Sometimes making a piece of art can lead you to an amazing adventure. Such is the case of doing a portrait of Albert, the resident camel at Rancho Grande in Ojai. If you do not know about this magicl ranch you must check it out on Facebook or online.
I stayed at the ranch and fell in love with every single animal there. However the star of the ranch is Albert the camel. He is absolutely a sweetheart and thinks he is a human. He swings by every morning, sticking his head in the door for apples and carrots. He sits with the goats and llamas, and hikes with the horses.
He would come into the cabin entirely excet for his hump!
I told Linda and Richard (owners,see below) that I wanted to do his portrait, and they agreed. Well it came out better than I ever thought and when Albert saw it he gave me a huge camel ( sloppy) kiss on my cheek and chewed my ear. What more could I ask for?

It was a unique experience and I am so grateful for this opportunity.
See below:
Rancho Grande is a family-owned, family-operated guest ranch in the mountains above Ojai. Richard and Linda Murad host the ranch with their children, Alex, Shelly and Jack. Richard is the former CEO of Murad Skincare and the owner of Beach City Baseball Academy, an El Segundo baseball school known for its competitive travel teams. Richard, Linda and Alex live full-time at Rancho Grande and welcome guests into the place they call home. Rancho Grande is also an animal sanctuary—a lifelong home for an extraordinary family of alpacas, goats, sheep, chickens, horses, parrots, pigs, dogs, cats, guinea pigs and Albert the camel. Many arrived after their former owners could no longer care for them. Here they live peacefully alongside the deer, birds and other wildlife of Los Padres National Forest. Our family funds their food, shelter and veterinary care and does not solicit donations.