National Night Out

Back in August, Downey celebrated National Night Out with a variety of activities at the Civic Center. This was the first National Night Out for the Downey Police Department’s mounted unit, which is overseen by Captain Mark McDaniel and Detective Paul Hernandez. Mark and Paul, along with their equine partners “Captain” and “Coqueta,” posed patiently for me.

In actual practice, Captain and Coqueta don't actually do much policing. They get to come out for events like this, where they are admired and patted by both adults and kids.

In another area, the Downey Police Explorers fingerprinted kids for a National Child ID kit. Nearby, a Downey motorcycle officer showed a young girl how to use a radar gun to determine if a driver is speeding. Lots of other activities and freebies made this a fun night for Downey families.

The wild horses of the Camargue

I've always loved horses, and the wild and free beauty of the horses of the Camargue region in France was especially appealing. (You can see an example of how these horses are typically photographed here.) I should have known that the odds of seeing the horses in this environment were about as great as the odds of seeing a bear in Yosemite in the winter!

Many of these horses have been domesticated, and we did see a lot of them in pastures or stables, available for horseback riding throughout the region. Even domesticated, they are still beautiful.

Giddy-up

Who could resist? This is one of the coolest horse swings I have seen!

"No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." 
~ Winston Churchill

Horse power

The Rio San Gabriel riverbed gets a fair amount of traffic, despite not being very scenic. I like seeing the horses, they always look a little regal to me. And, of course, there are always dogs to get their daily exercise too.

"It is not enough for a man to know how to ride; he must know how to fall."
~ Mexican Proverb

Crunch time

It's crunch time for the Downey entry in the 2015 Tournament of Roses Parade. With just two more days remaining to complete the float, there's a lot of work to be done, and the volunteers are appearing from all over. Everyone is welcome to help out in any way they can.

The horse is in pretty good shape, although this volunteer is pointing out an area still to be covered.

Some of the volunteers work on flower preparation, placing each flower in its own vial. (For a $2 contribution, you can put your name on the vial and the team will put it on the float.)

Others, such as this Junior Girl Scout troop, help keep the floors swept up.

The Rose Parade - A fine Saturday morning part 4

It's the day after Christmas today, and most of us finally start thinking about the New Year. But the Downey Rose Float Association started thinking many months ago, from fundraising all year long to the design and implementation of this year's entry for the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena.

For my final stop in my Saturday "walks" three weeks ago (I admit, I drove to this destination), I stopped by the warehouse where the Rose Parade float is in progress.

At this point, progress is more apparent to the planners than to the casual passer-by. This year's theme is "Home for the Holidays," and this pile of plywood and a horse has a long way to go before it matches the vision in the designer's head.

But it will get there. With the hard work of the Association members and all the loyal volunteers who come out to help each year, it will be a beautiful sight the next time I stop by.

Enjoying the walk

What I enjoyed most at this 63rd Downey Christmas Parade was seeing how much the participants enjoyed themselves. From this girl, above, grinning at her family on the sidelines, to the Downey Razorback cheerleaders below, everyone was having a great time.



Even the horse and his rider, concentrating intensely on the horse's dance steps, were clearly enjoying every step.

Even though it's called the Downey Christmas Parade, the participants aren't limited to just Downey. I saw banners from Montebello, Santa Fe Springs, and Norwalk, just to name a few. They all contribute to making the parade a huge success!

Los Angeles County Fair

My wife and I went to the Los Angeles County Fair tonight. On our way to the farm area, we watched the Clydesdale horses park the Budweiser wagon. They are huge animals.

I asked the driver if the horses were good for riding. He replied that some people do ride them but they are built to pull. You need some wide legs to straddle those horses.

Once we got to the farm area, we saw a bee exhibit, a blacksmith exhibit, and lots of plants, both vegetable-bearing and just pretty ones.

On parade

The first few days of December were very busy in Downey with Christmas activities. Thursday night was was the Christmas tree lighting celebration, which I'll come back to later this week. And today was the annual Downey Christmas Parade.

People lined the sidewalks on Downey Avenue and up 3rd Street to the Civic Center. (I got there a bit late, so I didn't have the best view.) My favorite paraders were the horses, with their proud prancing steps.

But there were also marching bands and cheerleaders from all the local schools, and cowboys, and floats, and guide dogs, and of course Santa Clause...

For two hours, on a perfect 70 degree afternoon, everyone enjoyed the show.

Horsepower

We were out running errands when we saw this van. Since I was driving, I had my daughter take the picture with my cell phone. Although the encounter was too quick to get his name, the van driver was quick to point out that the horses glued to the top of his vehicle were not his idea—it was his father's handiwork.

I decided his dad was just trying to increase his "horsepower."

Rural Ukraine

We are about at the end of our trip, and I thought it might be fun to share a few pictures of how beautiful and rural it is in Ukraine.

It was typical to see horses, cows and goats tethered to the grassy shoulder of the road. I'm assuming this is "free" grazing area for local farm animals.

There were several times when we either waited for animals to cross the highway on their way home, or we just drove around them on the shoulder.

But, by far my favorite was this wagon. The amount of hay this horse was pulling was amazing, but I couldn't figure out how these guys got up on the wagon once it was full...

Spirit of progress

I've been reading a lot lately about not letting rain ruin a photo shoot. Rain can add a wonderful dimension to pictures, if you just change your focus a little. So when it started raining yesterday morning, I thought, "What would make a good picture in the rain?"

It turns out that rain is very flattering to statues, especially horses.

These statues are on Firestone Blvd., the main thoroughfare through Downey, just before you enter the city from neighboring Norwalk. According to the plaque, they were created in 1999 by Snell Johnson, and they're called "Spirit of Progress." I can't find anything on the web about the statues or the artist. Maybe somebody out there can fill me in?

Horse and rider

I've always loved horses. But the closest I've ever gotten to having a horse of my own was back in my college days when I shared the board for my friend's horse in exchange for riding rights. It only lasted a few months, but I was in seventh heaven.

We boarded this horse at the Imperial Equestrian Center in South Gate, just west of Downey. And for a while, I watched Nicholas train and ride his beautiful white horse.

It's enough to make me want to ride again!

A thing of beauty

My favorite books when I was little all starred a horse. When I was in junior high, my grandparents bought a horse for their small farm, and my grandfather and father taught me everything they knew about riding bareback, making a temporary halter out of a rope, and pole vaulting onto the back of the horse. (All this was good, because I was too small to handle that huge saddle anyway.)

So when this horse and his rider approached us down in the San Gabriel River bed, I had to see him up close and personal. He's 3 years old and still in training. I must have had that look in my eye, because his rider generously offered to let me ride. What a treat!

A horse is a thing of beauty... none will tire of looking at him as long as he displays himself in his splendor.

~Xenophon