Highland Games.....and So Much More

Late summer weekends in the open air speaking with others of Scottish/Celtic affinity and interest..... listening to pipe tunes and the clack of dancing shoes....playing a few tunes myself during quiet moments in my booth....and exposure first hand to brilliant Celtic bands such as Wicked Tinkers.....such a gift!!   It's a given I'd prefer to be in Scotland proper, but the ever-constricting rope of family responsibility that keeps me US-side loosed just enough to allow participation in Highland Games in Spokane, WA, Hamilton, MT and Kelso, WA.  Uplifting experiences, all!

Having turned away from the summer art show circuit after 9/ll, it's a bit surprising to find myself once again on the road a with a pickup full of gear and carefully wrapped paintings a decade later!  It was fun then, but it's absolute heaven now....getting to spend extended time discussing the specific things I love best, the landscape and culture of Scotland and the Celtic countries, and encouraging that interest in others.  Not to mention meeting fascinating people from all walks of life and levels of awareness...simply awesome! 

Late Summer Highland Games

Another page has turned on the calendar and my favourite time of year is upon us.  In an ideal world, I'd be spending waking hours exploring (personally) uncharted territory in Scotland.  Such as things are, participating in the Spokane Highland Games, Spokane, WA, and Bitterroot Valley ScottishIrishFestival , Hamilton, MT have been incredibly rewarding, uplifting experiences and excellent excuses to spend time outdoors and a welcome break from routine demands and labours.  I cannot thank the organizers of such events enough for all the time and energy they put in to bring these valuable celebrations of culture together!  Luckily, I will also have a vendor booth at the Kelso Highland Games in Kelso, WA this coming weekend, 11 and 12 Sept., so one more good chance to enjoy one of Scotland's great traditions, the Games, as Autumn advances.