Costa Mesa Highland Games 2017

[OC Richard]

Yesterday I attended, and not having the music up in my new band I helped tune up the band for competition.

The morning was cool and overcast, in the afternoon a blazing sun came out though the weather stayed cool.

As usual I took a few pipe band photos with my awful phone camera.

I don't know the name of this band, circled up in the morning doing a quick tuneup before the opening ceremony. I don't recognize the tartan.



Here they are marching toward the stadium, passing a member of the LAPD Emerald Society Pipe Band. On his shoulder are c1950-1980 catalin-mounted pipes.



Here's the Cal Fire Local 2881 Pipe Band.



The first band I helped tune up was the Kevin Blandford Memorial Pipe Band (Grade 5). I was told that most of these people have only been playing two years. They sounded great and won first in their grade. They wear the Roxburgh District Tartan in House Of Edgar's muted range.

Marching up to the final tune-up area, the call of "hats! hats!" has not yet been made.



Marching out of the circle. In both shots you can see the Pipe Major looking over keeping an eye on his flock.



Here is The House Of Scotland Pipe Band. I think their tartan is the nicest seen yesterday, the fairly recent San Diego Tartan. My crummy phone camera doesn't do it justice. (I just Googled that tartan, there's not any photos online that do it justice.) The hose work great with the tartan, I think they're called St Andrews Blue (darker and stronger than shows here).



My phone camera is especially defeated by mottled lighting like this. But I wanted to show the Queen City Pipe Band, and their unusually nice uniform, Weathered tartan kilts and tweed waistcoats. (Queen City is a nickname for Denver.)