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MORE ABOUT MICHAEL AND MARION
Hippie is a term originally used to describe some of the rebellious youth of the 1960's and 1970's. Actually, Hippies or Flower Children as they were sometimes called, embraced the concept of getting back to the land by organic farming, using alternative energy, having a clean environment, being involved in cooperative business enterprises and of course, peace and love. This is the era that molded Michael and Marion's beliefs and lifestyle. It was during this generation that Michael and Marion met, fell in love, and married.
When the two met, there was an instant attraction and their feelings grew as they discovered they shared an interest in the arts, a sense of peace they got from the ocean, enjoyment for the outdoors and a deep love of animals. Although they were still in their teens, the couple wed in 1971. Later that year, their son Jason was born, a beautiful blond haired, brown eyed, freckled face, healthy boy. Jason was raised to love the sea, the environment, and animals. A menagerie of dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, geese, and rabbits filled their home and lives.
Michael, being an avid fly fisherman and water-fowler, has trained hunting dogs most of his life. He loves the competition in the field and at shows. One of his dogs was the first female Chesapeake Bay Retriever to achieve Master Hunter status. Quite an honor for a young man and his Chessy. While nothing got past her when she was hunting, sadly, time slipped past her and Michael's beloved Chessy passed away. She was buried on the farm under the shade of an old cherry tree. Not long after, Cooper came into their lives, a wirehair-pointing Griffon, which is a versatile gun dog. He is a ball of energy and cute as a button!
Marion has dabbled in the arts most of her life and has won a few awards along the way. She still insists that Michael is the more talented of the two. Decorative painting, quilting and gardening have been her main focus but since the alpacas came into their lives, photography and graphic arts have been added. All the photos that you see on the web site were taken by Marion and it's pretty common to see her out in the pasture, in any type of weather trying to get that "great shot" of her beloved alpacas.
Michael's profession has been in Architectural Iron and Marion has been in the customer service or support field for the majority of their careers. Since the alpacas came into their lives, they continue to work their full time jobs but now they share the daily chores associated with the animals as well. The animals have become their number one priority. To keep the animals safe and comfortable on the farm, Michael has become "Mister Fix-it". If it's broken, he'll fix it. If it needs to be built, he'll build it. Because of the alpacas, they had to build a new home and found a wonderful builder who created a unique 18th century designed home for them. They took on the task of all the prep work and painting, both inside and out. With all they had to do, needless to say, it's taken a few years but it turned out beautifully. They are quite proud of their accomplishments.
The constant thread throughout Michael and Marion's lives has been a strong love for animals. Was it Karma that these two old Hippies made a lifestyle change to include the enchanting alpacas to take them into their golden years? What do you think!
By the way, Michael, along with half a million others, attended the greatest music festival of all time, Woodstock in 1969 and it was awesome!
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