San Diego (Vista) Games 2022

[OC Richard]

I attended the San Diego Highland Games (held in the city of Vista for many years) yesterday.

It was the first since 2019.

This is the fourth Games I've attended post-Covid 2022, the others being Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Costa Mesa.

The weather was oddly hot, feeling much hotter than what the thermometer said.

The Pipe Band competition was going to be small anyway, but was even smaller due to 4 bands scratching last-minute. They're supposed to play today.

Here's the hometown Cameron Highlanders of San Diego. This band was founded in thee 1940s by a returning WWII soldier. They've worn Cameron of Erracht (ancient colours) for many years.

To right is piping judge Bruce Hitchings. Originally from New Zealand he immigrated to Scotland and spent a long career in the army, rising to Pipe Major of the Queens Own Highlanders. Now retired, he travels the world teaching and judging.



Here's the University of California Riverside pipe band wearing their bespoke tartan. (I don't know why bands around here wear those vivid blue shirts.)



The City of Glendale pipe band. They're from Glendale Arizona. It can cause confusion because we also have a City of Glendale here in Southern California, which used to have a pipe band as well.

They wear a self-designed tartan.



Here's the lovely pleating on their kilts.



The Pasadena Scots in California tartan.

To right is piping judge Scott MacDonald, Pipe Major of the Los Angeles Scottish pipe band.



It was very nice to see Robbie Connacher piping in the UCR pipe band, and I caught up with him for a chat.

When I joined my first pipe band 1977 he was one of the pipers and it's great to see him still in the circle.

Here you can see the UCR pipe band's lovely bespoke kilt and their incredibly vivid shirt and tie. As you might imagine the university's colours are blue and gold.

[grizzbass]

I attended the San Diego Highland Games (held in the city of Vista for many years) yesterday.

It was the first since 2019.

This is the fourth Games I've attended post-Covid 2022, the others being Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Costa Mesa.

The weather was oddly hot, feeling much hotter than what the thermometer said.

The Pipe Band competition was going to be small anyway, but was even smaller due to 4 bands scratching last-minute. They're supposed to play today.

Here's the hometown Cameron Highlanders of San Diego. This band was founded in thee 1940s by a returning WWII soldier. They've worn Cameron of Erracht (ancient colours) for many years.

To right is piping judge Bruce Hitchings. Originally from New Zealand he immigrated to Scotland and spent a long career in the army, rising to Pipe Major of the Queens Own Highlanders. Now retired, he travels the world teaching and judging.



Here's the University of California Riverside pipe band wearing their bespoke tartan. (I don't know why bands around here wear those vivid blue shirts.)



The City of Glendale pipe band. They're from Glendale Arizona. It can cause confusion because we also have a City of Glendale here in Southern California, which used to have a pipe band as well.

They wear a self-designed tartan.



Here's the lovely pleating on their kilts.



The Pasadena Scots in California tartan.

To right is piping judge Scott MacDonald, Pipe Major of the Los Angeles Scottish pipe band.



It was very nice to see Robbie Connacher piping in the UCR pipe band, and I caught up with him for a chat.

When I joined my first pipe band 1977 he was one of the pipers and it's great to see him still in the circle.

Here you can see the UCR pipe band's lovely bespoke kilt and their incredibly vivid shirt and tie. As you might imagine the university's colours are blue and gold.

In orange county we could hear some of the bands from the field which I like but not the folk bands (of course they changed them this year and I wasn't particularly fond of the replacements. Yesterday and today we could hear the folk bands but not the pipe and drums. It would be nice if they could organize it so I could hear the bands and take pictures for the heavies.

[OC Richard]

While in the big Beer Garden I only saw The Wicked Tinkers.

I didn't hear the other folk/rock bands due to being in the piping area most of the day.

Well you could hear distant booming! and try to block it out.