It takes a lot to get my household out of bed & into the car by 6:30 AM but a hot air balloon rally is something that can definitely make that happen. Even tho we are fortunate to see hot air balloons sail over our house throughout the year, the opportunity to see thirty in one spot was irresistible! At least I thought there were going to be thirty ~ maybe something happened to keep the numbers down? I know I was a bit disgruntled at first because the best viewing sites were not the optimum photography ones ~ looking east (toward the sunrise) and thru a maze of power lines.
I had the fleeting thought I should have stayed in bed ~ the impatient side of my nature showing thru.
But ever so slowly, conditions began to improve. The balloons lifted:
and drifted across the sky ~ sometimes even stair-stepping up:
The clouds eventually gave way and that famous blue Colorado sky provided the incredible backdrop I had pictured in my mind:
A lot of these balloons are ones we've seen individually above our house over the years. I know I've shared this one with you before:
Easy to see why it's a favorite of mine with the floral design. My daughter, however, loved this one:
There has to be a great story behind its inception! I wish I knew what it was.
We only saw twelve balloons but by the time we left, we were glad we'd made the choice to give up some sleep.
There's just something so ebullient about seeing those vibrantly colored, gigantic balloons floating peacefully in the serene morning sky.
Starts the day on a happy note every time. :-)
Fabulous Kathleen, I'm so glad you got up early too! My favorite was the rainbow quilt. One of the local nurseries has a balloon that regularly floats over our house, and I always gawk. Once in the winter, it landed right at the church next door, I think it was too cold to stay up! I thought it was going to land in my yard!
Posted by: RobinL | August 28, 2010 at 08:17 PM
How fun! I remember once in Cody I volunteered to help with the balloon festival and I got a ride in a balloon...it was just fabulous! Great pics!
Posted by: Dana | August 28, 2010 at 08:52 PM
A good reason to get up early indeed. :)
Posted by: Racquel | August 29, 2010 at 06:56 AM
What great pictures! We some from our back deck off and on through the summer, but not nearly as close as those. I think the flowered one is my favorite too.
Posted by: Catherine | August 29, 2010 at 09:30 AM
Oh--my!! I happened on your beautiful blog by way of Hilary Kanwischer's site. I think we are practically neighbors! I live in Windsor, CO--I considered going to the Sweetheart Balloon Rally--for about 5 minutes!! I'm in total envy of your beautiful garden! We just moved into a new home--and I have BIG dreams for my garden and patio!!
Posted by: Lisa Fowler | August 31, 2010 at 09:14 PM