Built for a Kilt

We just came home from three days of Highland Games at Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina! On the field, cabers were tossed and hammers were thrown. Sheep were herded, dancers danced, and there was even a marathon. Then there was the parade which required us all to wear matchy-matchy hats, and which lends new meaning to the matchy.

The Maya Wrap Ring Sling was my best friend and got many oohs and ahhs. Equally wonderful for carrying Suzi in the parade, or...

Breastfeeding so no one will notice!

This is the face of a good sport.

But off the field we discovered an edginess we didn't know existed in Scottish festivals. After seeing lots of guys going casual by pairing their kilts with t-shirts, Jordan decided he wanted to do the same. We bought him this one so everyone will know he is "built for a kilt!" (He is, too. His legs were the first thing I noticed when we met! Well. Besides his personality.)

We headed down to Grove #2 to hear Coyote Run and ended up discovering Barleyjuice and Mother Grove, bands in a genre nicknamed "kilt rock." They play bagpipes and fiddles as well as electric guitars and drums. We left with three CD's and a Mother Grove tank top (for me). If you still doubt kilts can be edgy, watch this. At the end of Barleyjuice's set Saturday, the fans started shouting "potatoes, POTATOES!" Potatoes? Listen to a sample of what they wanted here. I am loving my Barleyjuice CD, which features other gems such as "What's Up Yours?" and "Whiskey in the Jar," but unfortunately not my favorite, a love song entitled "Tartan is the Color of My True Love's Hair." They have graciously made it possible to download just one song for 99 cents, so I did.

Mother Grove performed in the Grove Saturday. It was hard to get a clear picture of the fiddler because she was all over the place dancing! She played that fiddle like it was an electric guitar.

Above is a tiny fraction of the crowd at the Celtic Jam Saturday night. They were probably out there until midnight but we left at 10:00 because Suzi was ready to go. To the left of the stage was a mob of dancing fans--dancing well, dancing poorly, dancing any way they could.

This whole thing began with my dad doing a little research. Then buying a hat. A kilt. A piece of tartan for my mom. I got in on it and began dressing Jordan up. Now Jordy is saying he wants a pair of boots to go with his kilt (so of course I want some too). The boots look sexy and make a good place to stick your sgain dubh if knee socks aren't your thing. I am also hoping to get a mini-kilt in our tartan, maybe for Christmas. I love my long dress and skirt, but a mini-kilt would be a nice change during a three-day festival!