Hey Y'all!

I'm a native Texan living in exile in California. I've been wearing modern kilts, contemporary kilts, MUGs or by whatever other name you may call these, mainly out of respect for Scottish Folk but a few months ago I got the itching for a tartan kilt and I got a beautifully made kilt from Steve Ashton at Freedom kilts, Stewart Hunting Modern.

I wore this kilt at the Kerrville Folk Festival, where I volunteer every year (keeps my ties to Texas). I want to recount something that happened in the first few days I was there.

My friend Pam was making a run to town for some food and water and since I didn't have a car I asked if I could tag along. Once Pam said yes I told her I'd have to go to my camp (half way into the ranch--EVERYTHING'S BIG IN TEXAS) so I could change into some shorts. Pam asked, "Do you think I'd be embarrassed to be seen with someone wearing a kilt?"

Since she wasn't embarrassed, I wasn't going to be either. Now, let me tell you about Kerrville, it's a very conservative town in the middle of the hill country. It's a really neat town and twice a year for the Big Folk Festival and the Little Folk Festival, the town increases in size with a lot of progressive and liberal folks coming to the festivals.

At any rate, I had to stop by a coffee place to get some grounds to make Turkish Coffee and while I was waiting I heard a voice with a BIG TX accent from behind me, "Dude, I just realized you're wearing a skirt!!"

Then the man's wife or girlfriend responding, "That's not a skirt; it's a kilt!"

At the same time I turned, looked worriedly and surprised down toward my kilt and breathed a sigh of relief "WOW, for a moment I thought I'd mistakenly taken my wife's skirt and put it on instead of my kilt." (I'm not even married but I thought the line was a good one)

All of us laughed, the man apologized for having mistaken the kilt for a woman's skirt and then we had a little chat as my coffee got grounded/ground (?). It was an awesome experience where something could have been ugly but came out light and humorous.

I love the Kerrville Folk Festival. I love the beautiful Hill Country of my home state. And I love being kilted.

Cheers!