ScotsFest 2011...

We experienced our first Scottish Festival this past weekend, held in our own back yard at the Orange County Fairgrounds. This young piper, framed against the fairgrounds bright red barn, was our first visual taste of the event. We spent lots of time wondering among the vendors with wonderful Celtic articles for sale. (Margaret was able to order a scarf in the MacKay Ancient Tartan, which should arrive soon.) And, we strolled through the aisles of informational booths presented by the clans in attendance at this year's Fest. Sadly, Clan Mackay was absent. We enjoyed traditional Meat and Mushroom pies for lunch, and laughed when we saw that Haggis was sold out at the Scottish food stands quite early in the day. (Not that we wanted any!) The wonderful bagpipe music and the drumming was inescapable, as we walked through the staging areas for the many bands in attendance. We didn't see nearly as much of the dancing as we should have - something to plan for another time. Everyone was friendly - the performers and the attendees. It was a wonderful adventure and one that we plan to make an annual Memorial Day Weekend event.

The Opening Ceremonies...

Held inside the Fairgrounds Motorcycle Speedway, the Opening Ceremonies was an extremely moving event. Representatives from all of the participating Pipe and Drum Corps were brought on the field, lead first by the Color Guard, then in two groups lead by Drum Majors. The players marched in and performed together seamlessly. It was hauntingly beautiful.

A weekend of remembrance...

Throughout the Festival grounds there were reminders that it was Memorial Day weekend and the reason for the holiday. This vendor was accepting donations to be used for clothing and other personal supplies for active military who are wounded and taken out of the battlefield for medical care.

Everywhere you looked someone was practicing...

As we walked around the Festival, we saw many young people from the Pipe and Drum Corps practicing for the upcoming performances, sometimes in small groups and other times all alone. We were amazed at the number of Corps there are from our local area from high schools and colleges, and also surprised at the number of young women involved. We especially love the picture of the girl, not in any uniform, practicing the pipes, probably being trained by her own father, as the tradition is passed down from generation to generation.

The Athletes...

We didn't see much of the athletic events. (Sadly, we missed the Fest's record breaking attempt at tossing 30 cabers at once on Sunday!) But, we did see a few of the men competing in the Stone throwing and the Sheaf toss.

Interesting characters...

A warrior ready for battle perhaps? And, who would believe that Mary Queen of Scots would still look so good!

A very tall Scotsman...

When a guy this big insists that you get into the picture with him, you do what he says!

Little Sword Dancers...

Dance competition went on in this hall throughout both days. We were glad we caught this group of Twelve Year Old and Under Sword Dancers.

The California Tartan and Crest...

We had no idea that states have their own colors and crests! These are California's.

The sheep herding demonstrations...

The sheep herding demonstration was great fun to watch. We were both especially taken by the rescued Cardigan Corgi, who we learned from her own, lives to work sheep!

Classic Cars from the British Isles...

What else is there to say? Larry was indulging in a little innocent metal lust!

Seen around the fairgrounds...

Centennial Farm, a wonderful agricultural display at the Orange County Fairgrounds, is open year round. Here are a few pictures taken around the Farm. The giant ferris wheel is already in place, even though the fair won't be open for several more weeks.

Beautiful in its own way...

The bloom from one of the garlic plants that's been growing on our balcony since last fall. This plant was harvested way too early. The good news is that we've got several more heads still in the pot, hopefully growing bigger every day! Love the star-burst effect of this flower, which still seems fresh, even though its been at least a week since it was cut!

Happy finches...

The finches and the sparrows have been taking turns in our little make-shift birdbath just outside the kitchen window. This morning it was the finches' turn!

Soka University International Festival...

Another great find in our own back yard! Our first visit to Soka University, just south of us about fifteen miles, will most certainly not be our last. We had read about the International Festival a couple of months ago and have been looking forward to it. We've learned that the school runs an impressive concert series, including performances by well-known jazz artists. Now that we've found our way there, we most certainly will return!

Surrounding the amazing reflecting pools...

...were stalls filled with food, arts and crafts, clothing and jewelry, great kitchen accessories, and more. The reflecting pools in the heart of the campus really are beautiful, with infinity edges that make it appear as though people are walking on the water while crossing through the center. This festival is part of a year-long celebration of the arts throughout Orange County.
An on-line search when we got home later today gave us information on a number of other events that look very interesting. And, we learned about a local Irish Festival in June that we hope to be able to attend.

Music and dance...

Performances by groups of all ages were scheduled on two stages throughout the day. We were able to see and hear just a few of them.

Festive foods from around the world...

Silly us - we had made plans to meet a friend for lunch as soon as we left the festival, so snacking at any of the food stands throughout the festival grounds was out of the question. Too bad - these are just a few of the foods and beverages from around the world that we could have sampled.

Gorgeous surroundings...

The Soka campus and surrounding area is beautiful. How wonderful it would be to see sights like this out of your dorm window!

Vendors with hearts...

Truth be told, we did do a little shopping at the International Fest... And, we feel really good about three of our purchases! The handbag (a gift to Margaret from her loving hubby) was machine stitched by survivors of the Indonesian tsunami; a large percentage of the proceeds of each piece sold goes back into Indonesia to help in areas still rebuilding from this disaster. The note cards are copies of original works by teen-aged artists in Jinotega, Nicaragua, with ALL proceeds going back to the non-profit community center that nurtures and provides scholarships for these young people. Also, Larry bought a T-shirt from a Clean Water organization that is building fresh water wells in under developed countries and areas devastated by natural disasters. It was very refreshing to see so many humanitarian aid organizations represented!

A Boy With a New Toy...

Our old grill was truly on its last legs... When one of handles that lifts the lid has broken off completely (replacement part no longer available) and the other handle is barely holding on by a few screw threads, it's time to get a new grill! One of the joys of Southern California is that we can cook outside practically year round, and as soon as temperatures begin to rise, our grilling increases tremendously - so much better than heating up the kitchen with the oven! (Since our patio is plumbed with a natural gas hook-up, it doesn't get ANY easier!) After lots of shopping around, Larry found the unit he thought would work best for our small patio. He spent a good part of Friday afternoon putting the thing together, and then yesterday, he christened it with a couple of lovely, bone-in pork chops. Summer just must be right around the corner now!