Photo: Wild Horse

When Stuart took his recent weekend trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, he came across a herd of wild horses.  This horse looks like he is getting plenty to eat.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of the Perito Moreno Glacier in the Patagonia region of Argentina.

Photo: Scottsdale Polo Championships

I showed a few photos of spectators at the Scottsdale Polo Championships during the past few days, so I guess I should show a photo of the polo.

Our good friends buy tailgate tickets each year, which allows us to picnic right next to the polo field as the horses thunder past us.

The Scottsdale Polo Championships are coming up again this year on November 1 and 2.  Here is a link to the website for the event.

This week we have photos of the wildlife and people of Tanzania posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site. 

Photo: Water Mark Horse Statue Spouting Storm Water Runoff

Here is a closer view of one of the Water Mark horse statues with storm water runoff streaming through its mouth.  These are like giant aluminum gargoyles.

As the clouds in the background show, we went out to see if there was water running through the horses soon after the storm ended.

This week we are showing photos Cabra Castle, northwest of Dublin, Ireland, on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  It is a castle hotel that is a delightful place to stay.

Photo: Water Mark Horse Sculptures Spouting Water

Here is a closer view of the Water Mark Horse Statues in Indian Bend Wash.  It is a good thing that we got this photo when we did, just after the rain storm ended last Sunday.  About 10 minutes later the spot from which this photo was taken was covered with rushing storm water being carried down Indian Bend Wash.

This week we are showing photos of Paris on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including photos of several of its museums.

Photo: Water Mark Horse Statues, with flowing water

The Water Mark horse statues in Indian Bend wash are an acclaimed public art project that adds visual appeal to what would otherwise be a plain water drainage area.

We had a rare thunderstorm last Sunday afternoon, so we went out to check the statues to see if they had water.  Indeed they did.  This is the first time we have seen them with water coming out of their mouths.

This week we are showing photos of Paris on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, including photos of several of its museums.

Photo: Detail of Arabian Horse Saddlery and Clothes

This is a closer photo of the saddle and robe of the woman displaying the Arabian Horse at the recent Scottsdale Polo Championships.  A lot of care is obviously taken in selecting the clothing to compete in the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show.

This week we are showing photos of the wildlife of the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

Here is a closer view of the Arabian horse promoting the 58th Annual Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show Feb. 14-24, 2013.

Arabian horses have a distinctively long face, as is certainly apparent in this camera angle.

This week we are showing photos of the wildlife of the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Arabian Horses Promoting the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is coming up next month, Feb. 14 - 24, and it is a premier annual event.  As a promotion for it, during the polo matches a couple of months ago they had several of the Arabians out on the polo field during the halftime intermission for spectators to mingle with the horses, as you see in this photo.

This week we are showing photos of the wildlife of the Serengeti Plain of Tanzania on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Polo Championships

The Scottsdale Polo Championships are laid out with tail gaters on one side of the field, and tents for spectators on the other side, as shown in this photo.

One of my two stepsons lives in Buenos Aires, and we have gone to the Palermo Abierto Polo Championships there several times.   It is a tournament that lasts several weeks and is the Super Bowl of polo. There is a large stadium full of people and many more goals are scored in each match.

Despite the differences, Horses and Horsepower in Scottsdale is an enjoyable special event.  Tomorrow I will show you a rather unique way to amuse oneself during the break between matches.

This week we have photos of the folk art of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Polo Players Chasing the Ball

Here is another photo of the action during the Scottsdale Polo Championships at Westworld.

A polo match is divided into 4 chukkas, each 7 minutes long.  The clock stops when the ball goes out of bounds.  

There are 4 players per side, and this photo shows 6 of the 8, with 4 of them chasing the ball right towards me.

This week we have photos of the folk art of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Polo horse thundering by

Polo combines the power of horses galloping with the grace and skill of riders and horses maneuvering and pivoting.  We had tailgate tickets, which meant that we were able to bring our vehicle right up next to the field and set up lawn chairs to watch the action from only a few feet way.

Sometimes cameras can stop action in ways that reveal actions that happen too fast to notice when viewed live.  In the case of this horse galloping past us,  I did not notice how much the horses bend their ankles when they run until I saw this photo.

We loved the vantage point of the tailgate area of the Scottsdale Polo Championships.  The event is also called Horses and Horsepower.  Tomorrow I will show you why.

This week we are showing photos of the folk art of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Polo Player and Horse

Polo players and polo ponies compete for being the most attractive part of the spectacle of polo matches. They compete not only with each other, but also with the spectators, as I will show in some future photos.

This unusual, close angle of a polo horse and rider shows that it is possible to get very close to the players at the Scottsdale Polo Championships last weekend.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing of the ancient temples of Cambodia, including a photo of a monk amidst the Angkor Wat temple that I humbly think is particularly serene and majestic.

Photo: Scottsdale Polo Champtionship

Last Saturday was the Second Annual Scottsdale Polo Championships at Westworld, also called Horses and Horspower.  There were three matches.  The first match featured American born polo players vs. Columbian born players who are members of the Scottsdale polo club.

The second match was the Harvard polo team against a group of inner city youth from Philadelphia who participate in a special program to make polo available to them.

The third match was the  from Hamptons Polo Club from New York vs. the Bel Air Polo Club of California.

This week we have photos of Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Horse Statue on Indian Bend Wash

Here is a photo of the artistic horse statues on Indian Bend Wash in Scottsdale.

These horses look like they are the racing blocks ready to gallop.

The horses really add style to the bridge.

Enjoy our travel photos of my river raft trip down the Grand Canyon at Viva la Voyage!

Photo: Steel Horse and Sky

here is a photo of a steel sculptured horse at Indian Bend Wash in Scottsdale.

A great idea to liven up the boring concrete at the wash.

It almost looks like you are at the races and the horses are ready to run.

Have you galloped on horses and how did you like it?

This week we have photos of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Spring Horses

It is Spring and this photo shows Spring flowers and sculptured bronze horses in downtown Scottsdale.

 Happy Wednesday!!!

This week we have photos of the architecture of Egypt on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site, featuring the intricate patterns of Islamic art.

Photo: Horses Running through the Water

The flowers that I showed in yesterday's photo obscured the fact that these horses are galloping through a fountain in front of the Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort's front entrance. For visitors arriving from cold weather in the East or Midwest in the winter, this statue greets visitors with a reminder that they are indeed now out West.

You can almost feel the motion and energy of these horses just by looking at the statute. A magnificent combination of power and grace.

This week we are showing photos of the Italian village of Cernobbi on the shores of Lake Como on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo; Running horses sculpture

After showing photos of the horse gargoyle sculpture at Indian Bend Wash, I thought I would post photos of another horse sculpture. These galloping horses are in front of the Doubletree Paradise Valley Resort, which is only 3 blocks from our house. It was originally the Loew's Paradise Valley Resort, but changed its affiliation to Doubletree.

The flowers around the statue change with the seasons, of course.

Paradise Valley is a suburb of a little less than 15,000 people in between Phoenix and Scottsdale. Its only commercial zoning is for 5 resorts. It has no stores, no gas stations, no banks, no parks, and no apartments. Across the street from this resort is a small collection of doctor's offices, most of whom are cosmetic surgeons. Those are the only offices of any kind in the town. Its home values are ranked as the 11th most expensive zip code in the country.

This week we are showing photos of the Italian village of Cernobbi on the shores of Lake Como on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Under the Bridge View of a Horse

This is my final photo in this series on the Water Mark horse statues at Indian Bend Wash. They are like giant gargoyles that decorate what would otherwise be an ugly concrete embankment.

I will have to return at dusk or night to do another photo shoot, as they have subtle, colored lighting on the horses. I think I will return sometime when water is flowing, but it could be a couple of years before that happens.

This week we are showing photos of the subtle beauty of nature in Yosemite National Park on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Horse's head and camel's head

This photo shows one of the horses in the Water Mark sculpture framing the head of Camelback Mountain in the distance.

This is a classic photographic technique of combining subjects in the foreground and background to add depth and interest.

Aluminum seems like a good material for outdoor sculpture, as it will not rust and is light weight. I wonder why it is not used more. Maybe it is difficult to work with, as this sculpture was made from welded sheets, not poured into a mold like bronze.

This week we are showing photos of the subtle beauty of nature in Yosemite National Park on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.