I've decided to start to go through the hundreds of photos that I've taken in the last two years and share some of our special moments with all of you. We have had a lot of fun experiences, but I've never managed to get them up here on the blog so I figured it would be nice to start a "Back Track" series in hopes of motivating myself :)
The Estes Park Highlands Festival has become somewhat of a tradition with my mother's family. Its been really quite interesting to see how this festival has grown over the years - I remember the first few years that the parade was only a few minutes long, with only a handful of Clans and pipe bands, a Boy Scout Troop Color Guard, and the faithful old Leprechaun clad in emerald from his tails to top hat.
The attendance and interest has ballooned. The parade route is simply packed with people now, with everyone clamoring for a great spot. The common dress for the day has shifted from jeans and your beat-up weekend tshirt to dress kilts and sporrans. It is also interesting to note that as the popularity of kilts has risen, the availability of "toe mirrors" has too.
One of my family's favorite parts of the parade was always seeing the small group of Canadian soldiers marching through with their old cannon [for use in the cannon demonstrations, where each group brings a cannon and tries to sink Nessie (the lockness monster, or rather a balloon likeness of her) and at the same time scares the ba-gee-bas out of passing motorists]. Unfortunately, with the application of the Homeland Security, the Canadian soldiers can no longer get their cannon through customs, so we are left with just our Yankee counterparts for the cannon demonstrations. The festival planners have managed to make up for our loss though, as the U.S. Marine Corp Band has made a visit every year since. They may not be quite as "cool" but they certainly are impressive crowd pleasers.
The festival itself is always impressive. It stretches across the massive Stanley Park, with booths that offer a little of everything. From the aforementioned cannon demonstrations, to highland-breed dog shows, highland games (log toss anyone?), clan information, keepsakes, kilts, Celtic jewelry, art, food, music and dancing - it really is hard to get bored.
Parade Shots:
One of the classic Bagpipe Bands - I think this may have been one of the police bands.
A perfect example of the sort of Clan-pride demonstrated in the parade (though I have to admit that I am not affiliated with the spirited Wallace Clan).
This is more of your classic marching band - though I do think they did have a few bagpipes. But mainly they featured brass and drums on their Celtic tunes.
Music on the Field:
The U.S. Marine Corp Band exiting the performance space after an ever-impressive show. Tim took a bunch of video of these guys, but alas it never turned out. This shot also shows just how majestic Estes is - being nestled in the mountains right next door to The Rocky Mountain National Park definitely has its perks!
Nap Time:
As the afternoon progressed 18 month old Eliza tuckers out and takes a nap on my back in the Mei Tai. For some reason she was considerably more comfortable hanging like that than when we tucked her into the Mei Tai deeper so that her head would be supported.
The Cannon Demonstration:
My cousin, George (pictured on the immediate right) has always been into period reenactment. I was really impressed at how realistic his group was for this particular event (well, that is if you ignore the soda bottle and cone of sugared almonds!). Unfortunately, George's now wife, Theresa disappeared into the tent just moments before I clicked this shot, so I didn't get a good picture of her lovely dress (complete with hoop skirt).
This was the cannon setup (about twenty feet away from the previous picture) on the bank of Lake Estes. If you look closely you can see "Nessie" floating in the background on the right, and on the left the line of cars traveling into Estes on the main road into the town.
Eliza just after waking up from her nap. Still groggy, she is clutching the beautiful glass paperweight a local glass maker gave her earlier that day.
Eliza holding Grandma Rosie's hand while watching the cannons being fired off. She has always done very well with cannon blasts - but the sounds do tend to stress her out a bit.
Comments