Estes Park Scottish Heritage Festival

I have never see so many kilts in one place. Ate haggis and meat pies for the first time. Saw guys throwing empty beer kegs in the "Keg Over Bar" competition. Heard some talented Celtic bands and solo performers. And, of course, pipers and drummers -

Lake Louise No! Lake Sherbrooke Yes!

One of the many reasons to dislike the Lake Louise area is the crowds. The awesome beauty of this lake with its iconic hotel sitting at the end if often mocked and marred by hordes of tourists on a nice sunny summer day. So to be sure, we did not give the old gal her best chance by visiting midday on a Sunday in August. Just a zoo of traffic and people. We took a quick look and split.

The alternate plan was to hike up along the (slightly) less popular, nearby Moraine Lake. As we drove around to it, the road was closed. The parking lot was so full that they stopped traffic for a while. We went back down to the visitor's center. The helpful ranger suggested a hike just over the Kicking Horse pass in Yoho to Lake Sherbrooke. Nice hike, not a lot of work. A chance for Katie and Nate to stretch their legs in the alpine air. Very picturesque lake.

Couple of pictures - Lake Louise, then Nate on the side of the trail at Lake Sherbrooke.

The Jennys

We hope to enjoy live music whenever we can on our trip. There is nothing better than a warm summer evening, a picnic supper and somebody up on stage. We are off to a grand start as last evening we enjoyed dinner and a show at Infinity Music Hall and Bistro in Hartford. It was a delayed mutual Christmas present, but well worth the wait. The Wailin' Jennys were on stage.

We have enjoyed the music of the trio of Nicky Mehta, Heather Masse and Ruth Moody on the radio and in recordings for a number of years. They are famous for their tight harmonies and musicianship. Each of them have solo careers as each of their voices can stand on its own. Together they are magic.

Seeing them live added another dimension to their singing and took the music to a new level. Each of them taking leads on different songs, stepping up on one and then blending in on others. Polished, poised, working hard to make the music effortless. They joy of three friends knowing the gift they had found in singing together. It was one of the finest live performances I have ever seen.