Atlanta St. Andrews Society Burns Dinner

[M. A. C. Newsome]

My family and I just returned this afternoon from a trip to Atlanta. We had a good visit with family down there, but the primary reason for the trip was to attend the Robert Burns Dinner hosted by the St. Andrews Society of Atlanta, held at the Marietta Country Club.

It was a fantastic evening, with wonderful food, well-dressed attendees, and grand toasts all around. I was invited down with my wife to give the Immortal Memory speech.

I saw at least one other X-Marker in attendance, Gilmore. Sadly, we did not get many photos of the actual dinner. However, the St. Andrews Society did have a photographer going round documenting the evening, and I am told there will be a shutterfly site with all the pictures up. I'll post a link to that as soon as I get the details.

In the meantime, here is a "going out" pic of my wife and I prepared for the evening.


We actually took several such shots, but the lighting was terrible in nearly every one. The above represents the best, sad to say!

I did photograph one particular gentleman I met that evening, named Ephram MacLean. I had to have his photo, because when I saw him walk in the door, before I saw his face, I thought he might be our own Sanford MacLean from his outfit!


He was definitely the most colorfully dressed there, in the sea of other men all in their black jackets. He and I had a good chat about Highland attire. He has a doublet in the same tartan as his kilt (MacLean of Duart), which he actually had refashioned out of a tartan double-breasted sport coat that he picked up from a consinment shop for $35! Just happened to be a match for the colors and sett size of his kilt. Lucky SOB! :-)

In any case, a good time was had by all, and I will put up more pictures when/if I have them.