Scot for a day

This weekend Carol, Ian, his friend Dan and I found ourselves at the 34th New Hampshire Highland Games held at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH. Actually we planned it that way. We've attended this event a couple of times before, been about three or fours since the last time. Something magical about being surrounded by bagpipes, scones, weaponry, haggis and people in kilts. Beautiful sunny day with a strong wind blowing made quite a challenge for vendors in their awning covered booths.

We arrived about 9:30 to claim a level spot to set our folding chairs on the Loon Mountain ski slope overlooking the athletic field. This becomes our base station for the day as the chairs save our place while we wander about the ground as a place to return to to eat rest and what the highland games competition take place.

View of the athletic field with the lodge behind it.

These two pictures show the crowd that is drawn to see the caber toss among other events.

Folks lining up to enjoy such Scottish staples as bangers, meat pies, haggis and thumps just to mention a few.

Pipe and drum band warming up for their performance.

I participated in a whiskey tasting, go figure. Carol had to order my ticket to this in July as all four sessions sell out quickly and no tickets are available for walk-ins during the weekend of the games. This year had a representative for Ardmore and Laphroaig whiskeys. Master Ambassador Simon Brooking lead a very informative and entertaining presentation which gave us the background history of Scottish single malt whiskey and in particular the brands we tasted. I took a liking to the Laphroaig Quarter Cask that I hope to purchase in the near future.

Dan and Ian listen as Carol shares some information from the Highland Games Program. Ian was sporting the Maine Tartan kilt that Carol had made for him earlier this year.

Happy Birthday Mom

Hi Mom,

Hope you had another great time in Bangor with Kathy and Jay and hit a few jackpots.

Here's my mother with baby Ian about 21 years ago. Fun looking through some photo albums for a picture to use on this blog.

Labor Day Weekend Wrap Up

Saturday evening we made it over to John and Linda's and after a visit at their neighbors, Lester and Inga's, John steamed up a large pail of lobsters, added in some clams and finished the job by throwing in some corn on the cob. Sad to say I was more concerned with digging in to eat that again I forgot to take a picture of the plateful I began with. Now I've never been much of a lobster eater but I worked my way through two of them and at the behest of John I ate a third. I'm getting pretty good at cracking them open, my mother would be proud of me after all these years. I'd never touch a lobster when I was a kid. As a matter of fact I wish we had brought her along as she loves this stuff. Inga made a blueberry pie with a crumble crust though as a vivid tennis fan once it was dessert time she was drawn away to the TV to see the Andy Roddick match at the US Open.

Jim taking care of business with his lobster, Inga across from him enjoying her lobster.

The next morning, Sunday, Lois, Carol and I took our bikes to the Carriage Roads at Acadia National Park. A lot of different routes to choose from around the hills, small mountains, ponds and lakes of the Park. We rode for over three hours and ate our lunch on the shore of one of the ponds.

The intrepid cycling sisters.

One of the many views we passed by.

The Carriage Roads actually have some carriages on them.

Here we passed a Blue Heron going about the business of acquiring it's lunch.

Modeling a classic dome helmet. When it comes to setting trends I'm all over it!


This is a view from along Route 108 in the village of Somesville.

After a bit of a break back at the campsite we prepared for a potluck picnic/cookout with John and Linda, John's sister Nancy and her husband Sherman at a community park overlooking Seal Cove where we ate a lot again. The old diet took a hit this weekend. Linda made a large batch of crabmeat salad, John cooked up burgers he brought. Lois had shrimp and the some brats that Carol and I had. Nancy provided another variation of blueberry pie that was equally as delicious as the one Inga had made the night before.

Here's the group viewed from the rocky shore of Seal Cove.



Views of Seal Cove:

After the sunset on the cove we called it a night and returned to the campground.

We had egg and bacon sandwiches for breakfast with Lois and Jim then packed up and headed home. The weekend went by in a blur, great weather and fun things to do in a short two full days there. It never is boring being at Mt Desert Island.

Once home and unpacked I picked up Patches and E'owyn from the kennel - they were real happy to be back in the comforts of home.

Weekend on the island

Mt Desert Island, Maine. We make it here every couple of years or so. About a three hour drive which works out well for a three day weekend. This time we are staying at Smuggler's Den Campground in Southwest Harbor. Lois and Jim are here too, two campsites over form us. Today they met up with Lois and Carol's 2nd cousin John who is a lobsterman as he left at 5am this morning to visit his lobstertraps and bring in what was there. Carol and I got up at a more reasonable hour and after breakfast made our way to Bar Harbor to make like tourists wandering alone the shops, through a crafts fair and the shore trail. Tonight we'll be going over to John's and his wife Linda's place for lobster and to visit with them for the evening.

21 is a Winner!

And I'm not talking blackjack - Happy Birthday Ian! The twenty-first birthday is one of the final age milestones of official adulthood - for the last five years or so I've thought of Ian as much of an adult as most I know. Keep marching forward my Bud, you've many goals on your mind and I'm sure you'll reach them all.