JULY 14, 2012–HER BURGER

Today is a big day.  Today we have a swim meet.  Today we have a District baseball game.  Today we attend a Celtic Festival.  Today I cook HER BURGER (pg. 160) from Ree Drummond’s cookbook.  Come along!

I put my older daughter in swimming and casually mentioned that I had another daughter.  They asked why she wasn’t on the swim team, and I casually mentioned that she couldn’t swim.  “Give her to us for three weeks”, they said, “She will swim the length of the pool and back in three weeks.”  “Without drowning?”, I queried.  And sure enough, three weeks later she entered her first swim meet.  She had to swim the length of the pool and back.  It took quite awhile for this little girl to make it, and when she did, the entire audience stood up and applauded!  (Btw, she came in second or last–depending on how you look at it as she swam against an 8-year-old.)  Scout also competed.

It was an early morning in the middle of a hot summer–the humidity in the bleachers was suffocating even at 8:00 in the morning.  I sat near the mom with the green flip-flops.  Her boy is on the floor in front of her.  The back of his shirt read, “My name is Jacob.  I have autism, and I like to run.  Non-verbal, No dairy.”  Both my boy (Little Man) and her boy (Justin) rolled around on the floor.  I guess we were just letting them build up their immune systems.  Little Man had a swim meet, and a baseball game to make it through, so I wasn’t about to make him sit on the bleachers.  As I watched both boys–one in his own world, and one a part of a very large world, I was overwhelmed at the daily work the mom beside me had.  And I respected her.  VERY, VERY, much.

Swim meet is over, so let’s get in the car and drive an hour to the my boy’s second baseball game of the day.

Little Big Guy rode with a friend as his first game was the same time as the swim meet.  We arrived in time for the second game.  They had lost the first game.  We were now in the loser’s bracket, so we had to win every game from here on out.  The team lost their second game that would have taken them to State for the second year in a row.  Boo Hoo.

Just as the game ended, we saw hot air balloons start to rise in the background.

It was fun to watch the hot air balloons.

And interesting to watch them land.

We celebrated the end of the baseball season with ice cream.  We also realized that our summers revolved around baseball.  We don’t mind, but there had been some strong words spoken at the end of the baseball game, and we wanted to let our kids know that sports are for learning, for fun, for competition.  But when we lose, we go on.

We had seen a sign for a Celtic Festival on the drive over, and at the last-minute we decided to spend the afternoon at the Celtic Festival.

We enjoyed watching the Celtic dancers.  Eloise and Scout got up and practiced when the dancers were finished.  We ran into some friends of ours, and while we visited, Little Man took this opportunity to disappear.  We found him playing in the stream.  Sigh-of-relief.

We also enjoyed the Jousting Show.  This fellow here animated the crowd.

He divided the audience into four groups.  We all had our own knight in sweaty armour to cheer for.  We were given the red-faced blonde.

I also cheered for this swarthy brut.  He represented Scotland, and since I am a Buchanan, I cheered lustily (and stubbornly).

They had a sword fight.

And they jousted.

And they finished the fight in hand to hand combat.  And of course the Scot won!!!

Here is the fair maiden who gave us a running commentary on her hidden mic.

There were also exhibits on weaving. . .

. . .and spinning. . .

. . .and in singing in Gaelic while beating the newly woven tartan.  The process is called “waulking.”

There were beautifully hand dyed yarns for sale!

I just loved all the colors!

And a tartan in the process of being made.

This is a Buchanan plaid hand-woven tartan.  I wished I could buy it for a gift for my dad, but it was out of my price range.  I asked about the neck scarf thinking that I might be able to afford it, but it was $80 and already “spoken for.”

The river even contained the famed Loch Ness Monster.  And this one is easy to photograph!

Little Man took a turn pulling the Loch Ness Monster out of the water.

Ring of Steel had a sword and weapon display.  LBG (Little Big Guy) took sword fighting from this group at the Home Schooling Co-Op a few years ago.

Hand-to-hand combat demonstrations were given by the Society for Creative Anachronism.  Basically they are a living history group that tries to live in the Middle Ages.

“The SCA is an international organization dedicated to researching and re-creating the arts and  skills of pre-17th-century Europe. Our “Known World” consists of 19 kingdoms, with over 30,000 members residing in countries around the world. Participants, dressed in clothing of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, attend events which may feature tournaments, arts exhibits, classes, workshops, dancing, feasts, and more. Our “royalty” hold courts at which they recognize and honor members for their contributions to the group.”

All the members of the SCA were dressed in period costume. . .

. . .except for this guy.  I believe he has been alive since the Middle Ages.  This isn’t his costume; it is his regular dress.

This Lady-in-Waiting made lace.

And here is the “Royal Court” of the Society of Creative Anachronism.  (Anachronism means “something or someone who is not in its correct historical or chronological time, especially a thing or person that belongs to an earlier time.”  (from here)

LBG (Little Big Guy) bought a wooden sword and fought for about one hour against any who would dare.

There were falcons. . .

. . .and bagpipers. . .

. . .and men in skirts who threw hay bales with a pitch fork. . .

. . .and this friendly chap.  At first I thought he was dressed for a part, but it soon became apparent that he had enjoyed many a Guinness.

The baseball loss had long since been forgotten.  We had a fun afternoon.

We arrived home tired, thirsty, happy, and VERY hungry!  Somehow after all that Celtic Stuff, we all craved a good ‘ol American burger.  Pioneer Woman makes up both a HIS and a HER BURGER.  The female version includes pesto-mayonnaise, sautéed red onions and mushrooms, and blue cheese.  Red (onion), White (mayo and mushrooms), and Blue (cheese) for this American Girl.

Add some fruit salad. . .

. . .and enjoy with our swimmers, baseball player, Daddi, and a very tired two-year old.

COMMENTS:  Delicious! No changes!  HIS BURGER will be showcased in a coming post.

–rebecca

P.S.  This makes me miss summer a little.