Sunday, October 19, 2008

More surprises



The morning of my last post, I took this photo.


From one of these.

As if a surprise trip to Boston and New York wasn't enough, Bill arranged for us to take a hot air balloon ride. Of course, it helped that our friends took us for free.


Jonathan Blackburn runs a hot air balloon company and took us up early Wednesday morning. The take off was quite exciting as it was a little bit breezy, Jon made sure that the air in the balloon was good and hot before we took off and when we did we went up fast. Much faster than an airplane, I felt like I had my head down for a moment and then I looked up and...



this is what I saw.
I found riding in a hot air balloon simultaneously thrilling and peaceful. It was exciting because you are up so high and without the protection of the steel cage of an airplane. Instead you float in nothing more than a wicker basket. You feel like you can touch the birds flying by. At one point Bill reached out and grabbed a tree branch.

We had a great ride, the fall colors were at their peak and it was fun to watch people come out of their houses to get a better look at the balloon. Dogs barked, kids on the school bus waved. When we finally landed a small crowd had gathered to greet us. I felt like a minor celebrity. Before this trip I didn't realize that you can't steer a hot air balloon. You can just go up and down. If you are not in a good place to land you wait until the wind takes you to a better one. Not only is it a lovely ride, but a useful philosophy for life.
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4 comments:

Brandan and Becky said...

Amazing! Gorgeous photos, thanks for sharing them. We see hot air balloons nearly every morning in the summer and I get excited about every single one and run outside with the kids to get a better look. Maybe once or twice a year, one will land in the field next to our house and that is especially exciting. Maybe someday I'll figure out how to take a ride, too.

Ken said...

Thank you for sharing this hot air balloon experience and the beauty of the season. It's a blessing to have wonderful friends.

Lettie B. said...

So amazing. What a fun, fun time!

Emily Busath Murdock said...

WOW. I think Bill wins Husband of the Year award, hands down.
Adam is not too thrilled about you sharing all this goodness. He's disappointed that it makes him look like a schmuck. Hahaha
Glad you had such a wonderful trip. You really deserve it, Ruth.