gargoyles in the desert

During this stay in Arizona there’s been enough rain to make the gargoyles spew!

From the day I moved from Virginia to the sleepy little town of Scottsdale back in 1987, I was astounded by the force of the flash floods here in the desert.  Notorious for flooding after intense summer rainstorms, it was always beyond amazing to see the water raging down from the mountain ridges tearing through the very heart of my little city.  The problem area was always centered in the area called the Indian Bend Wash; an eroded, seven mile long strip of land running north and south through the community.  Being a looky-loo, I can remember driving to the area just to see the accumulation of water with cars floating around like little yellow duckies in a bathtub.  But there’s good news.  After years and years of politics and hard work by many, the area was completed and subsequently named one of the ten most outstanding engineering projects in the nation.  But more importantly?  It worked.  Filled with parks and recreational facilities, the area became a gathering place not to mention providing a bike path that pretty much takes you from one end of the city to the other.  A true success story.

But there still remained one area that needed a little help facilitating the flow of the water and just a couple of years ago the solution was found and provided the city with a fabulous work of art to boot! Five aluminum horse gargoyles were built representing the area’s historic McCormick Arabian Ranch, once adjacent to the site.

I’ve so longed to see the water flowing and mother nature provided that opportunity!  Yes, soaked to the core and several days for my shoes to dry out…but very much worth it.   Now I just need the combination of rain and night time to capture them illuminated blue on the east side and yellow on the west side…symbolic of the water and the sun.  So perhaps my next visit?