Llamas, Camps, and Friends is in Goodsprings, Alabama-which is in Walker County, on the Black Warrior River. It was started in the spring of 1991 when Tom's and Judy's children left for college. They got a disease called Empty Nest Syndrome. The owners are Tom and Judy Camp. Chad and Ben are two part-time employees who work two days a week because they are still in high school. Llamas, Camps, and Friends is a place to go to play and forget about problems. There you can go and work and play on a real llama ranch.
Tom and Judy's house is right next to the llamas, so when they wake up they can see their llamas. They also have three dogs named Midnight, Momoco, and Magic. Tom and Judy don't charge for visits to their ranch, they make money by selling llamas. Tom has won lots of awards for chili cooking.
Tom and Judy are my great-aunt and great-uncle. They have animals such as llamas, horses, dogs, cats, flop-eared rabbits, bunnies, a pot-bellied pig, and a donkey. They have 26 llamas. They name their llamas for special people they know. The llamas are great pets. They are used to calm down people. Llamas make a humming sound when they are happy. They make a high humming sound when they are scared. Judy tells people that the llamas hum because they don't know the words. Tom and Judy care for the llamas and other animals by giving them food and river water. Llamas communicate by spitting green slime. The do not spit at people. Llamas are the original pack animal. Male llamas love the females.
They live for about 20 years. They are pregnant for 11 months and owners try to keep them pregnant after their first baby. Llama dung is great fertilizer for plants because it is all natural.
Every day at Llamas, Camps, and Friends barges filled with coal go by taking their coal to the Tombigbee Waterway. Tom is a doctor and Judy is a nurse. They work is an office most of the time and about 10% of the time, at the hospital. They travel alot. Four groups come at least once a month. They take the llamas to nursing homes, the church, and the Red Cross Blood Drive. More people come to the blood drive when they see llamas.
Llamas, Camps, and Friends is a good place to visit, especially if you like animals. It is also a good place to go to just have plain fun. I like going there because my aunt and uncle are so nice to me. The owners are really nice people.
©Copyright by
Michael J. Franklin, Great Nephew and
Historian of Llamas,Camps,and Friends
