Highland Games 4th year

Why did it have to be the HOTTEST day ever for the Highland games?

We made it to the opening ceremonies and I tell you, Mr. Zahn gives me goosebumps when he sings our National Anthem. The man can Sing!

Then we have the clan presentations. And no, I don't have a speck of Scot in me that I know of, darn it. Anyway...it was adorable that this little tyke with his dad tried to keep up with the rest of the drummers. He had his own little drum and he had his own beat. Such a cutie.

Oh yeah, this guy with the rather rough attire. Get this, and I think it's going to crush the fantasies of every romance reader who imagines brawny Scotsmen in kilts and sporrans.

What this guy is wearing is ACTUAL high linen fashion from the Highlanders. A Plaid is actually - and there is a Gaelic word for it that I obviously can't possibly know - a BLANKET - Plaid does NOT refer to a pattern of a clan. Neither is a Kilt, those cute little manly skirts. He told me kilt means "pleated" so a Plaid Kilt or Kilted Plaid is basically a Pleated Blanket! No romance in that! And while discussing weapons of the period, only the broadsword and what he's holding, a battle hammer/axe is authentic. There is this one that would be used for the foot soldiers and a shorter one for those on horseback.

And while discussing weaponry, a Scott in full regalia - modern version, tee hee, stepped up and they started tearing apart the movie, Braveheart. ROTGL- ground laughing since I was outside. lol - anyway, another guy showed up with baseball cap and shades so I was surrounded by all these guys in different dress debating history versus Hollywood. Braveheart was 10% history and 90% Hollywood fiction. Even the face paint that Mel Gibson used hadn't been used in hundreds of years- going back to the Picts. The only things that were consistent with history were the fight scenes and the depiction of the king. Wow. It was a lot of fun being in the middle of that. I learned so much more but how long do you want this post to be? ::snicker::

Anyway, the last picture here is the caber toss... did I at least spell that right this year? I couldn't get close pictures like usual because silly and scatterbrained me forgot my camera!! I forgot to unpack it from vacation so I had to rush to CVS to get a one time use camera. At least I got some but sheesh! I was so disappointed in myself. So, that's my current fun. Hope you are having fun this summer too!

Highland Hijinks

My very first Scottish Highland Games and Festival was today.



Oh Wow! So much to see and listen to. Too many choices to choose from to eat and buy doodads and swords and music and charms and yet ... not enough.


Lines for the food were ridiculously long and I missed trying haggis! I am SO crushed. By the time we got back around, they'd sold out! *pouts*

I missed the bagpipe parade **double pout** because my youngin's wanted airbrushed tattoos! With three boards of 58 items to choose from, you can imagine the chaos; "This one! No , wait, That one!" Then the artist made the mistake of , "Which color do you want?".

*sigh*

I did get a chance to try British Fish N' Chips and if I'm not mistaken, they are never eaten with Tartar Sauce like we know it, but a Malted Vineger. If so, YUM! In fact, I think I prefer eating them with the malt from now on! What tickled my funny bone was this other lady, going up and down the table going,

"Where's the tartar sauce? Don't they have tartar sauce? HOW can I eat this without tartar sauce?"

I'm internally rollin' - it says in BIG letters, Authentic British Fish N' Chips. That means you eat it differently, their way. I'm all for trying something new, aren't you?

Unfortunately, I don't have a variety of pictures. The dance contests were too far for me to get a good shot although I took a video with my camera just to get the hauntingly beautiful bagpipe tune of Merry's Wedding. I adore that song. I wish I could upload the music here. *sigh*

I was totally enamored of the caper or log throwing contest. YUMMY and Amazing!


The white haired guy is a local man who is 61 years old!!!





There he was, surrounded by all these 20+ young bucks and he held his own.

The comeraderie was wonderful to see and hear. What a great athletic community they are!

I was spellbound by the process. Bending down so low, balancing the caper between their shoulder and neck only to lift it from such a precarious position ...










Then to lift, balance the tilt, run forward and HEAVE it forward and up. What power, strength and short-shot endurance!

Absolutely incredible. I downloaded these pictures at full size, so if you click on them you'll get greater detail.
Enjoy!



This mommy cow and her calf were so adorable that I had to share this. The calf is only TWO WEEKS OLD!

When we arrived, mother cow was nuzzling and sweetly licking her little calf. I managed to get a shot in before she became distracted by someone.

The calf's fur was soft looking and gently curled making it seem like a pleasure to touch. But - there was no touching. LOL
The ironic part about the BIG sign that advertised Scottish Animals is that what you see here is what you got. I was like, " What?! No Sheep???"
Nope.
Just this beautiful bovine and her young charge. There was another stall with a different kind of cow and it entertained my youngest by doing what cows do: producing rather large cow chips. All I can do is shake my head. There's no telling what will entertain a child, and watching a cow poop isn't on my list.

*grin*

They've already set the date for next year and I'm all fired up. I'll be going and next time, I'll have the haggis and the parade and I will get the tattoos. :-)

P.S. Can anyone tell me how the point system works with caper tossing?