There's an annual hot air balloon festival here. My first fall, I lived in a second floor apartment with a porch, and a balloon flew over practically within touching distance. I'd never seen one up close before, or heard one. And let me tell you, the HEARING part surprised me. The sound of a hot air balloon firing its burner sounds like what I always imagined the sound of dragon's breath would be. Awesome. Simply awesome.
Why did my mysterious eyeball photo rotate? Darn. Anyhow, it was shot looking up into a balloon. It looked so cool.The first time I attended the balloon festival (and every subsequent time) I was amazed. In the early dusk, before the sun rises, watching rainbow colored mountains grow before your eyes - aaaah. If you ever get a chance to go to a balloon festival, it's worth the early morning launch times. Hot air balloons are SO much bigger and prettier than you'd ever imagine.
I shot this photo out of the window of my car, on the way home from the grocery store. I've been living here so many years sometimes I forget the balloon festival is in town. Tonight the winds were blowing wrong, toward the mountain, so the balloons stayed tethered and didn't fly. I was able to park and watch them, firing their burners, taking kids into their baskets, and eventually deflating and packing up, which was pretty cool to watch too. I didn't get to see the early morning launch at the airport, with over 100 balloons, some specialty shapes, or the moonglow over the lake, but I'm glad I stopped at the park for the last scheduled launch of the festival.
This is a former teacher in my district, a couple of years retired, in the basket of a balloon that her business (a Lake George ice cream shop) sponsors.
Cool pics, Phyl! Love the dragon breath analogy too!
ReplyDelete:)Pat
Oh my gosh HOT AIR BALLOONS are so Wizard of Oz or fairy tale to me. To go up in a basket! crazy. I actually bought a hot air balloon ride because I wanted to get married and then fly away in the balloon (for our first marriage we had our own secret marriage then a wedding for the family) Alas the officient was so confused because she had no idea what town to get the marriage license in because it would matter where the balloon could take off from. I had the photographer booked for these dreamy pictures and the hot air balloon guy couldn't do it (seemed like an okay day to me!) Tried to book it again and again and again and he cancels everytime! Guess he got the money why go up? We got married in by our favorite waterfall. It was nice.
ReplyDeleteDont you just love those french hot air balloon paintings?