Greetings from Orange County, California

[DyerStraits]

A very warm welcome to the Kilted Rabble. Mark.

You are obviously and already comfortable with wearing a kilt, and ready to proudly embrace your Highland heritage. My advice to you however is to by no means not ignore your Teutonic roots as well. If you do not yet own a pair of lederhosen, with the requisite accessories, do not hesitate to acquire them, because, as you probably already know, Lederhosen are the German/Bavarian equivalent of the Kilt--they both represent primal masculine honor, strength,valor, industry, virility, decorum, etc. (Also, lederhosen socks can be used as kilt hose, and vice versa!) Wear them both appropriately, and correctly accessorized, with pride, bravado and diplomacy.

[OC Richard]

Here is one of me in my kilt less than 10 min after I put it on for the first time...my wife had just insisted I get a kilt and then insisted on a sporran and chain.

Wow what a fantastic wife! Many women DO like their men in kilts!

I'm in Tustin, the band I play in was there at the Queen Mary all weekend (there was a thread on the Highland Games subforum).

Welcome to XMarks!

Interesting about the Navy tartan, when I took Elsie Stuehmeyer's kiltmaking class a year ago there was a Navy guy in the class, and he brought in that beautiful Navy tartan for his first foray into kiltmaking.

While other people in the class were chatting and dillydallying that Navy man worked at a steady determined pace, utterly focused on the job at hand. He said at one point "I'm a man on a mission!"

You know, he was the only person who completely finished their kilt by the end of the class! He posed for a photo with Elsie, proudly wearing his creation.

Will we see you down at the Fairgrounds, Memorial Day weekend, for the Costa Mesa Games? Maybe we can have an XMarks meetup!

See ya, Richard

[AcuteEnigma]

Welcome from Irvine, California! I hope you can make it to the Scottish games at the Costa Mesa fairgrounds in May. There is camping with evening parties too. Just so you know. :-)

Julie

[Father Bill]

Welcome to the "Great Rabble!"

[grizzbass]

greetings from a bit further north

[NorseCelt]

Greetings Mark, and welcome to the forum from north-eastern Illinois.

[Elizabeth]

Welcome Mark! In addition to the Costa Mesa Games there are also the San Diego Games June 28th- 29th, and the Seaside Games in Ventura starting October 10th.

[MarkThomas]

First - I am absolutely blessed by a wonderful wife. I married above my level. Second, I want to say thanks for all the replies to my meager post and I am very happy to be a part of the kilt wearing community! I am not yet at the point of being able to spend several hundred dollars on the Kennedy Modern 8 yard kilt that I would dearly love to have, but then again, I need to be 20 to 30 pounds lighter than I am now before I make that sort of investment anyway, so it will all work out at the proper time.

I purchased my Sport Kilt at the Queen Mary Scots festival and since I live relatively close to the Sport Kilt business, I dropped in to purchase hose, flashes, a sgian dubh, and a kilt pin for the St. Patrick's day festivities this weekend. While the products are inexpensive and not of the highest quality, they do serve my needs as a casual kilt wearer for now. And the customer service was outstanding! That said, I do keep looking at 13oz 8 yard kilts online and wishing I could justify the expense now.

OC Richard, I will definitely be at the Costa Mesa games on both Saturday and Sunday and would love to meet you and get acquainted.

[MarkThomas]

Thanks Julie!

Camping? As in RV camping? That sounds like a winner to me! Either way, we will be there both days.

Mark

[MarkThomas]

Thanks! Up to about a year ago I lived in Nuevo, then Menifee. I still get out to Temecula from time to time as I work for Abbott (I just do it from my home office now).

Mark