Ok, so I'm doing this a bit backward. I didn't notice the "newbie" area until I'd lurked a few months, and then finally posted a question a couple of days ago.

So now that I have both feet in the ether, I suppose I should introduce myself properly!

I'm a tall, bald, Iowa boy who moved to Texas about 17 years ago. I ride my Harley about 15,000 miles a year, raise Golden Retrievers, love woodworking and aquariums, used to shoot competition pistol, and generally do whatever I enjoy doing.

I was always raised that my family is, "Scots-Irish". I'm not absolutely sure what that means other than "coastal"(?) I suppose, but my grandmother was Scottish, and my grandfather was Irish/Swedish. I remember he spoke with a strong Irish accent.

I think a lot of the family gravitates toward the Swedish side, but I have always loved everything Scottish, so I chose to claim THAT side instead. So there.

My wife and I FINALLY got to take a trip to Scotland last September. Travelled around Edinburgh, Inverness, and Glasgow with a group. Now I'm really itching to go back on our own and really take time to see more things.

My main goal whilst there was to get a kilt made in the family tartan. After much researching, I ended up seeking out Kinloch Anderson's store in Edinburgh (Leith). We spent several hours there, and finally ordered a 100% hand made medium-weight kilt (MacIntyre Hunting - ancient), and all the accessories.

It arrived about 6 weeks after we returned home, and it is beautiful. So now I'm waiting for a reason to wear it (I know I could wear it to work, but I'm just not that brave!). I'll have to wait for the next festival or highland games or something.

So that's about it. Hello everyone!

-Van