Northeast Florida Scottish Highland Games & Festival

WARNING: Photo/video intensive blog

MacNicol	MacQuarrie

If you've followed me for any length of time, you know attending Scottish Games has been on my bucket list for quite some time. We originally planned to attend the games in Maryville, TN last spring but didn't make it. So when I saw two of my favorite Celtic Rock bands were going to be at the Northeast Florida Scottish Highland Games & Festival in Green Cove Springs, FL...well, I cheered. About 90 minutes away from us and admission of only $12. It was a done deal!

Waiting in line to get in...


I have to say it exceeded our expectations. Turns out we shouldn't have been surprised. This was the 24th year of the festival and they have everything dialed in. Not too hot a day, good attendance but not so crowded you couldn't enjoy everything, and something for all ages. Heck, I didn't even make it to the far side where the held several competitions in addition to many activities (including a petting zoo) for the kids.

We watched novices throw battle axes, then on to the caber toss and sheaf toss (something new to us). There were many more games on the field and everyone was having a great time.









While there were kilts everywhere (made my heart proud), there were a few more unusual outfits as well...










I browsed through some of the vendor displays while Stu and his old work buddy, Bill, continued watching the competitions. Kilts, shirts, hats, jewelry, costumes, pottery, paintings, photographs and so much more!










There was even something for those of us with a wee bit 'o Irish blood...


The duo caught up to me and while Stu paid for a shirt I found for him, Bill and I watched the opening ceremonies. Fantastic!



When the ceremony was over, we headed out to find the MacNicol booth. We found it and spent some time chatting with the knowledgeable folks manning the table. And yes, Stu was finally convinced to join the MacNicol Society (once home I joined the MacQuarrie Society, much smaller group).









As we headed over to the beer tent, we ran across the re-enactors area.




The beer tent was well organized, we showed ID and got bands so we could purchase beer. No one was allowed to leave the tent with their beer - smart move! We stood at a table and chatted while looking over the heavy event field which was still full of activity. We saw the MacNicol folks enjoying as well...




An hour of standing and chatting with friends, I wandered off to see more of the vendor items. Along the way I stopped into several of the exhibit halls where I got to watch Scottish dancers, listen to fiddles and lots more.








Just before 3pm, I heard the announcement that Albannach would be on stage at three and I hurried to find a spot. Wanted to get some video, I ended up plopping myself down in the dirt - front row to the stage (well, except for the concrete sidewalk area where people were dancing off & on). It was well worth the pain when I got up an hour later. LOL!

There are a bunch more short videos in our SmugMug Album...






I visited more of the exhibit halls and since it had gotten much hotter, rested for a bit in the one with all the dogs (Scottish Terriers, Golden Retrievers, Gordon Setters, Border Collies and more). That's where Stu and Bill caught up with me again.







This little guy loved riding in his remote controlled setup...


We sat and chatted until around 5pm when we noticed things were closing up. Bill headed home and we headed to get food. All but one of the food vendors had packed up so we "settled" for the fish and chips. The fish was perfect! Stu opted for an ice cream afterward, I had already indulged when I had left the boys at the vendor tent.

The bands were scheduled to start at 6pm and we opted for the bleachers. (Next year we will bring bag chairs, after three hours our backs and butts were killing us!) There were four bands featured, the first two we hadn't heard of but Albannach and Seven Nations were the ones I really wanted to see.

I had followed Seven Nations since discovering them back in 2002 while living in  St Petersburg, Florida. My late husband and I planned to attend the highland games that were being held in the area so I could see them. He ended up being too ill to attend, so that went on the back burner. I fell in love with Albannach and their heavy percussion sound when I watched a video shared on Facebook.

The first band turned out to be talented but more heavy rock than Celtic, at least the songs they played. They were Tuatha Dea and are billed on their website as "Pure Appalachian Gypsy Rock".

They did a neat percussion set seen here...


The second group was Syr (pronounced Sire). Well, they were amazing and are now on our favorite Celtic rock group list. There are a bunch of short videos in our SmugMug Album...





Seven Nations was next and for some reason, they appeared to be having some sound issues. It was hard to hear the lead vocalist, who gives the group their unique sound, over the drums and fiddle. But I enjoyed them anyway.





Albannach closed the set and once again, rocked the house!





We had so much fun, we now plan on coming back to this area next year and attending the games again!

[There are more photos and videos in our SmugMug Album...]

Ciao for now!

Welcome to October....

Well, the month came in with a roar and we are still reeling a bit. We have had family in town from Colorado for the funeral of our grandson. They've been able to see some of their extended family while here and head back early (REALLY early) on Tuesday.

I thought I'd share a few snaps for this first week of October...

I bought this great pair of leggings from a local gal - bit warmer than my regular ones but now I'm ready for Halloween.

I got my skull mug from Amazon and I love it...heavy and huge at 30 oz. Perfect for my Skinny Pirates (Diet Coke and Captain Morgan)

In preparation for family arriving, we did some last minute clean-up and de-winterized the RV. We discovered the kitchen faucet had a leak that Stu wasn't able to fix. At ten years old with eight years of almost constant use, we opted to buy a new one. We found this at Lowe's and absolutely love it. Instead of the side sink sprayer that we rarely used, this one has a pull down nozzle and came with a side dispenser for detergent, hand wash or lotion (your choice).

At the same time, we finally ordered two narrow end tables from Amazon for either side of the loveseat in the RV. We liked the extra features in this one, USB plug-ins as well as a slide-out shelf for cups and storage below.

We've had some nice weather where we could sit on the deck in the late afternoon/early evening. Few bug bites, but worth it. The NUB? That's a Bluetooth speaker connected to our Amazon Echo in the house letting me listen to my tunes outside.

The #2doods are definitely enjoying the cooler weather, whether in the yard or on the deck.

The hummingbirds are still active, just not quite as active as the yellow jackets. Both are getting read for winter.

We got out for a nice motorcycle ride a couple of times...low 80's made for perfect riding temps.

Saturday we went to the Muddy Pond Volunteer Fire Department annual BBQ. Delicious and well run. I opted for just the sandwich plate (no bun), Stu opted for the Adult plate (no bun) and we both skipped the included dessert.

And last but not least, sometimes an accidental photo (snapped as I was putting my phone into my purse) turns out okay!

Ciao for now!

Busy, busy!

If you think we've been busy lately, we're about to get busier! While Stu is currently busy continuing to work on the French drain for the pasture behind the Backend of Nowhere Garage, I'm struggling to get my three former Kindle World books ready to republish.

At the same time, I/we are prepping for a week-long visit from Olivia & Jesse, our two Delaware grand-girls. Their parents are going to Maine to help out a friend and the girls asked if they could come see us. So, they are!

The biggest challenge is food - with our current way of eating (low carb), we need to go shopping for them. Milk, yogurt, cereal, bread, buns, strawberries, blueberries, apples, bananas and yes, snacks, are all on the list. All no-no's for us.

We plan to make a day trip to Dollywood while they are here as well as see a movie or two. Other than that, they will be kind of left to their own devices. Good thing Stu is great at entertaining them (LOL).

We are also working on future plans. Stu got a phone call from his older brother, Scott, who has been widowed for several years now. He's getting married! We're so happy for him. The wedding is the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we will spend an additional couple of days in the area before heading back home.

Before that trip, we need to get the RV ready to head south, hopefully heading to our winter campground for this year (southern Georgia) by the middle of November. It will add a day to our drive north for the wedding as well coming back, but it eliminates rushing to get the rig moved immediately after driving back from the wedding.

We have to be in Florida on December 8th to pick up our youngest grand-girl, Waverly, for her Disney trip. Because her parents are taking her to Disney for her first trip in October, we will be taking her on a four day Disney Cruise.

The #2Doods will be trying out a new boarding/doggy day care place in Georgia - we will squeeze in a meet and greet day before we commit.

Okay, time to get back to my C'Mon Inn mystery rewrites. Hoping to get them published by Monday. Woot!!

Ciao for now!