A QUICK TRIP TO SCOTLAND
Well, not really – but, I did travel to a small town just north of San Diego called Vista for the annual San Diego Scottish Highland Games and Gathering. What a beautiful day for a kilt!
The opening ceremonies began with the customary “Presentation of the Clans” led by this Scottish color guard
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Hundreds of Scottish bagpipers followed the color guard.
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Happy to pose for my picture, this gentleman led everyone into the arena
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Music was a key part of the celebration. This Scottish band was quite good – especially the piper.
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It was hard not to grab a partner and join the fun – but unlike these folks, I resisted that urge.
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Perhaps the impromptu dancing was really just a warm-up for the official dance competition.
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Let the games begin! The object of this competition: find a large rock and throw it. Just kidding. This is actually called “the stone put” and is similar to the shot put in the olympic games.
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The object of this competition: find a heavy weight and throw it. Now, stop that! Seriously, this event is called “weight over the bar” or “weight for height” where the athlete attempts to toss a 56 pound weight over a horizontal bar using only one hand. WOW!
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Face painting is always a popular tradition. I can never pass up the opportunity to photograph a beautiful butterfly. This one is remarkable!
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This band was called the Wicked Tinkers. Can you imagine practicing this horn in your room – you’d be sitting on your bed, and the end of the horn would be in the kitchen!
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Let the games continue! the object of this game: find a long pole and throw it.
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Seriously, the caber toss (this series of photos) is likely the most popular of the Scottish games. The caber is typically 19′ – 6″ long and weighs 175 pounds.
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The object is to throw the caber in a way that will position the “top” end nearest to the thrower, with the “bottom” end pointing away from the thrower in the twelve o’clock position. Highest scores are achieved when the caber comes to rest closest to the 12:00 position.
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It was indeed a wonderful day where I learned a whole new appreciation for the Scottish culture – it’s really amazing!
Thanks for coming along. See you next time!
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Photographyfree4all's Blog 
Very nice. Great pictures–and must have been a treat to hear all those pipes.
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A QUICK TRIP TO SCOTLAND…
I found your entry interesting so I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog :)…
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Personal Care 101 said this on June 29, 2010 at 8:49 pm
You must have had a great day!! I love the pictures and you made me smile a lot with your comments!
Have a great day!!
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Great photos! That caber toss looks tough. (Pity that the guy who wins get to hear “he’s a real tosser!”)
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Thanks for the visit – Love the Scottish pics. Didn’t realize Scotland was so popular all the way over there!
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