Celtic Fest 2014

England went to war in Scotland with an army of Irish Mercenaries, Welsh Longbowmen and English Knights.  The plucky Scots replied with bag pipes and sticks.  But the Scottish stick, called a caber, was 19 feet long and this one weighed 135 pounds:

Here is the lift.

The beginning of the throw

End over end.  The black tape is not of any significance.  It was a duct tape repair job after the caber was broken in an earlier toss.

1 to toss it, and 5 to return the bloody thing.

 Of these two weapons of war, it was the bag pipe that the English tried to ban in the1700's

These photographs were taken from the Celtic Classic event this weekend.  Where the national finalists for the Celtic Highland Games competed in Bethlehem Pennsylvania.  It was wonderful seeing those big men throw big things across the field.  One man beat the record for throwing a 56 pound weight to a height of 17'9", then took his third shot and broke the record again at 18' 6". 

Something You Don't See Everyday (Part 2)

Here is something you don't see everyday.  Imagine you kayaking on a small lake, no more than 2 miles wide from end to end, and a hundred miles from the ocean.  The scene is quiet except for the paddling of nearby boats, and the faint rustle of fabric from the sunfish sailboats.  The reverie is broken by a horn.  You turn, and see this:

The Norseman.

The Viking ship Norseman is owned by the Leif Ericson Viking Ship, Inc.  This ship has sailed in many a strange water including Sweden and Russia, but mainly stays close to the American east coast.

Their website is at the Viking Ship.