Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Challenge : B is for Balloon
I like watching hot air balloons. I have since I was a child. I could sit and stare at the bright orbs floating on the sky for long periods of time. I remember going to county fairs where there might be one for show, or perhaps, if you were lucky, you might be able to get into the balloon and watch as the pilot turned up the flame and you rose higher and higher. Or at least as high as the tethered craft would go. Safely harnessed to the ground so no one would be lost.
I was content to watch.
I remember going to a hot air balloon event a long time ago. Listening to the forced hot air as the flames reached into the gaping mouth of the balloon. And it rose. Temperature differences reacting from the inside and outside and the rose and drifted and rose and fell, growing smaller as they moved away from the crowd. Or growing larger if they were coming in and headed toward the landing pad.
I can still sit and watch them for a very long time.
There is something soothing about their presence in the sky. About their graceful bob and bounce, floating on the wind, their openness, and the exposure of the passengers.
A couple of years ago I was on a dragon boat team with a woman who was a hot air balloon pilot. Before that time I'd never thought about the balloons being piloted, or that it was something one could aspire to do; that someone would think "I want to grow up and be a hot air balloon pilot." She was very nice. If I ever had to courage to go up in a balloon, I think I'd like her as my pilot - calm, funny, confident.
Twice I've just missed the big hot air balloon event in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It looks gorgeous - the balloons against the blue skies of NM and the landscape of the region is inviting. Once I considered planning a vacation so I would be there at that time but it didn't work out.
I don't think I'll ever go up in one. I'm content to be a spectator.
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I love watching the balloons too! We have our own mini-balloon fest in central Illinois every summer (nothing like Albuquerque!) and one year my husband was going to give me a hot air balloon ride for my birthday. Turns out you have to schedule your ride WAAAAYYYY in advance. We haven't done that yet...still on our bucket list.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog. Have fun with your A to Z Challenge!! :)
I hope you get to go up in a balloon soon!
DeleteI hadn't thought of it - but it makes sense it would have to be scheduled in advance. It's not like they have multiple daily trips scheduled.
Thank you for coming by.
PS: I couldn't figure out how to log in as cherinordstrom.wordpress.com, but I still have an ancient & neglected Blogger account (Pocket Muse)! I think I got it now. Happy Day!
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking the time to come by! And I don't think you have to have a Blogger account to leave a comment - but I appreciate you making the effort so I knew you were here.
DeleteGood luck with your A to Z!
I'd be too scared of the heights but my sister totally wants to go. I'll be the one on the ground watching the majesty of it all.
ReplyDeleteAs written stories need readers, so must the event need a witness (or something like that!) *wink*
DeleteI liked how you describe your love of hot air balloons I feel the same about rides at amusement parks good job.
ReplyDeleteNice. Are there certain rides you like to watch - or does it matter? Just curious!
DeleteAnother thing I like to watch is the sushi-go-round belt. It has a similar mesmerizing, calming, effect. Though at those places, I do partake of the offerings on the plates *smile*.
Thank you for popping by!
My dad was a balloon "chaser": someone who followed the balloon in a truck to transport it back if it landed in a field. We spent some time at the Del Norte Balloon Ranch.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that really surprised me when I finally rode in a balloon was how -noisy- it was. Inflation, ascent and descent are controlled with a propane burner, and I found the low ratio of quiet floating to noisy bursts made the experience less enjoyable than I expected.
Wow! Balloon chaser - I remember reading about a few people who did that.
DeleteAnd I'd forgotten about that sound! I remember being at a hot air balloon event in, probably, Albany OR many years ago and being close enough to hear that sound on the takeoff - the powerful whoosh. Now I'm even more convinced that I'm probably happier being on the ground and looking up at them in the sky. *smile*