Balloon Glow, Balloon Lift-Off at White Sands

This is a continuation of our adventures this past weekend (September 15-16, 2012) beginning this section with the Balloon Glow at Alamogordo Balloon Park with 10 balloons taking part. They lit up in patterns either in rows or every other one and traded off from solid firing to flickering light. It was a grand experience. Miss Alamogordo 2012 was there and I managed to get photographed with her. Andrea is a lovely young lady and we wish her well in future pageants.

We again arose at 5:00 a.m. to drive out to White Sands for the Sunday morning lift-off and it was, indeed, a glorious day the Lord made especially for ballooning. There were at least 60 balloons taking part of varying sizes and descriptions. I remembered my new red camera and just went crazy shooting pictures of everything in sight. I'm so thankful for digital technology, but it's a pain to go through all the pictures when I get home trying to choose which ones to put on my blog. There's pluses and minuses in everything!

Great shot of balloon being fired up at the Balloon Glow

A fine example of this event

Andrea (Andi) O'Connor (Miss Alamogordo) and Carla

An example of solid firing at the Glow

We all counted down; 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, Fire!

A fabulous experience and thank you to the pilots for this extra effort

By the time we arrive at White Sands, the sun is just breaking over the mountains and the area is a beehive of activity as each of the pilots and crew busy themselves with getting their balloon ready for flight.

Wake up, World!

People are lined up all along the top of the dunes watching and photographing the action

Snoopy is a new addition to the mix and a big hit

Another shot of all the onlookers atop the dunes

Bringing the basket upright as the balloon is fired. Doug is at left in the beret.

Balloon and pilot Mona ready for flight with two Holloman AFB photographers

Beautiful against a perfectly blue sky!

Carla looking for her next shot

Smokey Bear was very popular

Doug and I think this balloon is one of the most beautiful

White Sands is a fabulous venue for ballooning

Others enjoyed sliding down the dunes

The flirty cat

The "Casa" balloon is the one we went up in on Saturday

Look out! Snoopy's closing in.

Finally, a shot of Snoopy head on

We returned to Alamogordo and headed for IHOP to eat breakfast where we encountered our across the street neighbors and had a delightful breakfast with them. As we were walking to the car I spotted the subjects below.

This adorable trio waiting patiently for their owners who are evidently inside IHOP

Doug and I share photography credits on the White Sands Lift-Off.

This is all I have to say for now.

White Sands Balloon Festival, Our Balloon Ride

This past weekend was chock full of events and we were brave souls, getting out of bed two mornings in a row at 5:00 a.m. for balloon lift-offs, attending the Tularosa Basin Wine and Music Festival on Saturday afternoon with the Red Hatters and returning to the Alamogordo Balloon Park that evening for the Balloon Glow. Normally the whole Balloon Festival takes place at White Sands but they had a missile shoot on Saturday.  We were able to go to White Sands for the Sunday morning lift-off. I've only been to one balloon festival that didn't completely happen in Plano, Texas due to 9/11 so this was especially interesting to me. Doug was in contact with the manager of the festival three weeks before, finding out all the info, and we hooked up with him when we went to the event. As a result, when two riders didn't show up to go up in the balloon he was sponsoring, he came looking for us and gave us the opportunity to go up. I have a fear of heights and was a bit hesitant, but decided to throw caution to the winds. I'm so glad I did. This is the most calm and peaceful I've ever felt. Mona, the pilot of 23 years experience, was very professional and gave us a marvelous flight. I'm ready to go again!

Joe and Sharon Kelman with Carla. They are new to Alamogordo.

Looking into the inside of "Cool Beans" balloon

A beautiful shot against that beautiful blue sky

Some of the 54 balloons airing up and sky bound

The subject matter makes it easy to be more artistic in photography

Just breathtaking!

Great shot of the basket and underside of an especially pretty balloon

Balloons as far as the eye can see

Another view of this amazing event

Just about ready to lift off surrounded by crew members

It's about this time that Ed came looking for us to go for a balloon ride so the view will soon become more birds eye as you will see.

Our friend, Ed

This is the balloon we went up in and it is huge

Lady in pink top is pilot Mona L. Johnson surrounded by her crew

Here am I trying to figure out how to climb in (no easy task for a 74 year-old)

Pilot Mona and do I look pleased with myself or what?

You can tell Doug is in because this shot is so close

Up Up and Away in my Beautiful Balloon

Just look at those mountains in the background

I haven't said a word and Mona is worried that I'm terrified!

Caught part of our balloon overhead while shooting the others

Adding hot air to keep going

Some balloons landed to trade out passengers

This is a brackish water treatment plant

Pilot Mona adding more hot air

The white truck and trailer is Mona's crew truck following us to where we land

Mona decided this cement pad would be a perfect place to land

And, we are down, a perfect landing

This is the top center of the canopy pulled to let hot air out

The balloon is coming down but still trying to go skyward

It was "shake and bake" and I helped!

It does come down faster than it blows up

"Never step on the envelope fabric!"

This is like stuffing a huge snake into a bag

Pilot Mona and crew pushing the air out of the "snake"

Once everything was loaded, Mona took us back to the Balloon Park to our car. We went to IHOP for breakfast and home to rest a bit and change clothes for the afternoon Wine and Music Festival with Red Hatters. If you will notice, Mona and her crew are all wearing gloves partially to keep body oil from getting on the fabric because it tends to rot it. We learned a lot about ballooning and had a grand time. Thank you Mona and Ed.

As it turned out, various things had happened in the lives of my Red Hatters and only one besides myself was able to attend. We had a grand time and took advantage of the one-on-one to become better acquainted.

  

View of the set-up for the festival

Carla aka Queen Ladybird and Dorothy Smith

Carla greeting Gloria, creator of beautiful jewelry and a former Red Hat Queen

This is Guitar Slim and his band and they played some fine music

Thanks, Doug, for all the great photos.

This is all I have to say for now.

Various, Red Hatters in Tularosa, NM

Again, I seem to be behind in my posting, but I truly have an excellent explanation. It's called sinus infection/bronchitis and it laid me low for ten days. Am still on antibiotics and cough syrup, but feeling much better and able to cope.

While suffering the throes of returning to active life, I read a few books; It's an eclectic group for sure. They are: "Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave" by Virginia Hamilton. It is a true story about the last slave to escape to Boston and the trial that ensues to return him to Virginia. Well written and historically interesting; "Haven: The Dramatic Story of 1000 WWII Refugees and How They Came to America" by Ruth Gruber. Another true story concerning President Roosevelt's conscience and his reluctant decision to very quietly invite 1000 refugees (mostly Jewish, but not all) to live in military barracks on a defunct post in Oswego, New York. Fascinating story covering not only their experiences here, but their backgrounds and how they came to be in this situation. Much of this information was Top Secret and it was only when this information was finally made public that the full story could be told. The list of highly successful and contributing professionals to come out of this 1000 is unbelievable. This book is fascinating and heart wrenching; The last one is "Trinity Fields" by Bradford Morrow. This one is a fictionalized story of two young men who were born and raised in Los Alamos during the atomic weapons research and testing. It is a well written book with a tantalizing mystery carried through to the end; I highly recommend all three books. I got them on my trusty Kindle through Amazon.com

While I was lounging in my sick bed, my darling husband bought a new computer for me and set it all up. I heard him tell the UPS man upon delivery, "Hey, Dude. She's getting a Dell." My former computer was at least 13 years old and certainly reacting to its aging. I am so grateful to have this marvelous machine which makes my life much easier.

On August 25, 2012, just before I started getting ill, we had a lovely Red Hat shopping trip and luncheon in Tularosa, New Mexico. New Mexico Roadrunner Chapter joined Queen Mable Vance and her chapterettes of the Tulia Roses chapter of the Red Hat Society for lunch at Casa de Sueños and it was superb. We originally planned to visit Tularosa's newly opened historical museum but when we arrived it was closed up tighter than a drum. I walked next door to the police department to inquire as to when the museum would open and was informed by an officer that it wasn't even open for business yet. I found this interesting since they held their "grand opening" two weeks before. So it shouldn't be a total loss, we decided to go shopping and found several interesting shops.  One of them is Griffins Trading Company on North Central and they buy and sell on consignment. I was looking for antique tea cups and saucers and I found two that I just had to have. The girls found several goodies and by this time we were due to meet Queen Mable and her group at Casa de Sueños.

Some of Queen Mable's Tulie Roses enjoying lunch

L to R: Princess Penny, Lady Winifred of Roadrunner Chapter and a Tulie Rose

Linda Laws and Princess Penny looking at photos on cell phone

Queen Mable in serious conversation

Doesn't everyone look lovely in their Red Hat regalia?

L to R: Linda, Princess Penny, Queen Ladybird and Lady Winifred

I, Queen Ladybird, am dressed in reverse colors because August is my birthday month and we wear purple hats and red ensembles during our birthday month if we so choose. We made plans with the Tulie Roses to have a shared Halloween Party with them and it sounds like it will be a blast. Plans are for a costume contest and a centerpiece contest so everyone should get involved. For this event, guests and husbands are invited, in particular the men, because they are the judges.

This is all I have to say for now.