Sunday, July 29, 2007

One of My Favorite Things – Hot Air Balloons

I have to admit, I do have a lot of favorite things: my kids, grandchildren, waterfalls, flowers, and strawberries to name a few. Among those I also include hot air balloons.

Hot Air Balloon over Jackson, Michigan



Over the years I’ve collected hundreds of photographs – even close to a hundred rolls of film I’m guessing. This year was the first year I had the pleasure, the joy actually, of catching hundreds of shots of balloons with my digital camera.

You see, each year my home town hosts the “Hot Air Balloon Jubilee” this means 3 days of balloons drifting over the city and nearby countryside. There have been years the kids and I attended the jubilee all 3 days and even chased them for hours.

One year we had close to a dozen balloons come down in our neighborhood when they got a late lift off and many ran out of fuel to our great pleasure. You should have seen all the kids running out that Saturday morning still in their pajamas.

Another year one landed in my front yard but to my great disappointment I wasn’t home – the rule is if one lands on your property they will give you a ride.

I’ve never had the joy of going up in one but dream of someday looking down on the countryside with nothing but the roar of the burners forcing hot air up into the balloon. True, I am afraid of heights but that is one experience I know I will never forget.

Both of the photographs on this post were taken Sunday morning 2 weeks ago at the airport as dozens of balloons lifted off and headed for different parts of the city to collect points and win prizes.

You can't see it very well in the photo below but if you click on the picture you can see a larger version of the same picture. Among the many balloons you can see Humpty Dumpty, The Treehouse, The American Flag, The Lighthouse, and The Space Shuttle.

Hot Air Balloons over Jackson, Michigan

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