Kilts now? What's next ??!!!!

                                                            Life has always taken strange and meandering paths for me. As a creature of intense curiosity, I tend to start up a passion and give in to it, jumping off the cliff with full intention of learning everything I can. This has never changed nor will it. And to be truthful, I'm glad that is so. Better to be a "James of all trades and a master of none". This year had me starting back on shakuhachi, changing gears to bagpipes and whistles (which are still on my list of instruments to learn- I'm currently practicing when I get the time) and in between work, life and running, I study new words in Welsh or Scottish Gaelic. Preferably Welsh.

                                                            While I'm of Scottish/Welsh/English and Swiss ancestry. I'm enamored most by the Scots/Welsh bits. Dragons have always fascinated me and how grand to have one as the symbol of my heritage!! To show my pride in this family line I have two tattoos on my calves that show such:

            

                                                          The dragon is slightly different from the Welsh flag and the Scottish thistle design from a European designer. They go with me everywhere and I love showing them off when I run or wear shorts!! And getting to know some Welsh makes me feel even closer to my ancestors. This is not a difficult language but one that, like all languages, takes dedication and time to learn. Languages come naturally to me but as I age this is not working as well as it used to in my younger days. Time gets away from me and I don't get in the lessons I should. So I take it day by day, listening to Welsh podcasts and music as well as news. Now to find someone to practice with and write to, maybe email!! Facebook is always a great source for this as well.



                                                                Speaking of showing off the tattoos: I have a new love that relates to my Scottish and Celtic heritage. The kilt has always been a wonder to me. Since I was a young lad in Spokane where I attended high school at Shadle Park where our mascot was/is a Highlander! How ironic is this! My ancestors of the Ross clan from the Highlands and of all the schools I go to we have said mascot. I saw my share of kilts and sporrans as well as listened to bagpipes daily for four years. I only tried on a kilt once then. That was the very early 80's and to wear a kilt in public was done only for ceremony or if part of a pipe band or Burns night. But times have changed. Fortunately.
       

   
                                                                   Fast forward to 1985 when we moved from Spokane to Portland. Now this city knows how to do things! The motto of "Keep Portland weird" is funny yet not altogether wrong. And who is to say it is all weird? Whatever the reasons, wearing a kilt in Portland as everyday attire is not a problem. In fact, wearing one in many American cities is much more common than ever due to less expensive fabrics and lower costs. I won't go into the history and reasons surrounding the kilt and it's lore as the internet is rife with pages about that. But I have decided to buy my first kilt and actually RUN in the thing this weekend!! That's right. RUN in it. The kilt is designed for sports and running. Made from lighter fabric than traditional kilts, it also costs a LOT less. Here is the tartan that my kilt will be made of. No Ross tartan so I went with a universal "Hunting" tartan as it looks good and matches with many colours here.

                                                                    Kilts are addicting. Today I tried on a wool traditional kilt at the Scottish Country Store in Portland to get an idea as to what a kilt would feel like when I order my more expensive Ross kilt. Delightful! I was so over joyed I ordered it today!! So in 8-10 weeks I shall have a second and more formal kilt. Oh my. I need to stop!! Here is a shot of me in the sample kilt at the Scottish Store. The tartan is actually Mackenzie but that is all they had in my size. Fits like a dream!!!

                                             

                                                  The Ross Hunting Muted tartan of my own clan has to be special ordered and it takes a minimum of 8-10 weeks to make. That tartan is this wonderful green blend that is going to make a truly spectacular kilt!!!

                                                             So...that is where life stands right now. I'm practicing my instruments, studying Welsh, buying kilts and changing my wardrobe a bit. All in between work and running. Life is great!!!! Next post I hope to have pics of me in the running kilt and report how the race went. Until then, go check out the following kilt sights if interested in giving one a shot.



http://sportkilt.com
http://www.heritageofscotland.com
http://buyakilt.com
http://www.usakilts.com
http://www.stillwaterkilts.com


Thanks for putting up with all thew twists and turns in my life. Those who came here initially due to my flute journey are probably shaking their heads. Oh well.Sorry about that. But is this ride ever a blast!!!

Peace!!

Books have arrived!!!

 Finally, the bagpipe book has arrived from a music shoppe in Scotland!! Oban to be exact. Now that I have the essential materials for proper practice and study, I can get started. Getting the fingering down on the chanter will be my first goal and then I can move on from there. The scale is not difficult but I seem to get stuck on the downscale as one needs to lift more than a single or second finger.
This is where the practice comes in. Unfortunately my schedule has made it tougher to even do that.
Ugh!!! Time to make some decisions on where to trim the time and make it happen.

  Add the desire to learn the irish tin whistle and things become muddled. Where do I start?
I need to make a choice of which to concentrate in and so I lean towards the pipes alone. That is what I shall do. With the book and my chanter I hope to be decent enough to attend a few sessions with the River City pipe band and learn some things. the major of that group has emailed me that it would be great to see me there on Wednesday nights. A tough night to go but i shall try!!!

  Not much a blog entry this time and way overdue. I waited for the book a long time and now that I have it there is no reason to be so bad about the blog entries. Here is hoping for a better record of that in the future!