The Scottish Games

On Sunday, DH and I attended the Virginia Scottish Games. We had a fabulous time! The weather was perfect! This year, the games were held at Great Meadows. While I enjoyed the rolling hills of Sky Meadows Park where the festival was held the past two years, I think this location is better suited for the festival. There are some nice views and this location has a nice flat area that's perfect for the athletic competitions.










There were a number of British and antique cars on display.













There were some real Mini Coopers - not the left-hand drive models that we have here in the States. We chatted for quite a while with the young man that had restored this beauty!

























I love all the sports cars - think "James Bond"...or perhaps, think of some of the classic British films. Just let your imagination wander. (I would secretly LOVE to drive a Morgan about town!)











There was even an AC Cobra here. It's not a British car, but the body was purchased from an English company. I guess that's why it was in the show.



Of course, there's always someone having a bit of fun at these shows. The owner of this car had placed Mickey Mouse in the driver's seat!




This 1964 Morgan was hand built on a wooden frame. Yes, I said wooden- isn't it amazing? I had no idea that wooden frames were used! The body of this car is aluminum. I found this car to be the most fascinating because of it's construction. Unfortunately, the owner wasn't nearby, so I wasn't able to get any more details about this beauty.


Once again, my favorite car was the Police Car....it makes me wax nostalgic as I imagine the "Silent Movie Era". Humorous images of the "Keystone Cops" pop into my mind every time I see an antique Police Car.


The competitions were great. All of the athletes were amazing - whether tossing the weight, the stone, or flipping the caber end-over-end in the caber toss. It makes my muscles ache just watching them! I tried to take some video of the events, but the distance was too great - as a result, the videos were of very poor quality.
It should be noted that the only competitor to flip the caber this time has a PhD in Chemistry and is a Chemistry professor by trade. Proof positive that brains and brawn can coexist!

In addition to the car show and the sporting events, we enjoyed the traditional foods and beverages. We had some Guinness Stout as well as some Smithwick's Irish Ale with our Bridies and Meat Pies. I'm partial to the Bridies, whereas DH is partial to the Meat Pies. I declined the Haggas this year - the first and only time I had it, it was quite tasty. However, most tell me that it can vary greatly from vendor to vendor and it's not always a pleasant variation. I wasn't up to "risking it" - I have fond memories of Haggas, and I'd like to keep it that way!


There were booths for all the clans and for the various historical societies. There was even a dancing tent where you could learn some of the traditional highland dances.




This event is very dog friendly. There were so many cute dogs of various breeds wandering about - and not all of them were traditional Scottish breeds either. There were Shepherds, Burmese Mountain Dogs, mixed breeds, Great Danes, Greyhounds, Shelties, Scotties,....you name it, they were represented. The honorary "Scot" on the left in this photo was my favorite - fully decked out for the day!


The music - Celtic as well as the marching bagpipers - seemed to follow us wherever we wandered. Happy sounds and beautiful weather surrounded us the entire day. Everyone, young and old, had a great time. What an enjoyable way to spend the holiday weekend!