If there is one thing we, as Rockwoods, are consistent with it is our fervent and undying love for Scottish games.

Ben and I have been attending Scottish games for as long as I can remember, and our children have grown up on Irn-Bru, bangers and mash, and meat pies covered in gravy with a good pile of peas heaped on top of it.

There beats within our souls the thundering drums of the pipe lines, and the echoing pipes are the beacon which leads us to our people.

We seek out thick corded kilt hose like a honeybadger seeks out a hive.

So when I realized there was a Scottish festival in our neck of the woods, you better believe we laced up and got our highland hineys over there.

My warrior daughters at my side, and the knights beside the King.

Aye, the laddies and lassies have grown up and are well dressed. And playing in the streams, since none of us can resist getting our feet a little muddy before the games.

We watched the Seattle Knights, who were fantastic, as always. The kids were in the front row of this event, to which we had to return a few times per the request of all of them. They each had a favorite knight…well, they had one favorite knight:

I can’t really blame them…they have good taste in knights.

Afterward, they were inspired by the violence and went on to protect our family honour by swordfighting with neighboring villages. The young neighboring lad first took on Glenn…but Nova was quick to pick up the sword and give him a good run for his money.

I don’t know if the poor boy will ever be the same.

We also found haggis, Vegetarian Haggis, which is an abombination to everything on earth, caber tossing, sheep dogs, pipe bands, fountain pens (I got none, sadly), a beer garden (also missed out on this, probably for the best), and the kids got to visit the Queen in her tent.

They look forward to that every single year, and they talk about her until we return.  I believe it is the royal lines coursing through their blood calling out to them…“storm the castle….”

Now, Eve, on the other hand, does not like dresses right now.

She refused to wear a dress, which was fine with me. We can wear what we like…some of us in more corsets than others.

So while everyone was finding their capes and swords, she got out her craft supplies and made herself a shark mask.

Because she wanted to be a shark and scare everybody.

I applaud her ingenuity and courageous spirit, and we made sure she was able to wear her shark mask as long as she wanted.

And she was very happy 🙂