Another Report From Sam & Vicki

GLASGOW LANDS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL
Northampton, MA
July 19, 2008

Well, we set a first for ourselves this weekend. In the ‘It can’t happen to us’ category, IT DID. In the thirteen years that we have been hosting the Colquhoun tent we have seen our share of tents blown over, so we guess that it was finally our turn. We set up Friday night in our usual fashion – tents up full height with banner and flags flying. Thunderstorms were forecast, but we have survived them before. As we sat in the motel that night watching the Weather Channel radar, we saw the bright orange blob go right over Northampton and wondered if we would have a tent in the morning. When we got to the grounds in the morning we found the remains of our two tents. Jonathan Tucker, the Clan Coordinator, had been called out Friday evening after the storm. Apparently a microburst had hit the area. He had very graciously picked up our stuff and stacked it neatly. He even set our flags in stands for us. With the help of Dave Byrne, 2nd Vice President and New England Commission of Clan Buchanan, Stuart Greenlaw, representing both Clan Stewart and SAMS, a roll of duct tape and rope we were able to get our front tent presentable, even though it had five bent and broken trusses. Our back tent was totally useless in that it had three bent legs, bent almost at 45 degree angles. Anyone need three steel tubular hockey sticks?



Other than that, it was a rather uneventful day for us. It was hot and humid, which we have come to expect for this Game. Jonathan had the Clans on and off the field for Opening Ceremonies in record time, for which we were all very thankful. We were short on visitors to the tent, probably due to both the weather and the economy. Tyler Cowan was the first by. He is one of our several Colquhoun pipers and plays with the Berkshire Highlanders. He was hoping to get an early draw for his solo competition in order to beat the heat. Charlie Smith came by a couple of times. He is planning to buy a kilt after he buys his motorcycle gear. In what seems to becoming a tradition, Kevin Surprise came by in the morning and his sister Laura stopped by in the afternoon. Our thanks to all for braving the heat.

Vicki was a judge for the Bonnie Knees contest and the contestants voted her ‘Best Judge’. Must be those ‘Magic Fingers’.

The aforementioned Dave Byrne made Sam a hand-fashioned walking stick or hiking staff (what’s the difference?) or as Dave calls it, a leaning stick, to give his knees some relief. He made it from a maple sapling, utilizing the root. It looks almost like a dragons head.

Our next stop is the Central New York Scottish Games in Liverpool, NY on Saturday, August 9. Hope to see some of you New Yorkers there.

Vicki and Sam Overstreet

New York/New England Representatives
Clan Colquhoun Society of the United Kingdom

US: www.colquhounclan.com
UK: www.clancolquhounsociety.co.uk