Age of Miracles
Hello World,
Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I can't say that this week has had a whole lot to recommend it around here. Last week was a short week because of Independence Day falling on a Friday, and as short weeks go, it was a pretty typical madhouse at work. Because I also planned to take off Friday this week, I knew that would be two short weeks in a row, with the added disadvantage that I had two meetings to go to after work, on Tuesday and Thursday. We also had a staff meeting at work on Monday, as well as the Safety Fair on Wednesday, and even though the hospital management can't tell us it's mandatory, we're still expected to go and be safe. (Although I am the only Lutheran person I know at work, the hospital seems to understand what the Children of the Reformation have long since learned, that if you want people to show up at something, you need to serve them food, so there was that incentive at the Safety Fair, which I'm sure improved the attendance dramatically.) Between the short work week and the extra-curricular activities, it was an uphill battle for four days trying to get anything done, especially since I intended to leave work early on Thursday besides. The fact that I accomplished anything at all under those conditions, without jumping out a window (and please don't think that I didn't have a list of people I was planning to drag along with me) can only be attributed to Divine Intervention, proving once again that the age of miracles has not passed, and a lucky thing at that.
Now, having said that however, I do have to point out that although this wasn't much of a week in many ways, it was still worth it in the end, because all of the craziness was just a prelude to my vacation, and I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for a week of fun in the sun at Wildwood Park as I always do. I can't wait! I had been getting things together for a couple of weeks, and I packed some stuff in the car early (like my plastic shelves, bricks and toolbox) that wouldn't mind sitting in a hot car while I was at work during the day. I packed the rest of my camping supplies today while I was off from work, and then put the bulkier gear, like the cot and lounge chairs, in the Buick after Bill got home from the supermarket. So I'm about as ready to go as I'll ever be, with about as much stuff as two cars can carry for just one person to sleep in the woods for a week. As always, my primary concern is good weather, although I'm planning to bring my laptop, in case I need to sit in the car and entertain myself during bad weather. So be aware that you will not be hearing from me next week, as I will be a merry wanderer out in the wilds of Vacation Land, and you can be sure that you will hear all about it when I get back safe and sound, with any luck. Fortunately, the age of miracles has not passed, so we have that in our favor.
Speaking of luck, because my vacation is a whole week later than usual (since the July 4th holiday was at the end of the week, rather than in the middle) we didn't miss the locally famous Round Hill Highland Games at scenic Cranberry Park in Norwalk, and still going strong in their 85th year. This year, the Games were scheduled for Saturday the 5th, which missed my vacation by a whole week, and that was good, because some years, these two events are on the same day, with the result that we have to reluctantly skip the Games to go frolic in the surf at Wildwood instead. So this was much better, and we were looking forward to enjoying the Games once again, as we often do, along with a friend of ours who lives in Connecticut, and it gives us a handy opportunity for a get-together. Last year, they relocated the parking area for the shuttle bus to the park without letting anyone know, so this time, we checked that out beforehand, so we would know where to go, and not drive aimlessly around Norwalk looking for tiny signs with rampant Scottish lions to show us the way. Our friend thought he would beat the crowds by getting to the parking area early, only to find that he also beat the shuttle bus there, since that service doesn't even start until 10:00 AM, and it ended up being a long wait just for the sake of being the first in line. In fact, he was still waiting for the bus when we got there, and fortunately, there weren't too many people at that hour, so we could all sit together in the bus on the way over to the park, so that was a mini miracle right there.
Even though we were just there last year, we were surprised at the renovations that had taken place since then, with new gates, access roads, decorative signs, rustic fences, charming walkways, landscape elements, and a wide variety of ornamental gardens and flower beds throughout the property. Because they changed the entrance from where it used to be, the bus drove in from the front of the Gallaher Estate (the family donated the land to the state to make this park, and the mansion serves as the administration building now) and revealing to us for the first time since we've been going to this shindig for over 15 years, that they have an actual gift shop on the premises. What with all the excitement of the day, we forgot to go back later and check it out, so I can't report on what sort of gift shop experience it might have been, and more's the pity, I'm sure. But it was news to us that there was a gift shop there, so we were surprised, although calling it a miracle would certainly be over-stating the case and then some.
The weather was not as beastly hot as it often is, and it was also overcast for the most part, which was just as well, since I somehow left home my rampant Scottish lion umbrella, which I use for shade at the Games, and usually glad of it. I considered it a big improvement over other years, when it was so hot that the musicians and athletes just about dropped dead in the center field, where there is not only no shade, but not a breath of wind to provide any relief from the scorching conditions. We had a chance to enjoy the parade of the marching bands through the center field area, from our vantage point next to the beer tent, followed by boring speeches and proclamations that serve to get the Games underway, and which no amount of beer can make interesting, believe me. Because the ethnic food there ranges from the plain inedible to the hideously frightening, we came up with a solution that scored points for expediency, although it must be said, at the expense of moral integrity. We got on line for the French fries during the playing of the national anthems for America and the United Kingdom, and were served in next to no time, as the more upright citizens were all busy standing at attention and singing, while we were skulking around behind them and sneaking off to the gardens with our lunch. When we walked past the food truck later, the line for the French fries went all the way past the beer tent and into the playground area, and I doubt if those people were going to get their meal before the Games came to a close at the end of the day. So the lesson we learned is that you can be upright and go hungry, or take the moral low road as we did, and feast high on the hog, or the potato, to be precise. As far as I'm concerned, the hogs will just have to fend for themselves.
Unlike other years, when it seemed that we were invariably in the wrong place at the wrong time, this time around we managed to catch just about everything there is to see during the day, from one end of the park to the other. There are the young lads and lasses who do traditional Highland dancing, plus another venue where they do what they call country, or folk, dancing, which is not as highly regimented as the other kind, but still entertaining in its own way. They also have the athletic competitions of hammer throw, tossing the sheaves and caber toss, as well as a variety of races for children and adults. There are band competitions, and other competitions for individuals in the categories of piping, drumming and drum majors. Even if you don't go and watch those events as they happen, you can hear the music from every part of the park, no matter how far out in the woods they stick the participants, the sound simply carries everywhere. and is one of the enduring charms of the festivities. You can also stop by the tents where they have story telling, or poetry reading, or face painting, or the history of the clans. They even have a rock wall for the more adventurous, and considering that this is a portable rock wall towed in for the occasion, I'm thinking a person would have to be pretty adventurous to give it a try, or perhaps had already spent a lot of time at the beer tent.
A highlight of the Games for us is always the vendor tents, where you can find interesting and unusual items of all descriptions, from actual kilts to cartoon bumper stickers, and everything in between. There's always a lot of beautiful jewelry, some of it just for decorative purposes, but much of it identified with individual clan names and family crests. We also find it interesting to survey the curious imported foods, and maybe try something new and different in foreign cookies or candy bars as a change of pace. It did seem to us that there were fewer vendors than other years, and so the variety of items was not as wide-ranging, but it's also true that we've been going for so many years and bought so many souvenirs by now, that there just isn't as much left to tempt us that we haven't already got. Of course, anyone who knows me will tell you that I never let anything stand in the way of buying souvenirs, so I managed to find something in spite of it all, which is the kind of miracle that I can live with.
Like last year, this year's event featured two performances by the Scottish rock band MacTalla M'or, and you can just go right ahead and visit their web site at www.mactalla.com and see for yourself. We were surprised by them for the first time last year, and didn't know what to make of this loud and raucous group, whose amplified sounds could be heard probably towns away from the park. It seemed incongruous to us, for a festival full of Scottish marching bands to import a rock band for any reason. But this time around, we were more familiar with them, so we stayed and watched both shows and earned a new appreciation for them. It's true that the family group includes an electric organ and guitar, but also features bagpipes and drums, so their sound is often reminiscent of a marching band in many ways. They do an engaging blend of traditional and modern music that is refreshingly different, with its appealing up-tempo tunes and intricate rhythms. Fans can also enjoy their music on CDs (Bill's favorite is "Piping Hot," which I personally think is a brilliant title) and it's no wonder that they are invited to play at fairs and festivals all over the place, and pretty much, all of the time. In fact, they're going to be at the Irish Festival in nearby Riverhead while I'm on vacation, and I might just take a drive out there and see them again while I'm at it. You can believe me when I say that until you've heard their rollicking electric version of Scotland the Brave, you just don't know what you're missing, and that's not just the beer talking either.
After a long and fun day at the park, we totally lost our minds and drove 30 miles from Wilton to Danbury just to have dinner at the nearest Denny's that we could find. It was all that we could have hoped for, and some of us even had dessert, so that was a special treat. It certainly beat the pants off of lunch, where we were eating French fries with our fingers, and sitting on a rock wall between a gas generator on one side, and a row of Porta-Potties on the other side, no thank you so very much not. Anyway, this was way better, and we were glad that we managed to talk our friend into leading us there, since he knew where it was, and he didn't even think we were totally nuts to go all that way for dinner, or at least he didn't let on, if he did. That may have been the highlight of the day for us, and we enjoyed it to the utmost. Then our GPS lady managed to get us safely home without incident, which is always our favorite way to travel, along with our fond memories and full tummies. And it will be a long time before I'll be able to get the sound of bagpipes out of my head, which unlike beer, really tends to stick with you no matter what, especially when the gang at MacTalla M'or serves it up Piping Hot!
Well, I don't know about anyone else, but I can't say that this week has had a whole lot to recommend it around here. Last week was a short week because of Independence Day falling on a Friday, and as short weeks go, it was a pretty typical madhouse at work. Because I also planned to take off Friday this week, I knew that would be two short weeks in a row, with the added disadvantage that I had two meetings to go to after work, on Tuesday and Thursday. We also had a staff meeting at work on Monday, as well as the Safety Fair on Wednesday, and even though the hospital management can't tell us it's mandatory, we're still expected to go and be safe. (Although I am the only Lutheran person I know at work, the hospital seems to understand what the Children of the Reformation have long since learned, that if you want people to show up at something, you need to serve them food, so there was that incentive at the Safety Fair, which I'm sure improved the attendance dramatically.) Between the short work week and the extra-curricular activities, it was an uphill battle for four days trying to get anything done, especially since I intended to leave work early on Thursday besides. The fact that I accomplished anything at all under those conditions, without jumping out a window (and please don't think that I didn't have a list of people I was planning to drag along with me) can only be attributed to Divine Intervention, proving once again that the age of miracles has not passed, and a lucky thing at that.
Now, having said that however, I do have to point out that although this wasn't much of a week in many ways, it was still worth it in the end, because all of the craziness was just a prelude to my vacation, and I'll be leaving tomorrow morning for a week of fun in the sun at Wildwood Park as I always do. I can't wait! I had been getting things together for a couple of weeks, and I packed some stuff in the car early (like my plastic shelves, bricks and toolbox) that wouldn't mind sitting in a hot car while I was at work during the day. I packed the rest of my camping supplies today while I was off from work, and then put the bulkier gear, like the cot and lounge chairs, in the Buick after Bill got home from the supermarket. So I'm about as ready to go as I'll ever be, with about as much stuff as two cars can carry for just one person to sleep in the woods for a week. As always, my primary concern is good weather, although I'm planning to bring my laptop, in case I need to sit in the car and entertain myself during bad weather. So be aware that you will not be hearing from me next week, as I will be a merry wanderer out in the wilds of Vacation Land, and you can be sure that you will hear all about it when I get back safe and sound, with any luck. Fortunately, the age of miracles has not passed, so we have that in our favor.
Speaking of luck, because my vacation is a whole week later than usual (since the July 4th holiday was at the end of the week, rather than in the middle) we didn't miss the locally famous Round Hill Highland Games at scenic Cranberry Park in Norwalk, and still going strong in their 85th year. This year, the Games were scheduled for Saturday the 5th, which missed my vacation by a whole week, and that was good, because some years, these two events are on the same day, with the result that we have to reluctantly skip the Games to go frolic in the surf at Wildwood instead. So this was much better, and we were looking forward to enjoying the Games once again, as we often do, along with a friend of ours who lives in Connecticut, and it gives us a handy opportunity for a get-together. Last year, they relocated the parking area for the shuttle bus to the park without letting anyone know, so this time, we checked that out beforehand, so we would know where to go, and not drive aimlessly around Norwalk looking for tiny signs with rampant Scottish lions to show us the way. Our friend thought he would beat the crowds by getting to the parking area early, only to find that he also beat the shuttle bus there, since that service doesn't even start until 10:00 AM, and it ended up being a long wait just for the sake of being the first in line. In fact, he was still waiting for the bus when we got there, and fortunately, there weren't too many people at that hour, so we could all sit together in the bus on the way over to the park, so that was a mini miracle right there.
Even though we were just there last year, we were surprised at the renovations that had taken place since then, with new gates, access roads, decorative signs, rustic fences, charming walkways, landscape elements, and a wide variety of ornamental gardens and flower beds throughout the property. Because they changed the entrance from where it used to be, the bus drove in from the front of the Gallaher Estate (the family donated the land to the state to make this park, and the mansion serves as the administration building now) and revealing to us for the first time since we've been going to this shindig for over 15 years, that they have an actual gift shop on the premises. What with all the excitement of the day, we forgot to go back later and check it out, so I can't report on what sort of gift shop experience it might have been, and more's the pity, I'm sure. But it was news to us that there was a gift shop there, so we were surprised, although calling it a miracle would certainly be over-stating the case and then some.
The weather was not as beastly hot as it often is, and it was also overcast for the most part, which was just as well, since I somehow left home my rampant Scottish lion umbrella, which I use for shade at the Games, and usually glad of it. I considered it a big improvement over other years, when it was so hot that the musicians and athletes just about dropped dead in the center field, where there is not only no shade, but not a breath of wind to provide any relief from the scorching conditions. We had a chance to enjoy the parade of the marching bands through the center field area, from our vantage point next to the beer tent, followed by boring speeches and proclamations that serve to get the Games underway, and which no amount of beer can make interesting, believe me. Because the ethnic food there ranges from the plain inedible to the hideously frightening, we came up with a solution that scored points for expediency, although it must be said, at the expense of moral integrity. We got on line for the French fries during the playing of the national anthems for America and the United Kingdom, and were served in next to no time, as the more upright citizens were all busy standing at attention and singing, while we were skulking around behind them and sneaking off to the gardens with our lunch. When we walked past the food truck later, the line for the French fries went all the way past the beer tent and into the playground area, and I doubt if those people were going to get their meal before the Games came to a close at the end of the day. So the lesson we learned is that you can be upright and go hungry, or take the moral low road as we did, and feast high on the hog, or the potato, to be precise. As far as I'm concerned, the hogs will just have to fend for themselves.
Unlike other years, when it seemed that we were invariably in the wrong place at the wrong time, this time around we managed to catch just about everything there is to see during the day, from one end of the park to the other. There are the young lads and lasses who do traditional Highland dancing, plus another venue where they do what they call country, or folk, dancing, which is not as highly regimented as the other kind, but still entertaining in its own way. They also have the athletic competitions of hammer throw, tossing the sheaves and caber toss, as well as a variety of races for children and adults. There are band competitions, and other competitions for individuals in the categories of piping, drumming and drum majors. Even if you don't go and watch those events as they happen, you can hear the music from every part of the park, no matter how far out in the woods they stick the participants, the sound simply carries everywhere. and is one of the enduring charms of the festivities. You can also stop by the tents where they have story telling, or poetry reading, or face painting, or the history of the clans. They even have a rock wall for the more adventurous, and considering that this is a portable rock wall towed in for the occasion, I'm thinking a person would have to be pretty adventurous to give it a try, or perhaps had already spent a lot of time at the beer tent.
A highlight of the Games for us is always the vendor tents, where you can find interesting and unusual items of all descriptions, from actual kilts to cartoon bumper stickers, and everything in between. There's always a lot of beautiful jewelry, some of it just for decorative purposes, but much of it identified with individual clan names and family crests. We also find it interesting to survey the curious imported foods, and maybe try something new and different in foreign cookies or candy bars as a change of pace. It did seem to us that there were fewer vendors than other years, and so the variety of items was not as wide-ranging, but it's also true that we've been going for so many years and bought so many souvenirs by now, that there just isn't as much left to tempt us that we haven't already got. Of course, anyone who knows me will tell you that I never let anything stand in the way of buying souvenirs, so I managed to find something in spite of it all, which is the kind of miracle that I can live with.
Like last year, this year's event featured two performances by the Scottish rock band MacTalla M'or, and you can just go right ahead and visit their web site at www.mactalla.com and see for yourself. We were surprised by them for the first time last year, and didn't know what to make of this loud and raucous group, whose amplified sounds could be heard probably towns away from the park. It seemed incongruous to us, for a festival full of Scottish marching bands to import a rock band for any reason. But this time around, we were more familiar with them, so we stayed and watched both shows and earned a new appreciation for them. It's true that the family group includes an electric organ and guitar, but also features bagpipes and drums, so their sound is often reminiscent of a marching band in many ways. They do an engaging blend of traditional and modern music that is refreshingly different, with its appealing up-tempo tunes and intricate rhythms. Fans can also enjoy their music on CDs (Bill's favorite is "Piping Hot," which I personally think is a brilliant title) and it's no wonder that they are invited to play at fairs and festivals all over the place, and pretty much, all of the time. In fact, they're going to be at the Irish Festival in nearby Riverhead while I'm on vacation, and I might just take a drive out there and see them again while I'm at it. You can believe me when I say that until you've heard their rollicking electric version of Scotland the Brave, you just don't know what you're missing, and that's not just the beer talking either.
After a long and fun day at the park, we totally lost our minds and drove 30 miles from Wilton to Danbury just to have dinner at the nearest Denny's that we could find. It was all that we could have hoped for, and some of us even had dessert, so that was a special treat. It certainly beat the pants off of lunch, where we were eating French fries with our fingers, and sitting on a rock wall between a gas generator on one side, and a row of Porta-Potties on the other side, no thank you so very much not. Anyway, this was way better, and we were glad that we managed to talk our friend into leading us there, since he knew where it was, and he didn't even think we were totally nuts to go all that way for dinner, or at least he didn't let on, if he did. That may have been the highlight of the day for us, and we enjoyed it to the utmost. Then our GPS lady managed to get us safely home without incident, which is always our favorite way to travel, along with our fond memories and full tummies. And it will be a long time before I'll be able to get the sound of bagpipes out of my head, which unlike beer, really tends to stick with you no matter what, especially when the gang at MacTalla M'or serves it up Piping Hot!
posted by El Tango Fandango @ 9:19 PM
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