Highland Games with Ruth Anne

Since we knew I was going to be in Colorado when the Estes Park Highland Games took place (the weekend after Labor Day, this year the 11-13 of September), I decided to sign up to compete. Nothing too fancy, just a 2/4 march and a slow march. We talked about it and got some extra tickets for Karen's family to go up, since her sister is taking Irish dancing and it's an overall good time. What we hadn't banked on was Ruth Anne wanting to go.

The plan was for me to leave at about 0700 to make it in time to check in and tune for a 0900 competition start. Well, Ruth Anne woke up early too and once I told her I was going to go to another town to play bagpipes, she declared "I want go bagpipe." We explained that I had to leave then, but that Karen was staying, along with her Gran-Mary Ruth and Gran-Darrell (my parents, who came for a short weekend visit). Still, she insisted, "I want go bagpipe too!" We had discussed with Karen's parents a little that maybe Ruth Anne would want to go up with them. Good thing, so we put that plan into action. I left, and told Ruth Anne that her grandparents would come and take her up to see the bagpipes.

I made it with an OK amount of time before my first tune. Good thing I had padded the departure time a little, since the bicycle portion of a triathlon was headed up Highway 36 at the same time I was. The weather cleared out nicely (Saturday was so cold and rainy in Arvada that I was certain I'd be competing in snow) and made for a beautiful drive through the dispersing fog. I played the slow march, and felt pretty good. Not the best I had played, but OK all things considered (the scoresheet bears this out). Karen's brother was already up there visiting some friends, so he came in time to see the 2/4. Again, nothing spectacular.

Karen's parents and two other siblings made it to Estes after I competed, but just in time for lunch before Massed Bands. For those who have never seen one, the Massed Bands performance is just that: all the pipers and drummers amassed together on the competition field marching towards the crowd, playing (hopefully) the same tune together. Pretty spectacular. I thought Ruth Anne would have had it after seeing Massed Bands (and her dad play) but no. She came for bagpipes, and she was going to get them.

We wandered back up to the piping encampment. No dice, since it was pre-competition lunch. She heard a rock band with a set of pipes down the way and said, "Bagpipe there!" so we went. They finished up and we went by another music tent where there was a piper playing with a guitarist and violinist, along with a couple of dancers. We hung out there for a little bit, and Ruth Anne did some dancing too. Then we heard a band start to warm up so went back to the pipe bands. She sat patiently as a band warmed up by playing "Green Hills of Tyrol." We also listened to a solo piper play a piobaireachd and a strasthpey (both new words for Ruth Anne).

After this, we went to the competition field and heard a couple of bands compete. She cheered as they marched to the line, exclaiming "There Bagpiiiiiipe!" And also applauded once they finished. Still, after about three bands she'd hit saturation (as evidenced by excessive squirming and climbing on the bleachers). That, and with the weather turning black and threatening rain, we decided to call it a day and head home. She napped all the way home.

Good thing I picked up a CD while we were there--she's been saying "I want listen bagpipe" almost every day since. I thought for sure she'd be a drummer with her rhythm, but after the Estes Park games I'm not so certain anymore.