Happy Spooky Month Nature Nature Friday #2! Last Friday, Mama took a trip to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta to check out the balloons up close! Seeing them flying over the house is very cool but she said that close up it was amazing!!
Being the Good Witch that I am, I used my magic to make sure the air currents were just right, and the balloons had a pawfect take off!
(By doing this, I also gave Mama the opportunity to label this as a "Nature Post". I know it's not exxxaaaactly nature, but Mama does have some nommy bribes!)
Mama got to the Balloon Fiesta Park at 4:30AM and, after walking around picking up coffee and breakfast, she watched the "Dawn Patrol" take off! The Dawn Patrol gives the other balloonists an idea of the wind direction and stuff.
At 7:00AM the "Mass Ascension" begins....That means all the balloonists start blowing up the balloons and taking off into the big blue yonder. This year, there were over 650 balloons!!
Kitty Vampires, Bumble Bees, Dinosaurs...
Golden Retrievers....
Foxes and Puppies with Big Hats!
Pink Elephants...
So many beautiful colors!!
But wait...there's more!!
Happy Puppy Dogs
Volkswagon Surfer Vans
A Balloon of Balloons....
An Armadillo...
Bullwinkle the Moose...
...and even a big ole spaceman!!
OK...Mama made a video, but it is LONG...almost 13 minutes, this is mostly because we wanted to show you the Dawn Patrol...and how the balloons take off.
Feel free to come back later to watch it or to go over and watch it on YouTube in the future.
Have you ever seen, or ridden in, a Hot Air Balloon??
Thanks for stopping by to experience the balloons today as they floated on my Magical Nature Friday Air Currents! We hope everyone gets out and enjoys a little nature this weekend!
OMG I would love to go up in a balloon, it looks like so much fun and will have to put it on my bucket list, thanks for the amazing photos and blog hop. Be safe and have a great weekend
ReplyDeleteWow that is totally spectacular. What an event. Thanks for showing us all those amazing balloons. Hoping to see a fox terrier one next year?
ReplyDeleteToodle-oo!
Nobby.
wow wow wooooow!!! is that great... oh how we wish to be there with you... we would bark like crazy LOL
ReplyDeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteGooooossssshhh... I watched the video - so relaxing and pretty to watch. I have actually been around balloons taking off like this, but have never been up in one myself. Thanks for letting mama share these with us, Rosy... and I am sorry, but this month due to the POO project, I don't have any nature things to share, but I'll be back with it once October is done. Hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx
Wow - the balloons are so beautiful and incredible! I have never been up in a balloon or watched an event like this in person. It's really cool!
ReplyDeleteWhen Mom lived in southern Germany, they used to take off and land in a field right next to where she lived. She says it was loud. We don't see them much around here. Mom would never go up in one, but they are beautiful to look at. Your mom is lucky she got to see all of those fun balloons.
ReplyDeleteNiece Rosy OMDs OMCs OMA(nimals) of all kinds. 650...breathing taking hot air balloons every color and every style. WOW please thank Mama for getting up before the roosters to be there to take these photos and video. Uncle B will love watching this again with me.
ReplyDeleteWOW Hugs to you and sibs and peeps
Aunty c
Thanks for showing us all those beautiful balloons! Our mom has ridden in hot air balloons quite a few times (she can't remember how many but more than 10 times) because when she first got out of college, she used to crew for some balloon pilots in the area. As a reward for crewing (that's helping set up and chase the balloon after it takes off) she got to ride if there was room in the basket and enough other crew members. Also, our grandpa got his pilot license and owned a hot air balloon for about 10 years too. The last ride our mom went on was to scatter her dad's ashes during a flight a few years ago. The pilot of that flight was also at the Balloon Festival this year and received an award for 40 years of safe flights.
ReplyDeleteI wish I was there with mom. How fun. I've never seen hot air balloons for real. Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteHave a woof woof day and weekend. Scritches all around, healing hugs to Sunny and my best to your peeps. ♥
Lulu: "Wowww, that's quite a pile of balloons! They launch a lot of balloons from here down in Del Mar and we can see them sometimes if we're at the park at the right time, but definitely none that look like armadillos or spacemen or dogs or any of that!"
ReplyDeletefantastic! I've always wanted to do that!
ReplyDeleteloved your pictures!
I once rode in a hot air balloon in a night parade!
LeeAnna and Milo
No I have never seen one in the air only in movies and pictures and these photos are just amazing. I had no idea that they make that many different types and this is the first time I've seen even a picture of the one shaped like animals. So glad Mama went and shared it with us. It goes against my nature to even think about getting in one of them to fly free in the air with no way to steer
ReplyDeleteMagical photos but your sweet doggie 'steals the show.' ~ Xo
ReplyDeleteWishing you good health, laughter and love in your days ~
A ShutterBug Explores,
aka (A Creative Harbor)
That was a fantastic video. Mom has videography and editing skills galore. All the people, and the balloons, were smiling. I have a hard time with size perspective until the balloon rises with people in the basket. Large? XXXXLarge! One of our teachers went up in one and got great video from below and above. The kids, and they were pre-school level, couldn't get enough of the videos and we re-ran them so many times. The blowers are so noisy. I can't imagine being where dozens of them are going off, so thank you for the music. Thank you for the video!
ReplyDeleteThat's a whole lot of pretty balloons sweet Rosy, it would be fun to be right there with them.
ReplyDeleteThat's got to be the most amazing thing we've ever seen! Wow!
ReplyDeleteThose balloons are cool. Thank you for helping with the lift off
ReplyDeleteWow, Rosy! Those actually look scary. Don't get near one of them! XOX Xena
ReplyDeleteHi Rosy, I gotta tell ya, none of us have ever ridden in a hot air balloon, but I want to! XOXOXOX Chia (tell Sunny Woof for me!)
There are a lot of beautiful sky pictures and that is nature. Maybe a better title this week would have been Human and Nature! The balloons are so amazing. The closest city you us, Gatineau, has a balloon festival. It has been years since Lady has gone. Maybe she will have to go next week. Lee and Phod who saw Lady bringing in new costumes so no good is coming soon!
ReplyDelete