marilynandbob : photos : Bagpiping- powered by SmugMug

After several years of bagpiping, I'm amazed that I have only a few digital photos!! I'll try to find some others to include- meanwhile, here's a few from recent workshops and events.

Gallery pages: 1 2 >

< 1 of 10 >

marilynandbob > My band, the Westwind Pipe Band, performs at the Durango Arts Center in January, 2006- it's our annual celebration of Scottich Heritage and Robert Burn's Birthday! I'm the one fourth from the right. We played, our dancers danced, we had song and poetry, even haggis- and some really good Scotch went down smoothly!! One tradition is the Toast to the Lassies, given by a man who then drinks the toast with Scotch whiskey. I gave the Toast to the Laddies, followed by the drinking of the scotch-- yummy! one of the pipers had brought a really old and expensive bottle of Scotch for the toasts, and I thought it was wonderful! In keeping with my almost total-tee-totalling ways, however, one or two sips was enough.

marilynandbob > Some of the ladies of the Westwind Pipe Band performing a few "chunes" in Flagstaff, July 2006. This is the third time I've attended the US School of Piping; most of the band goes every summer, where we enjoy fabulous instructors and lots of socializing and fun. We sounded great and were well-recieved. This evening of entertainment is the last night, and everyone is encouraged to play. We did some tunes we play as a band, and know well.

marilynandbob > Laurie, Marilyn and Jeannine- we were assisting the judges keep track of scores during the individual pipers competitions at the Flagstaff Highland Festival, Sat, July 15, 2006. This Festival is the weekend before the US School of Piping, so we play for the massed bands in the Festival and stay for the school. We are wearing our summer uniforms- polo shirts with our insignia, plus ball caps. The rest of the uniform is the same year-round; kilt with the McNeill O'Barra tartan, sporan (sort of like a fanny pack that hangs down the front of the kilt), wool hose, flashes (the ribbons at the top of the hose) and black shoes. All very, very hot for summer!

marilynandbob > While at the Flagstaff Highland Festival (July, 2006), Monte and I were fortunate enough to have our photo snapped with Mel (Braveheart) Gibson! Sigh--- even though he's become a real jerk lately, you can't beat the sight of long-haired Mel in a kilt. Aye, Laddie!

marilynandbob > We met Iain Macey when he was a teacher of ours at the Flagstaff Bagpipe school. Since then, we've invited him to Durango several times to coach our band- here, he's tuning Jeannine's drones. Iain is a wonderful man, from Scotland but now living in Michegan, and a superb teacher/piper. We're lucky to have him. He's taken our band "under his wing", and is very helpful. We've improved a lot lately, and he's at least partly responsible.

marilynandbob > Iain Macey, our workshop instructor, showing us how to maintain constant blowing pressure by demonstrating with his own pipes. He's with Jeannine, Lukas (behind the pipes) and Laurie. I am documenting the event. We used a physics lab at the college for the workshop- our Pipe Major, Jerry Crawford, is faculty in the physics department, and let us use the facility. It's over a weekend, so we don't drive all the scientists crazy.

marilynandbob > "I... love a parade". This is Fourth of July, 2005, in Bayfield, Colorado (near Durango). Can you find Marilyn? Just to the left of the blue plaid kilt. Bayfield is a fun, small, community and the parade is pretty small too- we go around the block and march the parade route twice. Gotta love Fourth of July parades!

marilynandbob > One of the few times we're all together!! This followed the Bayfield Fourth of July Parade- The three ladies kneeling to the left on the bottom row, are the dancing daughters of Jerry Crawford, our Pipe Major. He's standing in the middle, with the dark beard. The other dancer, in the blue plaid kilt, teaches Scottish and Highland dances. Our band comes from Durango, Mancos, Bayfield, Farmington (New Mexico), Dolores, Telluride and Pagosa Springs!

marilynandbob > Here are the instructors for the 2005 US School of Piping in Flagstaff- downtown at a bar for "Pub Night", where the students play. The fellow on the far left is Aaron, piper for the hot band, The Wicked Tinkers.

My band, the Westwind Pipe Band, performs at the Durango Arts Center in January, 2006- it's our annual celebration of Scottich Heritage and Robert Burn's Birthday! I'm the one fourth from the right. We played, our dancers danced, we had song and poetry, even haggis- and some really good Scotch went down smoothly!! One tradition is the Toast to the Lassies, given by a man who then drinks the toast with Scotch whiskey. I gave the Toast to the Laddies, followed by the drinking of the scotch-- yummy! one of the pipers had brought a really old and expensive bottle of Scotch for the toasts, and I thought it was wonderful! In keeping with my almost total-tee-totalling ways, however, one or two sips was enough.