novus, Karen Wedekind and Ellen Dierenfeld, paid a visit to the farm, along with our local veterinarian, Dr. Lloyd Hampe, DVM. The 12-week study requires that blood be drawn from the camels at regular intervals. Various markers in the blood (specific protein levels compared with known averages) will be looked at to determine the supplement’s efficacy. The protocols had been drawn up by Karen, Manager of Comparative Animal Nutrition and Ellen, Manager of Sustainable Programs Research at Novus.

From left, Dr. Hampe, Karen and Ellen.

For the “Zero Week” blood draw, we haltered and tied each camel to a spot along the fence and let the leeches loose, as it were. Dr. Hampe accurately located the jugular vein on each, while I twitched each camel’s nose and covered their eyes. Twitching is a process (also used on horses) by which the end of the muzzle, lips and nostrils are taken in hand, pulled and squeezed, releasing an endorphin and truly calming them down for inoculations or other health treatments. Covering the eye is helpful so that they don’t see the vet coming at ‘em with the syringe. Dr. Hampe proficiently poked and pulled the blood from each of the eleven like a camel chupacabra!

Dr. Hampe aims for the jugular and scores!

The trial is being conducted as a double-blind test, with the powdered supplement packaged in little plain-white packets, marked only by a blue or green dot. The packets contain either a placebo or the actual product, but I don’t know which color represents which. Ten of the eleven camels were placed in one of two groups, five per group, with the eleventh camel, Gobi (our 18-year old Bactrian camel), being in a third, separate and special group on his own. Gobi’s experienced some stiffness in the mornings over the last year and we’ve had him on another supplement with no visible improvement, so it was determined to give him the actual, labeled product in hope that we’d notice progress. Halfway through the 12 weeks, we’ll pull all camels off the supplement for one week (except Gobi), then switch the two color-coded groups so the researchers can study the blood of each individual camel after taking both the placebo and the actual product.

The challenge of getting medicine into a camel orally is not, as you might think, getting him to eat it, but rather getting it past the rumen, the multi-chambered stomach system shared by cows, goats, deer, giraffe, etc. The function of the rumen is to break down all that enters, so this will be the real telling part of this study. The supplement itself is a powdered mixture of alfalfa hay and molasses, various vitamins, a myriad of minerals, plus the all-familiar glucosamine and chondroitin associated with many joint supplements. We simply sprinkle it on top of their daily ration of grain, each camel receiving a certain amount based on their body weight.

We’ve now taken blood from the camels twice, so we should start seeing how the trial’s working. Cross your fingers for Gobi!

 

Camels Visit Vacation Bible School In Hewitt, Texas

On Thursday, July 16, camels Ibrahim and Marianne, along with my children Vanessa, 16, Delany, 13 and Pecos, 9, visited with kids at Hewitt, Texas’ First Baptist Church near Waco.

Vanessa kneels down next to Ibrahim as Pecos looks on.

A hundred or more excited youngsters had their pictures taken on the camels, this being their final day at Bible School. They all seemed to really enjoy the experience and we met a lot of really nice folks.

Big thanks to Susan Malone at First Baptist Hewitt for inviting the camels.

 

Xian Goes to School

Our youngest camel, 4-year old Xian (shee-on), a Bactrian (two humps) has begun ride training.

Xian, with Texas' best 16-year old camel rider/trainer!

Daughter Vanessa and I taught him to couche (kneel down on command, pronounced “cush”) one day about three weeks ago, the necessary precursor to being able to sit on a camel’s back or to load a camel with cargo. WOW- did he learn fast! Some camels can take hours or days to get the idea, but Xian literally had it figured out in less than 15 minutes. The process is a bit difficult to articulate, but suffice it to say that no assistance, no ropes and no physical pressure were necessary after a quarter hour; the verbal command was given and down he went!

After a week of repetition, working on this new skill perhaps 10 minutes a day, combined with hobbling Xian in the kneeling position, we decided to have Vanessa sit on him, bareback, between his two humps. Using carrots or grain as a treat has seemed to keep him focused and less interested in what’s happening on his back. Soon we directed him to stand up with Vanessa on his back. This can be an awkward motion for a camel, rising under a rider’s additional weight, not to mention the shifted center of gravity, but Xian did great. The positive reinforcement of food treats at this point is the key. Every time he gives us what we want there’s a mouthful of sweets for him!

In the last few days we’ve been repeating all of the above, plus adding in short little walks around the barn area, sometimes circles, sometimes straight lines. As of this writing, both Delany and Vanessa have been riding him and neither has been tossed yet!

This fall, when business picks up, we’ll start rotating Xian in bit by bit. Look for him more and more out on the trail. Big thanks to Vanessa and Delany for being such willing riders!

 

Texas Camel Corps Makes a New Friend

Got a call this past month from a fella named Gary Nabhan, an author and the founding director of the Center for Sustainable Environments at Northern Arizona University who’s now affiliated with the Southwest Center of the University of Arizona.

Gary said he’d been following my efforts to spread the word about the historic U.S. Army Camel Experiment and was planning on sending me his latest book, Arab/American.

Being of Lebanese descent, Gary’s interest in the old Army camels stems from some of the native drivers hired to come to the U.S. with the unique cargo aboard the U.S.S. Supply as it left Turkey. Ships of the desert aboard a ship. The beasts of burden became the cargo and along with them were a handful of Syrians, Greeks and Turks employed to work with the camels and teach the soldiers the finer points of camel handling.

Gary, an ethnobotanist, also had come across Native American oral histories that included camels in extreme southern Arizona, but that’s for you to read in his fine book. Arab/American continually compares (with surprisingly minimal contrasts) the two deserts of his family’s heritage: the Chihuahuan Desert where he now lives and the deserts of the Middle East that spawned his lineage, the tribe known as Banu Nabhani. Giving equal time to the various peoples and faiths of the region, the book was a great read; not too academic nor too simple.

Please take the time to visit Gary’s website (www.garynabhan.com). I look forward to visiting with him in person in the future.

Historic U.S. Army Camel Sketches Help Unravel Mystery

A few years ago my good buddy Hoppy Hopkins emailed me two sketches by Friedrich Petri, a 19th-century Texas artist.

The top sketch shows a Turkish-style camel saddle (for packing equipment), plus a detailed drawing of the halter used on the head of a camel. The bottom drawing shows a group of camels, tied together and led by a rider on a horse or donkey.

Petri, a German immigrant from the Saxony region, lived in the Texas Hill Country during the 1850's at the same time the U.S. Army was using camels and the pair of works superbly documents the curious caravans that crisscrossed the area. What makes these sketches so important is that only one photograph of a U.S. Army camel (in California) is known to exist. That photograph, sadly, doesn’t enlighten the student in matters of specific equipment used with the camels.

A camel outside a depot in California.

The Handbook of Texas Online says about Petri, “His Indian works document clearly, precisely, and sympathetically the physical appearance, clothing, adornment, and something of the life of these colorful people.” If this is true of his art as it relates to the local Comanche people with whom he came into contact, surely the same could be assumed in regard to the camel pieces.

As I use my camels to share this unique piece of U.S. history, it’s disconcerting to not have physical evidence of the camels’ presence on the frontier. Petri’s drawings allow me to see the particular saddlery that was used (a mix of Arabian and Turkish styles) so that I can be as authentic as possible in my representation.

Another work of art, though not from the era of the U.S. Camel Experiment, is on display in Midland, Texas’ Permian Basin Petroleum Museum.

Artist Tom Lovell painted this in 1972 and it represents an incident that happened exactly 150 years ago on the Echols Expedition. Echols’ journal reads, “…two camels fell and bursted two of the kegs and injured several others, wasting about forty gallons of our most appreciated loading. The animals I believe are not injured. One of them lost its foothold, fell, and pulled the others from the trail by the rope attaching the train. Others might have suffered the same fate but for the timely assistance of Lieutenant Holman, who cut the lead line.”

Thanks to Hoppy for the Petri sketches all those years ago and to all who help perpetuate this unique part of U.S. history.

 

Egypt/Sinai Update

Birth announcement: Wella’, daughter-in-law of our Cairo host Adel, has had a baby girl, named Yara. Born August 1, child and mother are both doing well.

The exuberant jidd (“grandfather” in Arabic) called me the next day to tell me the news. This is Wella' and husband Said’s first child and the fourth grandchild for Adel and his wife Suad.

Wella', far right, along with sister-in-law Hebba' (light green scarf) and Suad conduct cooking class with guests Lore, Stephanie and Jennifer.

In other news, the 1,600-year old Monastery of St. Catherine (one of many historic sites we visit) has gone high-tech, placing the Codex Sinaiticus online: http://www.codexsinaiticus.org. The Codex is considered to be the oldest known copy of the Bible and the Monastery’s library is second only to the Vatican’s in religious importance. Click here to see the CNN story: http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/07/06/ancient.bible.online/.

The Monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai, Egypt.

If you’d like to see the Monastery or meet Yara, give me a shout. January’s the next window of opportunity I’ve got to take folks to Egypt/Sinai and remember, these trips are based on home-stays, not hotels, and include camel trekking in Sinai, sightseeing in Cairo, a day-trip to Petra in Jordan and much, much more.

Calendar of Events

August 22: Ozona, Texas. Davy Crockett Days

August 29: Clifton, Texas. Bosque Arts Center

 

Thanks as always for your interest in my camels.

 

Doug

June, 2009

Howdy folks and welcome to another month gone by (really?!) with the Texas Camel Corps.

June was the month for camel rides. Yep, you read that right. For those of you who know me, you’ve probably heard me say I’d rather eat broken glass than do camel rides, but there are exceptions- namely, when business is really slow or if the event is small in scope and it doesn’t make me feel like a carnie!

That said, let’s take a look at June’s goings-on.

 

Walking in Circles at the Circle 6 Ranch

One young fella rides Richard at Circle 6 Baptist Camp in Stanton, Texas.

On Saturday, June 6^th, all three kids (Vanessa, Delany, Pecos) and I were at Circle 6 Baptist Camp in Stanton, Texas to give camel rides. Camels Chewy, Richard and Ibrahim provided transportation for the young campers in this blustery region of West Texas, which is now dotted with massive electricity-producing windmills.

Having expanded our business to trekking both here in Texas and in Egypt/Sinai, I’m just not a big fan of walking in circles, but the folks at Circle 6 were so nice and the children were from West Texas, where I grew up, so I’m keenly aware that this might be the only chance for these youth to ever see a camel.

Most of the children were between five and ten years old, so we of course took the opportunity to share a bit of education with them. Did you know that camels are mentioned in the Old Testament fifty-seven times? We not only tied into camel/Bible lore, but also into the history of camels in 19^th-century West Texas. No one can say these kids didn’t get their money’s worth!

Richard working and Ibrahim waiting his turn (note windmills).

Big thanks to Bill and Mary and all the folks at Circle 6. Also HUGE thanks to my kids for their assistance with all the children who rode camels that day.

Yet More Circles, This Time in Dallas

Vanessa and I lead Chewy and Richard, with riders, at Camp Jesus in Dallas, Texas.

Thursday, June 11, the kids and I plus Chewy, Richard and Ibrahim headed North, to Dallas, Texas for another church camp/camel ride event at Camp Jesus. Also along was best bud Paul Arellano.

Unfortunately, rain was hard and heavy all morning long and the camp director, Scott, had to make the painful decision to cancel the camel rides. As we prepared to pack up and leave, Scott insisted on paying us saying, “You’ve shown up, like I asked.” Now, it’s never been my style to accept money without working, so I countered with, “We’ve got nothing going on tomorrow, why don’t we just come back then?” Scott said, “We’d have some awfully happy kids if you did that.” How could I not?

Friday morning saw us loading camels at the farm about 5 a.m., knowing we’d hit rush hour traffic in Dallas for certain. We made it into the Metroplex and were only about three miles from the camp when an accident ahead caused a back-up, putting us maybe twenty minutes later than I’d hoped. Upon arrival we got the camels saddled up and proceeded to give rides, almost non-stop for the next four hours (just about my personal threshold on camel rides!).

The kids loved it, the counselors loved it and I, again, enjoyed the heck out of myself. Met some great folks, too. Thanks to Scott and all the folks at Camp Jesus and also to Paul, Vanessa and Delany for their hard work.

 

Shiloh National Military Park Requests Camel Photos

Michael Dutschmann leads Richard during photo shoot for Shiloh National Military Park.

The folks at Shiloh National Military Park have asked for some images of a Confederate Soldier with a camel. Since no historical images exist, we saddled up one of the camels (Richard), suited up bueno amigo Michael Dutschmann in rebel raiment and headed out into the fields for photos.

Shiloh’s interest stems from their connection to Mississippi’s 43^rd Infantry, which used a camel at the Battle of Vicksburg. Unfortunately, Old Douglas (gotta love the camel’s name!) was shot by Union forces and died, making him the only camel to see actual battle time during the Civil War. His crime? Carrying the regimental band’s instruments.

The shoot went off without a hitch. The real challenge was trying to find a corner of the farm that looked as verdant as Vicksburg must’ve been during the War. Central Texas has seen no rain in a while and we’re as scorched as the Sahara at the moment.

We took dozens of images and selected fifty-one that we’ve sent for consideration. Ultimately, Michael and Richard will appear on a t-shirt and I’ll let y’all know when those become available.

 

Research Project to Begin July 6^th at Farm

Texas Camel Corps has been chosen to participate in a nutritional study with Novus, an animal health product manufacturer, from July through September.

The study will be utilizing a dietary supplement that has been found effective in strengthening joints in dogs and horses and now Novus wants to try the product, Steadfast, in camels. To say I was honored and thrilled would be an understatement. Specifically, I hope to gain some improvement in locomotion for Gobi, our 18-year old Bactrian (two humps) camel, who’s suffered a bit of stiffness in his front legs and shoulders lately.

Gobi will receive the actual product, but the other ten camels on site here at the farm will be split into two groups, one receiving the actual product, the other receiving a placebo. The packages of Steadfast and the placebo have already arrived and are simply marked with blue and green dots, keeping even me from knowing which camel group will receive which for the purpose of untainted results. Gobi’s dosages are separate so I KNOW he’s getting the actual product and not the placebo.

The process is going to be a bit more intensive than my regular, daily feeding routine, making sure that each camel gets the correct amount of supplement (mixed in with their ration of grain) and that each camel eats only his/her ration. Basically, instead of feeding communally, it’ll require that I halter and tie each camel to a fixed point around the corral, administering the supplement to ensure proper amounts are being taken in over the course of the study.

Our local vet will do four blood draws over the study, the first being before the trial begins, then again at certain intervals. Specific markers will be monitored and recorded to assess the efficacy of the product and we all hope to gain some insight from the results.

Will update.

 

Egypt/Sinai Update

Magdy, son of our Cairo hosts Adel and Suad, on his computer. You'll fall in love with this bright young man and his family.

Don’t forget about our Egypt/Sinai trips. If you’re interested, please email or call.

These trips are hands-down the best way to experience the rich culture of Egypt and the Sinai desert. You’ll be living in the homes of normal, everyday Egyptian and Bedouin families, seeing a side of this part of the world that isn’t possible if you’re on a tour bus with 50 people.

Hamed is the youngest son of our Sinai hosts Saleh and Freija. A bit quiet and reserved at first, Hamed quickly warms up to folks and endears himself to all he meets.

Among the activities available are: hiking up (and down!) Mt. Sinai, snorkeling/diving in the Red Sea, visiting Petra in nearby Jordan, camel trekking in the Sinai, visiting the Pyramids of Giza, the historic Khan el Khalili bazaar in Cairo and more.

I need only 4 folks to make a trip run and take a maximum of 10. Trips average 12-15 days and cost around $2400 per person (air not included). Fall, winter and spring are the best time to go and trips are customizable and available on demand.

My buddy M'heisn, at breakfast making tea. The Bedouin are incredibly generous, inviting our groups into their lives and unique culture.

Brochure and DVD are available and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks as always for your interest in my camels.

Doug