The Slower Road

(Now that I’m back in the States, and using the Internet in the CAA office instead of the slooooow Internet in our Windsor hotel, I’ll be uploading a few more blog posts about the Royal Windsor Horse Show.)

Friday morning began with the (adorable!) in-hand classes for the wide variety of Britain’s “mountain and moorland” native pony breeds. These include everything from Shetland and Fell ponies (in the first two photos) to Exmoor, Dartmoor, Dales, Connemara, and Highland ponies … and probably a few I’m forgetting.

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Then, around midday, twenty coaches set out on their drive through the park.

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Later in the afternoon, A.J. and I stepped back in time as we visited the campsite of a group of World War II “home front” re-enactors. One of the interesting things about the gala performance every evening (celebrating the Queen’s birthday) is that many of the performers — like these re-enactors, or the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in the final photo — had outposts of sorts throughout the show grounds, or they would present special demonstrations and shows during the day.

Every year, the Royal Windsor Horse Show is so much more than just a horse show!

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One of my favorite festivals, in one of my favorite places in the world — Sevilla’s Feria de Abril (even though it’s in May this year) — begins at midnight tonight, when the city switches on the overhead lights and the party starts.

I’ve been lucky to attend the feria three times over the past several years, both with Spanish friends and twice with groups of CAA travelers.

I hope you enjoy these photos from my first visit to the feria, in 2009. To see more (and other photos of the area), click on “Spain” in the list of blog categories.

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For today, another lovely old street scene: this one from Detroit, c. 1907. There’s a line of delivery vehicles waiting outside a grocers’ and a couple of others in the street.

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Welcome to March: part of our never-ending winter!
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Needless to say (as there’s a layer of ice under all that new snow), we’re taking a Snow Day today.

I have to admit that I haven’t yet (and probably won’t) make it back out to the main arena today for the second day of dressage at the Kentucky Classic CDE. So I do apologize, but I won’t have any more dressage photos to post here. BUT, I’ll be here at the Horse Park this weekend, so stay tuned for lots of marathon and cones-competition photos!

You can find the complete event results, by division, phase, etc. … at the Driving News USA website.