Lighter Than Air

I rose at 4:14am yesterday in order to take a bus to the Balloon Fiesta. The bus cost a few bucks but it was worth it not to have to drive and cope with parking.

The driver got lost in the predawn darkness and we missed the drone show and the launching of the Dawn Patrol.

Our bus had a marquee tent reserved, with coffee, donuts, and breakfast burritos. The tent was supposed to be on the edge of the field, but instead the entire midway was between us and the balloons, and the view of the launching balloons was blocked. We had to leave our coffee and donuts behind in order to go out near the field and watch the balloons rise from their slumber.

Once it grew light enough the balloons began to launch. I'm not sure how many but there were more than 500, covering more than half the sky. The "Albuquerque box" was in action, with the balloons traveling south at lower height, then sailing back north when they gained altitude. They could keep flying back and forth this way for hours, and theoretically land on the same field from which they rose.

The balloons are pop art creations, colorful and joyful, and the heart lifts with them as they rise.