I am fueled by opportunities to be creative. This Monday, I stole away for a couple of hours and found myself inspired.

Kevin Kelly famously said, "In so many ways, a friend with a boat is better than owning a boat." He needed to add, "Especially if your friends are super fun to be with!"

Upon our return to the Sierra, we promptly headed to Virginia City, Nevada for our first ever Great Basin Scottish Highland Games: A celebration of Scottish culture, traditions, and the great highland games.

"Celebrating ancestral tradition, these unique events bring a taste of Scottish heritage and feature competitions like Stone Throw, Hammer Throw, Weight for Distance, Weight Over Bar, Sheaf Toss, and Caber Toss. Witness the impressive displays of strength, balance, and skill while enjoying beard competitions, kilts, and vendors for an unforgettable experience."

We found this description to be quite accurate, "In their original form many centuries ago, Highland games revolved around athletic and sports competitions. Though other activities were always a part of the festivities, many today still consider Highland athletics to be what the games are all about—in short, the athletics are the Games, and all the other activities are just entertainment."

We were amazed by the Caber Toss in which a long log is stood upright and hoisted by the competitor who balances it vertically holding the smaller end in his hands. Then the competitor runs forward attempting to toss it in such a way that it turns end over end with the upper (larger) end striking the ground first. The smaller end that was originally held by the athlete then hits the ground in the 12 o’clock position measured relative to the direction of the run.

If successful, the athlete is said to have turned the caber. Cabers vary greatly in length, weight, taper, and balance, all of which affect the degree of difficulty in making a successful toss. Competitors are judged on how closely their throws approximate the ideal 12 o’clock toss on an imaginary clock.

The Hammer Throw involves a round metal ball (weighing 16 or 22 lb. for men or 12 or 16 lb. for women) is attached to the end of a shaft about 4 feet in length. With the feet in a fixed position, the hammer is whirled about one’s head and thrown for distance over the shoulder. Hammer throwers sometimes employ specially designed footwear with flat blades to dig into the turf to maintain their balance and resist the centrifugal forces of the implement as it is whirled about the head. This substantially increases the distance attainable in the throw.

Weight Throw is also known as the weight for distance event. There are actually two separate events, one using a light (28 lb. for men and 14 lb. for women) and the other a heavy (56 lb. for men, 42 lb. for masters men, and 28 lb. for women) weight. The weights are made of metal and have a handle attached either directly or by means of a chain. The implement is thrown using one hand only, but otherwise using any technique. Usually a spinning technique is employed. The longest throw wins.

One competitor said that they were not allowed to wear their kilts in the traditional way, "Traditionally, nothing is worn under a kilt. Known as going regimental, this custom originated from historical military practices in the Scottish Highland regiments. However, modern kilt wearers often prioritize comfort and hygiene." This photo shows us why.

The Stone Put is similar to the modern-day shot put as seen in the Olympic Games. Instead of a steel shot, a large stone of variable weight is often used. There are two versions of the stone toss events, differing in allowable technique. The “Braemar Stone” uses a 20–26 lb. stone for men (13–18 lb. for women) and does not allow any run up to the toeboard or “trig” to deliver the stone, i.e., it is a standing put. In the “Open Stone” using a 16–22 lb. stone for men (or 8–12 lb. for women), the thrower is allowed to use any throwing style so long as the stone is put with one hand with the stone resting cradled in the neck until the moment of release.

I think we were most impressed with the Weight Over The Bar event in which the athletes attempt to toss a 56-pound (4-stone) weight with an attached handle over a horizontal bar using only one hand. Each athlete is allowed three attempts at each height. Successful clearance of the height allows the athlete to advance into the next round at a greater height. The competition is determined by the highest successful toss with fewest misses being used to break tie scores.

I can't imagine throwing 56 pounds especially over my head. We were cringing at times. Yikes.

This guy is an international competitor and he threw higher than what appeared humanly possible. See the word WOW. His weight is to the right of the ... !

"In the absence of weapons of war,

the Scots turned to alternative methods of military training—

Highland Games.

In the games, they could train with hammers,

pitchforks, stones, and the like—

obeying the letter of the law

but not the spirit of it."

And if all that wasn't enough, our visit ended with armored fighting. How very cool!

Some of our most enjoyable Summer nights have been spent in the company of dear friends at Moonlight Amphitheatre.

When the stars all align and we're able to attend a production, we feel very fortunate. This evening, under those stars, was very well planned. We were here to celebrate some important milestone birthdays.

Lynne's birthday gift was this evening a the theater. I'm a big believer in presence vs presents whenever possible.

This scene, with Karen and family in party hats, is quite a common one. The June production of Moonlight's summer series is always when we celebrate Karen's birthday.

It's hard to believe the film that thrilled us and truly gave us a need for speed turned 40 on May 16th. To celebrate, we dined at Kansas City Barbecue where some of our favorite scenes from one of our favorite movies, Top Gun were filmed.

Oh, and we were given the opportunity to be Kelly and Tom... if only for a cheesy photo opportunity.

FOUR DECADES later and I am still a huge fan of this film. It's truly a classic. What fun to celebrate its memory at Kansas City Barbecue.