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August 2007 Newsletter
Howdy folks and welcome to another month gone by with the Texas Camel Corps.
August could possibly rank as the slowest month in the ten-year history of the Texas Camel Corps, but I’m not complaining. After a most hectic spring, with four groups in Egypt/Sinai and a handful of other work, the entire Baum family was happy to sit and do nothing!
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From the 16-25, I was back out in Arizona, working with VisionQuest (www.vq.com). Working with the kids in this program again was fun and I really think we made an impact, particularly with one youth: Annie D. When Annie entered the program I don't think any one would have predicted the MAJOR turnaround we'd see from her. I think her involvement in a service project in Mississippi this summer, cleaning up detritus still left from Hurricane Katrina two years ago, was a tremendous turning point. Her participation with the camels (her first, I might add) was stellar and I could tell from the start that she could handle anything I threw at her.
I quickly moved her from Sam (one of our most solid camels) and gave her Irenie, whose name some of you may know, as she's a camel I like to give kids who need a challenge. After not being intimidated by Irenie's verbosity and inability to stand still, Annie asked if she could ride Marianne, one of our younger camels. Marianne's been riding a while now, thanks to past program youth, but as a young 'un she can still be unpredictable.
After a week or so of training, horse wrangler Alfred Bernal and I took a group of four girls, including Annie, to the Hotwell Dunes Recreation Area, about two hours north of the VQ property and had a great time. The other girls, Jesika I., Emily C. and Maria M. all did a great job. Maria loves her camel Chewy and we'll never have to worry about her running off on a camel: Maria's happy just to walk at a nice, slow, even pace. The 200-foot dune we came down (at quite an angle, I might add) seemed to be the highlight of her ride. Jesika, actually a CamelQuest veteran from an earlier VQ stint, took on the veteran Sam and Emily, a highly self-motivated young lady, did a great job with her camel, Chug. The most memorable moment award, however, must go to Emily for not once, but TWICE getting literally ants in her pants. I don't know what it is about Emily, but those big 'ol Arizona red ants just love that poor girl. With moves like those, she should be on Dancing With the Stars!
Earlier in the week, I'd taken the group of girls on a nature hike out into the foothills of the Swiss Helm Mountain that borders the VQ ranch. Each girl had been instructed to bring pencil and paper and, dutifully, most wrote down everything I shared with them about the flora of the Chihuahuan Desert. Emily, among the group, took the time to draw a picture of each plant next to her notes and she, along with a couple of the others, eagerly shouted out plant names and uses (food, medicine, tool), almost a week later, as we rode through the Dunes. I was very proud of the girls for how closely they had listened and were able to recall specifics from our interpretive hike.
A personally fulfilling moment for me was with one camel in particular, named Sally. Last month when I dewormed all the camels (a common task with any livestock) some had a higher parasite count than others, Sally's condition being among the three that most concerned me. An external indicator of a large infestation is a swelling, or edema, along either side of the belly button of a camel and this is something you can not only feel and check for, but is quite visible to the eye. A common action plan for this, even with horses, I believe, is to repeat the medication for three days in a row, more or less assaulting the offending species of intestinal parasite. We got Sally back in order and, as I was preparing to come home, I checked Sally's belly: It was almost perfectly smooth, with only the slightest hint of edema, which is really just an overage of fluid in cells or tissue. It's a small thing, but I think most of you know I love my camels and I was so happy to see such a marked turnaround in her condition.
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The January ’08 Egypt/Sinai trip (January 1-10) continues to take shape with verbal commitments from folks in such far-flung places as Arizona, California, Texas and Oklahoma. The adventurous participants are sure to be thrilled not only by the must-see sites like the Pyramids and Egyptian Museum, but also by the normal, everyday sights of Cairo and the Sinai in which they’ll partake. This is real life. Past guests have helped milk goats, prepare far-a-shi-ya, an unleavened Bedouin bread, and have even made change for locals on the ubiquitous mini-buses that ply the streets of Cairo. DO NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS TRIP IF YOU DON’T LIKE GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY!!! This’ll be my tenth guided trip and each trip truly gets better. The relationships I’ve got with the couple of families who take care of us along the way are as deep as any blood-ties I’ve got here in America. It is my promise to Egypt/Sinai guests that they will return home transformed thanks to the people they will meet. Spaces are almost full, so yalla im-shee (let’s go)! Cost per person is $1950 (air not included) and the payment deadline is November 1.
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In September things start getting busy again. In fact, this Monday, the 3rd, Labor Day, I’ll be working on South Padre Island, Texas. Now this may sound like a "tough job but somebody’s gotta do it" kind of story, but Texas-based supermarket chain H.E.B. is promoting a new soft drink line and they just had to have a camel on the beach promoting their soda. The camel’s been hired to carry a banner that says, "Thirsty? Follow me" and walk between two beverage tents set up on this beautiful stretch of barrier island sand. A plane flying overhead with a banner trailing it is supposed to read something like, "Thirsty? Follow the camel." If the plane or the banners don’t direct you to me, simply follow the blinding, reflective glow of the sun’s rays off of the whitest legs on the planet. Mine, not the camel’s.
Sept. 4th and 5th I’ll be presenting a training seminar at the Frank Buck Zoo in Gainesville, Texas for the keepers there and their newly acquired 8-month old camel. Having first worked with camels as a zookeeper myself, I think I can relate to the unique challenges that face these dedicated animal lovers while managing a camel in a zoological setting.
On the 9th, I head to Frisco, Texas for a birthday party. It’s not my usual means of making a living, but one young birthday girl has requested camels for her Aladdin-themed party and my 14-year old daughter Vanessa and I will be sharing the camels with the kids. I thought it’d be fun for Vanessa. She’s really started getting more involved with the camels and is a pretty good hand!
The 11-20 I’m back in AZ, working for VisionQuest. This time it’ll be with boys. Lucky me.
On the 28th I’m at the Texas Music Heritage Festival on the campus of Schreiner College in Kerrville, Texas. This unique event showcases the storytelling heritage of Texas. My role will be as a soldier in the US Army Camel Corps of the 19th century. If you’re in the Texas Hill Country, stop by. Hundreds of area school kids attend this annual event and the kind folks at the festival always have a beautiful spot along a creek for the camels and me.
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As always, thanks for your interest in the camels and their tales.
Doug
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