Grandfather Mountain 1999

After talking with some others, I'm pretty sure of the year. If you think it's wrong please let me know. Also, feel free to use the comment section of these posts at any time. If it weren't for Sitemeter I wouldn't have any idea if anyone was looking at this most of the time. Just so you know, we've had over 5,000 hits from all over the world since the blogs conception. A lot of people will spot an image on Google and take a gander. A lot of them don't even use the same alphabet we do! Welcome, everyone!
Best friend Richard Halliley (twice President of US Clan Davidson) and I are about dead center in the above photograph.


Some kind of weird weather pattern invaded us that Sunday morning at the Parade Of Tartans. It was chilly, too. Grandfather Mountain, NC in July doesn't usually get weather like this although we have had some cold rains before. It's the elevation that kind of lifts us up out of the "Deep South" for July. We're half a mile up in MacRae Meadow; the peak of the mountain is a mile up. Supposedly the area attracted immigrant Scots and Scot-Irish to settle there because it reminded them of home. My ancestors (also from NC) hugged the coast. Even my MacMillan "Texas Bells" ended up outside of Galveston on the Gulf Of Mexico.
I'm pretty sure this is Stephanie Fox and Danny Potter. Stephanie is a nurse and always works the MacMedic tent at the games. I appreciate that she wears her Colquhoun scarf and takes time when she can to jump in the Parades with us!

Danny, who passed away a few years ago, was a bit of a legend at all the Mid Atlantic games. The Johnson City, TN native had been coming to GMHG since he was a lad when his parents first brought him. Danny parked a well used, small RV right at the place where the shuttle bus lets visitors out. It was known as Fort Potter. I primitive camped at Fort Potter in front of his RV the season before he died, something I told him for years I wanted to do, and have always been thankful I made the effort that year.

Drum Major Jim Thompson.





Color guard of a Scottish American Civil War reenactment group. I think it's a NY regiment.





In the middle is the extended family of T. Randolph Kirkpatrick. They always get their own tent each year and participate in athletics. One of his grandchildren has run The Bear the last several years. On the left is probably Whitfield County (GA) county commissioner Mike Cowan. Mike wears his Air Force jacket and beret with his kilt which looks really sharp. I'm on the right.