Balloon Night

Tonight we headed out to see the hot air balloons light up the night. Sarah was invited to join a balloon crew (along with Sarah's adoring family).

It was a real privilege to be taken past the security to the balloon area. We ran into her friend, Sydnee, working with another crew nearby. Sarah and Ben were able to watch the whole process of unpacking and filling the balloon. The pilot even took them inside the balloon to run around while it filled up with air. Of course they exited before they began to heat the air with the 3000+ degree flame.

Later, they were invited into the basket while they "glowed" the balloon. What a fantastic experience! It was held to the ground, and periodically the pilot would burn the flame to reinflate the balloon and make it "glow" in the night sky. It was exciting for the kids, but you could also see concern on their faces because the flame was loud and scary too.

Afterwards, their unique skills were utilized with a few other kids, and they were asked to roll on the balloon to push the air out. It was just like rolling down a hill and might have been the most fun part of the night.

We all became quite excited about hot air balloons this year, and hope to find more opportunities to join balloon festivities. Clint is seriously considering joining a local crew at the next opportunity, and Sarah was pleased to learn that once she is 10 years old, she would be old enough to join a crew too!

It may seem strange to you, but I'm not finding a strong desire to join a crew. This all makes me want to find that old 45 with "Up, Up and Away" from my childhood days, and then find a comfortable spot to sit and watch balloons float by overhead. They certainly are beautiful to watch. I think I could be in charge of the family crew publicity, photography and balloon music. :) I think I'll leave the heavy lifting and life-threatening flames to someone else!