It’s midday and the end of July.  We decided, out of the blue, to take a trip. We are leaving one of the best places to be in the summer as we are here on the Gold Coast of California.  We decide to go anyway.  In less than 3 hours we are looking out the window of Boeing jet upon the lush pristine beauty of Alberta, just south of Calgary where we have started our decent to the local International airport.  The beauty and quiet fields of yellow flax and the dark lush green hay fields below look make believe and surreal. A glance to the West shows the magic of the Rockies standing so tall with snow still covering much of the tops and the silver ribbon of the Bow River with its clear rushing water headed south and east thru the city of Calgary with it’s skyscrapers watching over it as the trout play with the local fisherman.  All this is just moments away and I now remember why we are leaving such a place as Carpinteria (near Santa Barbara) home of the safest beaches in America.

As we exit the plane the friendly faces and welcome is so warm and genuine it makes you feel so good to be here for whatever reason. Ours is to see some old friends and some Polo. The fields are awesome and the polo is fast . . . Mannix-style rock and roll. If Cam Clark and Fred Mannix cannot make it fun it cannot be done! Do not book a 6 a.m. flight I guarantee you will be sorry.
Around the rest of the world it was Arg. beating England in the biggest theater in polo called the Coronation Cup.  They had a crowd of 30,000 they say.  Its huge anyway. Sotogrande got under way as well as Deauville, where they have a rematch of the Argentine Open, Gonzalo 2 vs. Adolfo Cambiaso.  It will be great. Canada is rocking,  Tom Goodspeed is running wild in NY with lots of polo. San Diego is dark for another 10 days, but if you want a great polo venue head to Petaluma at the Cerra Pampa Polo Club.  They have the best low-goal tournament in the country.  It is called the Oyster Cup. It is priced right even for Ca. and it’s so much fun. So if you cannot get to Calgary go play polo or watch it somewhere it’s near you.

See ya.
Steve Crowder.