A nice action shot outside at the event.
I know I’ve been raving about our resident Thai Fusion hotspot, but they’ve recently added another reason to a list of things I love. La Finca never disappoints when it comes to spicy food and delicious cocktails, but on Sunday night, Matt and I stopped by the restaurant for a different reason – a photographic art exhibition by Jennifer Willis with the profits going to Animal Angels Global. Animal Angels Global is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “help to reduce the abandonment and subsequent euthanasia of animals by implementing global rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming programmes alongside neutering and education projects, focusing on the responsibilities of pet ownership and the dangers of indiscriminate breeding.” As animal-lovers ourselves, we were more than happy to stop by to see the art and make a donation to this fantastic charity.
There was quite a sizeable crowd gathered by the time we arrived and we were met with a complimentary glass of cava to enjoy while we examined the art. The photography was a mix of vibrant vegetables, animals and insects in their natural habitat, and action shots from the polo matches in Sotogrande. My favorite shots were of horses in the wild, and one particular photo of a horse and rider mid-stride during a polo match. Jennifer Willis is extremely talented in her craft, however, photographic art is not exactly what Matt and I are drawn to. So, instead of purchasing a piece for our home, we made a donation directly to the foundation. I also purchased a few of their small cards with the horse photos that I quite liked, just sized down. Admittedly, there was another reason we didn’t buy a larger piece of art – one of the owners of La Finca is an artist herself with paintings that are for sale all around the restaurant. I’ve got my eye on an elephant piece that I think we’re going to return for instead. 
Though we didn’t stay too long (new kids on the block here and it was crazy humid), it was really nice to be included in this event. Since I was given the opportunity to partake in so many charitable events while in Ireland, I’ve been craving occasions like this. I hope our donation, along with the success of such a lovely event, helps give an animal a home or the care that it needs.
After the event with a couple of the cards I purchased.
The buy-in was 20 euros to play, with unlimited 20 euro re-buys in the first hour, and an opportunity to add-on another 20 euro worth of chips at the end of the first hour. At the end of the night, 50% of the money in the pot went to the ISPCC, and the other 50% went into the prize pool to be split accordingly between the top finishers. When the tournament started, I felt a rush of pride. The sound of the chips, the women whooping when they won a hand, the laughter at each table – it was a rush. All the while, people continued to taste chili, grab drinks, and socialize. It was a new type of event for the Club, and I could tell the women and their husbands were really enjoying themselves.
