Hot Dogs for Dinner: The Highland Games

Thursday morning we headed west for a weekend in the mountains. We're lucky that my parents have an extra RV that needs to be used so we packed up the camper and met my parents and their {our} friends at the campground.

Unfortunately what was supposed to be a 4 hour drive, turned into a 6+ hour drive. 45 minutes into our trip the rear tire blew on the camper. After a 45 minute delay, Matt and our new motorist assistance friend had the camper back on all fours. But it wasn't that easy. We had to stop to replace the spare and replace another tire that wouldn't have made it; tack on another hour to find the specific tires and the time spent replacing them. I'm not done yet though, about 25 miles later we had to stop again and buy a trailer aid ... you know in case we happen to blow a tire (uh, a little late but we'll have it next time).

The kids didn't seem to mind one bit though!

Meet Maggie. Maggie is my cousin from WA state. In high school and college I spent many summers with her and her four siblings. I was thrilled to find out that she was visiting friends 10 minutes from our campground and was heading back to WA the next day. Lucky me!! Can I just tell you...out of the five of them the only one not taller than me is Ellie, the baby (she's 12). When I say taller...I'm not talking an inch or two either (Mags was trying not to tower over me!).

You can't go to The Highland Games and not wear a kilt. Matt's kilt is the Law Enforcement tartan and mine is my family plaid.

I'll assume most of you have never been to THG before. Let me explain in really simple terms....lots of kilt wearing, lots of bagpipes playing for hours upon hours, so much bagpiping going on that you continue to hear the drown of the pipes two days later, lots of Scotch, lots of Scotish Clans, lots of super awesome games and competitions (Highland dancing, Sheep Herding, drumming, a Marathon, a 67 mile bike race, a 5k, Hammer Throw, Weight Toss, Track and Field, Turning the Caber (tossing a telephone pole basically, Scottish Wresting, and much much more).

Matt and Garrett decided to do the Scottish Wrestling...they ended up being paired against each other in the first round.

I have video of the matches but for the life of me I can't figure out how to dl it from the camera...it keeps dl'ing as a picture. So annoying.

Did I mention there was a lot of kilt wearing?

Poppy Joe, my Dad, in the above two pictures

Lets talk Caedmon and Savannah...they were perfectly happy at the Clan tent eating food, playing in the pea gravel, visiting the Children's Tent, rock climbing, racing up and down the field...

Funny story... Saturday morning Matt & Garrett were asked to be a part of Clan MacLellan's team for the big Clan vs. Clan Tug O War game Sunday. Later the same day we found out that my family clan had an alliance with the MacKenzie Clan for Tug O War. The next day Matt and Garrett broke the news to the MacLellan Clan that they did not want to go against the family alliance. Tug O War time rolled around and Clan MacKenzie Alliance wanted only the biggest of the big men on their team. You'll see from the pictures, that we're talking 300lb men...almost twice Matt and Garrett's size. So M&G went back to Clan McLellan to see if they still needed players. Sure enough...Game on! (again I have videos but I can't download the stupid things)

The only rules...must wear a kilt and no shirt.