Photo: The social scene at the Scottsdale Polo Championships

The Scottsdale Polo Championships, held this past weekend, are as much a social event as they are a polo match. When the event was first held 4 years ago, it attracted only a few thousand spectators.  The newspaper projected that this year 15,000 or so people will attend.

We have attended the Palermo Open Polo Championships in Buenos Aires, Argentina, several times while visiting my step son.  In what is the Super Bowl of polo, they fill a large stadium with matches in a tournament that lasts about a month.  It will be a long time, if ever, before polo develops in the USA to the level of Argentina, but it is fun activity at whatever level it is played and watched.

I do not dress up like the women in this photo when attending polo matches, but they look like they are having fun.  The guy in the back of the photo looks like he is having fun, too.

This week we have photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia. posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Halftime at the Scottsdale Photo

During halftime at the Scottsdale Polo Championships, fans are invited to walk the field to stop on divots to smooth out the field.  It is a social activity, and people are dressed in style, which sometimes includes shoes that do not seem well designed to smooth out horse divots on a polo field.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted  on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing some photos of the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia.

Photo: Horses and Horsepower

The Scottsdale Polo Championships this weekend have the theme "Horses and Horsepower."  The event includes a display of cars from the Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Auction, which is held every January.  It is the country's premier classic car auction.

this photo is from the time we attended the Polo Championships two years ago.  It featured displays from the Bondurant School of High Performance Driving, which teaches and gives people a chance to drive cars around a race rack.

Unfortunately, we have too much work to attend he polo matches this weekend.

This week we are showing photos of Budapest, Hungary on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Polo Championships

Polo players and their horses must act as one in  changing directions and chasing the ball.  One side of the polo field at the Scottsdale Polo Championships is set up for tailgating, which allows specters to bring their vehicles right next to the field and set up lawn chairs to watch the matches up close.  It is exhilarating for polo players and their horses to thunder past

This week we are showing photos of Budapest, Hungary on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Scottsdale Polo Chamionships

This weekend is the Scottsdale Polo Championships.  We won't be able to go, but I am posting a photo from when we attended the event in the past.

Now in its 4th year, this event is growing, with additional festivities planned besides the polo matches.  The program for this year advertises that they will have what they are calling "The World's Longest Fashion Show" as well as a "Canine Couture" fashion show.

There will also be a car show sponsored by the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction.

This week we are showing photos of Budapest, Hungary on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

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: Pink Hat at Scottsdale Polo Championships

Here is another photo that I considered posting for yesterday's Theme Day of "pink."  It is also from last fall's Scottsdale Polo Championships.  The people watching at this even included lots of women in fancy hats.  I was not one of them.

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 Tanzania posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  We are showing photos of some of its wildlife and people.

Theme Day: Pink, Pink, and Pink

Today's theme for City Daily Photo bloggers around the world is "pink."  For this theme I chose some of the outfits worn by attendees at the Scottsdale Polo Championships last fall.

I don't know what was more fun, watching the polo horses or watching the people.  They had lots of custom cars on display as well.  The event is coming up again this year on November 1 and 2.  Here is a link to the website for the event.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing photos of Tanzania, including some of its wildlife and people.

Here is a link to see how other City Daily Photo bloggers have interpreted the theme of "Pink."

Photo: Young spectator at the polo match

Here is a photo of a young spectator at the Scottsdale Polo Championships.  She seems to have a sense that the fashion for the event included a hat.

Photo: People Watching at the Polo Championships

Sometimes the people watching competes with the events at which the people are attending.  Stepping back from the Arabian horse that I showed the last few days revealed this scene of the people watching the horses during halftime of the Scottsdale Polo Championships.

I considered cropping this photo to show the person who is the primary subject of the photo, but I decided that was not necessary.  The viewers' eyes will focus on the primary subject even with the distraction of the wider scene.  Just as the man at the left seems to be doing.

Today is Sunday, so we have new photos posted on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.  This week we are showing another series of photos of the ancient Khmer Temples of Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Photo: Passing Time between Polo Matches

I mentioned yesterday that some spectators had unusual ways to pass the time between polo matches.  A group of people tailgating near us
brought with them a bean bag toss game.

They were playing a children's game while consuming adult beverages.

My husband does have a Panama hat that he wears at times in our warm desert sun, but Dave does not own and sports coat & shorts outfits like you see here.

The Horses & Horsepower event at the Scottsdale Polo Championships is an event to see and be seen.  These folks certainly accomplished the latter.

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: 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: You supply the caption

Women, such as those I have shown the past few days, were not the only ones wearing stylish hats at the Scottsdale Polo Championship at Westworld.

What do you think these two men were saying to each other?

My guess is that it is more likely that they were talking about the fast cars on display at this Horses and Horsepower event than talking aobut the fast horses.  Or maybe they were talking about women.  Or cigars. Whatever it was, they seemed to enjoy themselves a great deal over the course of the afternoon.

This week we are showing photos of bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Hats at the Polo Matches

Here is an even fancier hat than yesterday's photo of a spectator at the Scottsdale Polo Championship at Westworld.  This was my first year attending the Horses and Horsepower event, but apparently nearly everyone else knew to wear a fancy hat.

It was not just the women who were wearing hats, as I will show tomorrow.

This week we are showing photos of bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Cheering at the Polo Matches

At the Scottsdale Polo Championship  at Westworld, the people watching was a bonus in addition to watching the polo matches and the cars on display at this "Horses and Horsepower" event.

This woman was cheering her favorites on the polo field from beneath her hat.  Hats seemed to be a popular fashion accessory.

This week we are showing photos of bottom of the Grand Canyon on our Viva la Voyage travel photo site.

Photo: Ferrari's at the Polo Championship

l mentioned yesterday that the Scottsdale Polo Championship at Westworld is also called Horses and Horsepower.  Today's photo shows one of the reasons.

The sponsors for the Scottsdale Polo Championship include the Barrett Jackson Classic Car Auction and the Scottsdale Ferrari and Maseratti dealership.  The car dealer had an impressive array of Ferrari's on display, some of which you see here.

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 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 Match Spectators

I mentioned yesterday that the polo players and polo ponies had competition from the spectators at the polo match.  It was a great place for people watching.

During half time of each match, they encouraged spectators to leave their seats and walk out onto the field to stomp on divots.  They played dance music to encourage people to get into the activity.

Some people stomped.  Others socialized and mingled.  Some took photos.

This week we have photos of ancient temples of Cambodia posted 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.