I know it has been a long time since I updated my blog and I apologize but Clifton and I moved into a new house and it takes a couple weeks to get Internet service set up in Scotland. Gosh how we missed America these last two weeks when they say it takes a week to set up cable and two to set up just a phone line and Internet. Scotland is in the stone ages sometimes! My next post will show you a video of our new place. This post is all about Clifton and I's experience at the Aberdeen Highland Games. The games were at Hazelhead Park on June 20, 2010. Clifton and I walked to the park from our house and were getting more and more excited as we got closer because we could here the announcer and the bagpipes. The park was full of tents selling homemade goods, kids bounce houses, and of course big Scottish men dressed in kilts. Then of course the park had all kinds of food vendors that made the entire park smell wonderful and made you want to eat the entire time. Clifton and I had a pulled pork sandwich and chips or fries as we Americans call them. I really wanted the smoked fish which are pictured in the slide show but the line was insane and my patience can't handle that kind of line. They smoked the fish whole in these wooden barrels covered with a blanket and then would pull the blanket off, hang the fish and just cut it in half and serve it on a paper towel. They smelled so good and the people looked so satisfied who were eating them. I admit I was jealous! After being there for four hours I got hungry again and saw this kid eating this horrible looking thing but when I asked what it was the woman said potatoes, onions, and steak all mashed into one. For some reason that sounded appetizing to me. So Clifton and I set out on the hunt for this mushed stuff. I found it at a little vendor and it was called "Stovies and Oatcakes". There is also a picture of this on the slide show. It looks terrible and even as I got it Clifton said to me, "I think this was a bad idea on your part." I disagreed of course, and was he ever wrong. It was amazing and then Clifton tried it and loved it too! Never judge a book by it's cover! One of the other random things we saw at the highland games were the owls that were featured in the Harry Potter films. They were beautiful! These were all owls that were rescued and now this group of people travel with the owls asking for donations and charging £5 for pictures to be taken with them. We just took pictures of the owls ourselves. I didn't need to pay the £5 for one to sit on my arm and take a picture. After eating a ton we decided to watch some of the competitions that we ended up thinking were hilarious. They had running events where anyone can sign up apparently and there is this old guy who participates in every event and was horrible. He came in last in every event and I mean every event but good for him for trying! But come to find out he is pretty smart because he gets to come and get his exercise and last place wins £8 for every event. So the guy ended up making around £50 for just participating. I told Clifton I am doing it next year just to get some extra money. HA! Our favorite event was the tug of war. Who knew there was such strategy to this event. These men were amazing. If one took a step they took the step at the exact same time and they were incredibly flexible. It was so fun to watch. The other event we enjoyed was the caber toss. This is the event where the big boys get a tree trunk and have to toss it and it has to have the bottom end of the caber to point away from the thrower and the top end should be pointing toward him. Don't worry there is video of this also! During the highland games they also have bagpipe band competitions and at the end of the highland games the band leaders had a competition to see who could throw the baton over a sign and catch it on the other side. These men were very talented with twirling the batons too and others not so much. Clifton and I had so much fun at the games and we are going to another one in a couple of weeks in Stonehaven so my mother who is visiting can experience this amazing Scottish tradition.