Greetings From Atlanta, Georgia

**TandemGeek** · 7th November 16, 07:34 PM

Greetings from another kilt newb.

By way of introduction, I am Mark, aka, the TandemGeek, from the northwest suburbs of Atlanta, Georgia. Late 50’s married to the lovely Miss Debbie – a Georgia native – with adult sons in their late 30’s / early 40’s and five grandkids spread out between 2 and 16 years of age.

My home of record is Reading, Pennsylvania, but have also lived in Ramsey, New Jersey, Arlington Heights, Illinois, Redlands, California and the aforementioned Atlanta, Georgia, suburbs. A USAF veteran, I also spent time in Texas, Indiana, Washington, D.C., and throughout Southern California.

As to my UserID, my wife and I are cycling and tandem cycling enthusiasts and also do a fair bit of motorcycling: I ride a BMW R1100S to work year-round here in Atlanta and when we’re not working around the house, chasing grandkids or cycling on the weekends you’ll usually find us headed somewhere on a Harley-Davidson touring bike: could be to lunch in the mountains or a bar in Key West. I’m a fairly prolific blogger, with one related to tandem cycling and another to “everything else” to include motorcycling.

So, why am I here?

Well, in part it’s because I’m a second generation Scot who has always had an affinity for my Scottish heritage. My grandfather on my mother’s side of the family tree emigrated from Sterling to the US in the 1920s and made his new home Wyomissing, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a machinist in the knitting mills. While he no longer wore a kilt by the time I’d come on the scene in 1960, he did don the Wallace tartan for certain community and church events and the family crest and tartan were ever present at their home. Add to that his lovely Scottish manners, exceptional education, thrift, love of Golf and family and other fine family traits and it made for a lasting impression. We lost him far too early, whilst I was still in my teens. Conversely, on my father’s side of the family tree I’m 7th generation Pennsylvania Dutch (aka, Swiss/German). That side of my family came to the colonies in the early 1700’s as indentured servants to the queen to work off their passage debt in the gunpowder mills of New York. Again, sadly, I never met my grandfather – Dr. Louis (pronounced Louie) -- who was the last true connection to the family's Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and stories since he passed on July 4th 1959, 10 months prior to my arrival. So, my Scottish heritage is the one to which I’ve felt most connected and I'm good with that: I just don't see myself rocking a pair of lederhosen!

So, based on the foregoing, I've had “wear a kilt” on my bucket list along with “learn to play the pipes” for well over 40 years, I recently decided it was time to go in search of what I’ll call “a trial kilt” that I could wear to a costume event. Yeah, yeah I know… that’s not very Scottish: a true Scotsman would just decide to do wear a kilt and that would be that. In a different time and perhaps in a different place that might work; however, being a Gawd-Dammed Yankee (aka, a Northerner who came to the South, didn’t leave and darned if he didn’t marry one of our pretty Southern gals) who isn’t exactly built for the Highland Games at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia, you look for the right time and place: this was my in.

After securing the support of my Dear Debbie I went in search of my first kilt(s). After doing a bit of on-line research and ruling-out a pre-packaged Highland costume based on what I learned I decided to pay a visit to Atlanta Kilts, about an hour away on the other side of Atlanta in Suwanee, Georgia. Yes, I’ve since read the reviews here and, that said, as a novice looking to “learn a little” and to get a little “hand-on experience” Atlanta Kilts was a very good fit for me. Eric & Kathy attended to my needs, answered my simple questions and did their best to find kilts from their “rental fleet” that would fit so I could get a proper appreciation for wearing a kilt properly. My initial measurements suggested a 33”; however, my build was better suited to a 31” waist. Both of the tartans needed to have hems adjusted, which Kathy also would take care of. In summary, my trip to Atlanta Kilts was a great experience for me, a novice. Even after coming way up on the learning curve on kilt making, quality, etc. based on my readings here at XMarks, I have no regrets for the purchases I made, which included a utility kilt and two acrylic/wool traditional tartan kilts from their rental collection: a McDonald and a Black Watch. I also left with black & cream Jacobite shirts, socks, a 2” belt, leather sporran and ordered a second utility kilt before all was said and done. Again, as a novice, I believe my $70 ‘starter kilts’ were all excellent values, as were the other things I purchased. In fact, based on both my upfront research as well as my post visit research I don’t believe I could have fared much better on-line and may have ended up with the wrong size kilts and shirts. But, to what others have written and what I’ve since learned, I would agree Atlanta Kilts is-what-it-is: a business that primarily serves the needs of wedding parties and other ‘groups’ in and around the Atlanta area looking to hire-out Highland attire while also providing a small brick & mortar retail store front that sells entry level traditional and modern kilts for other novice would-be kilt wearers.

To say I was excited about the prospects of wearing my new kilts out in the wild for the first time later that evening would have been an understatement: I was downright giddy. Like every Friday night, we’d be headed to a local sports bar called Loco Willy’s that just happens to have some of the best meals we’ve found in and around Cobb County. Being regulars, the kilt would draw honest feedback and reaction from our friends. I opted to go with the utility kilt with a Harley-Davidson dealer T-shirt from Utah and a pair of black hiking boots with black socks. It was definitely an urban-assault kit, nothing traditional and it was very well received by our friends. Sure, there were a few “nice skirt” comments, but that’s to be expected. But, more to the point, it felt more comfortable than anything else I could have worn and Miss Debbie really liked seeing me in it. Well, so did Miss Jeanette and a few of the other gals.

I’ve since been wearing the kilts almost exclusively when we head out and aren’t on a motorcycle. Well, OK: I did do a quick run to the gas station on the BMW and let's just say kilts and sportbikes don't mix well! Thus far I’m still sticking with the utility kilts with an untucked v-neck sweater: again, not exactly a traditional Highland look but a nice middle-ground for the places we go. Photo below was from another Friday at Loco's that I also shared on another forum thread. I may test the waters with one of the tartan kilts this coming week at our Friday gathering.

Assuming my ‘starter kilt’ exercise continues to go well my goal is to one day “move up” to a higher-end kilt in the family’s Wallace tartan and mate that with an Argyle jacket as a substitute for business suits when we have weddings and such to attend. Not sure if I’ll ever get to a point where I could substitute my tux for formal Highland attire, but who knows. I’d also like to try my hand at making a traditional or utility kilt at some point, just for kicks. I do a fair bit of machine sewing and darning by hand, so it might be an interesting challenge.

Anyway, more than anyone wanted to know, but now you know!

**Father Bill** · 7th November 16, 08:04 PM

Welcome to the "Great Rabble!"

**ASinclair** · 7th November 16, 09:07 PM

Hello Mark!

**Wareyin** · 8th November 16, 05:17 AM

Welcome from another NW Atlanta suburbs member! I'm just west of you, in Dallas, GA. We try to have X-Marks kilt nights about once a month in the Atlanta area, and are trying to plan the November one now. Check this thread if you're interested.