Llamas in Lewisville

May 1, 2009 · By Deb Phillips – The Photo Gal 
Rivermont Llamas on Yadkinville Highway in Lewisville, North Carolina is home to a number of llamas who spend their days grazing and basking in the sun. Deb Phillips, photographer.

Rivermont Llamas on Yadkinville Road in Lewisville, North Carolina is home to a number of llamas who spend their days grazing and basking in the sun.

Diverse Population

It’s not every community that can boast of an outstanding llama population among its fine citizenry — but Lewisville can!

When traveling west on Yadkinville Road from Winston-Salem, you’ll eventually drive by the home of some prestigious llamas on your right, just shortly before crossing the Yadkin River. Their home is actually Rivermont Llamas, which is located at the original home place of Sattsgate Farm.

Photo Sessions

As I mentioned in Lessons from a Llama, my first encounter with the llamas occurred one day in February when I spotted several of them being backlit by a gorgeous sunset. I managed to click off a few good shots of them before the sun dipped out of sight. But to round out my photo coverage, I knew I’d need to return on another day.

A few days later, I pulled off the road at Rivermont Llamas, where some of the llamas were standing at the front fence basking in the morning light.

As I approached the llamas, to my disappointment, they scurried off toward the middle of the field. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a long enough lens to cover the considerable distance, so it appeared doubtful that I’d get any decent shots of the timid llamas.

Patience Required

On a hunch, though, I decided to hang around for a bit, and I began walking the perimeter of the property. Every time I glanced at the llamas, they were all watching me intently. I just kept walking. Time passed, and the llamas remained huddled in the center of the field — still watching me.

Meanwhile, I happened upon some beautiful low-hanging tree blooms, and I spent some time photographing them. (Those photos were featured in the Springing Forth post.) When I finished photographing the tree blooms, I resumed my walk around the edge of the property.

I was on the verge of calling it quits, when — all of a sudden — three of the llamas began making their way toward me. It was as though — after much deliberation on their part — a consensus had been reached among the “head honchos,” and they had finally decided that I was “safe.” So here they came!

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Lessons from a Llama

April 29, 2009 · By Deb Phillips – The Photo Gal 
A llama in Lewisville, North Carolina (Forsyth County) appears to bask in the light of a brilliant sunset. Deb Phillips, photographer.

A llama in Lewisville, North Carolina appears to bask in the light of a brilliant sunset.

Stunning Discovery

I might never have shown you this photo had it not been for a conference I recently attended called “Shame Off You.” The conference, held at Reynolda Church in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, addressed the symptoms of and the path toward freedom from the effects of shame.

Led by Senior Pastor Alan D. Wright, the conference was based on Pastor Wright’s book, Shame Off You. One of the “quizzes” we conference attendees took contained 24 statements that we were to mark as either “true” or “false.”

Once everyone had completed the questionnaire, Pastor Wright informed us that all of the statements were “false.” I was stunned because I had marked 20 of the 24 statements as “true.” Simply stated, those 20 statements represented false assumptions that I’ve built my life upon. One of those assumptions is:

“Perfect is always better than good.”

I’m slowly realizing that if I continue to measure my work, my goals, my relationships, and even myself against a self-constructed model of perfection, I’ll miss out on the “good” opportunities that will come my way. While I accept this concept in theory, in reality, it’s not easy to implement.

This “perfection” issue surfaced again this week when I considered whether to share the above photo with you.

CLICK for more on perfectionism and lessons from a llama

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