Late Saturday afternoon we ventured out with the masses to the 2006 Plano Hot Air Balloon Festival (www.planoballoonfest.org). We've gone several times in the past but had always gone to the sunrise launch. Knowing the girls got up early, but never before daybreak, we thought we'd try the sunset launch. After walking around and finding the mission critical booths (i.e. corn dogs, funnel cakes and dinosaur-sized turkey legs) we found a spot of dirt and waited for the pilots to arrive with their teams.
If you haven't ever been up close to a hot air balloon launch it really is interesting. So much goes into getting them ready, making sure the weather conditions are practically perfect, having everyone in place to help inflate the balloon and instantly helping them release and lift off in a matter of minutes.
Every year we've seen so many "special shapes". These are balloons designed in a nontraditional balloon shape like a cow, duck or pig. This year we saw the following Pirate balloon, one shaped like Humpty
Dumpty (upside down like he was falling), and a huge tree trunk with four parrots that hung off each of the corners. Avery's favorite was the pirate because that is what she wants to be for Halloween. (Seriously! She doesn't want to be a princess or a cheerleader. Our girl wants to be a pirate.)
Avery was the most animated about the entire process. Bella pretty much just stood there and watched as if she was trying to figure out what these were all about. Maybe that's the engineer background coming through!
Every year we've seen so many "special shapes". These are balloons designed in a nontraditional balloon shape like a cow, duck or pig. This year we saw the following Pirate balloon, one shaped like Humpty
Dumpty (upside down like he was falling), and a huge tree trunk with four parrots that hung off each of the corners. Avery's favorite was the pirate because that is what she wants to be for Halloween. (Seriously! She doesn't want to be a princess or a cheerleader. Our girl wants to be a pirate.)Avery was the most animated about the entire process. Bella pretty much just stood there and watched as if she was trying to figure out what these were all about. Maybe that's the engineer background coming through!
After a while even Avery started pointing them out to Daddy so he didn't miss anything!
At the end four skydivers jumped out of a plane right above our heads and landed right in front of us on the field where the balloons had just launched. All of this while the National Anthem was sung followed by "God Bless Texas". (I guess you have to be a native Texan to truly appreciate this.) We've been here for over 10 years and I still feel like a transplant sometimes.
We're so glad the girls got to see everything up close and hopefully appreciate them a little more next time they see them floating by.
1 comment:
Wow! What wonderful pictures. I wish I could have been there with you!
Love you,
Granma
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