Andy’s Blog
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The Rusty Piper
What can you construct from a bucket of rusty scrap metal railroad spikes, horseshoes, and square nails? A mess in your backyard, of course, if you have a stick welder handy! This weekend I pieced together this little garden sculpture of a rusty bagpiper. I soaked the gathered pieces in white vinegar first to loosen… Read more
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Raven Bagpiper
Someone recently asked me, “Why did you chose the name, Raven Bagpiper? Are you a Baltimore Ravens fan? Or are you named after Edgar Allan Poe’s dreary midnight visitor a raven, Nevermore?” Nope! I’m just fascinated by ravens! And I think ravens and bagpipes fit well together. Ravens and mankind are deeply entwined within daily… Read more
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Hogmanay
Hogmanay (Hog-Man-Nay) is what the Scots call New Year’s Eve. And they celebrate Hogmanay across Scotland with a grab bag of quirky, festive traditions involving visits to loved ones, singing, gift giving, whiskey drinking, juniper smoke, fireballs, and cold plunges. First Footing. A first-footer is the first person to enter the house after midnight on… Read more
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Stalking the Wild Haggis
Officially, haggis is a sausage filled with finest lamb, beef, oats, onions and spices. It’s a great source of iron, fibre, and carbohydrate with no artificial colours. The plural of Haggis is Haggis. Authentic “wild” or “free range”Haggis (or Haggis scoticus, spelled with a capital H) is significantly more difficult to obtain, especially outside of… Read more
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Bagpipes for Memorial Services
Music can reach into the very core of our being, communicating feelings that words frequently find difficult to express. In the context of funeral rituals, music plays an important role in providing solace, paying tribute, and creating a solemn environment that honors the memory of a loved one. Bagpipe music stands out as an evocative… Read more
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The Piper Dinosaur
Apparently, bagpipes have been around for 76 million years! Parasaurolophus, meaning “Near Crested Lizard”, is a genus of ornithopod dinosaur that lived in North America (Alberta, New Mexico, and Utah) during the late Cretaceous Period, about 76.5-73 million years ago. It was a herbivore that walked both as a biped and as a quadruped. This… Read more