Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Up, Up and Away


A couple of weeks ago I found out about a hot air balloon festival that would be a couple of hours away from our home. Kent couldn't attend and I was a little nervous about being in the "big city" with the kids alone when it might get dark. I called up my parents and seeing hot air balloons sounded like fun to them.


We arrived around 6. The balloons were supposed to start filling with air at 5:30. The plan was to get there, see the balloons, load back up, eat and be home at a decent hour.


When we arrived there was no sign of the balloons. We asked a festival worker and were assured they were on the way.


So we waited. And waited. And waited.


The festival was held on a golf course so there was plenty of grass for running and playing.
 


Outside food and drinks weren't allowed {remember we planned to leave early} so the kids and I ended up consuming over $20 in lemonade.


Finally, three hours after the original arrival time we started to see balloons.


The monkey was our favorite. His name is Gordo and he was made in honor of the first monkey that went into space.


Once the balloons were upright and filled with air, we started walking around.


The first balloonist we visited allowed the older kids to climb on board and light the fire.


The kids were supposed to only pull the cord for a few seconds. Griffin didn't quite grasp this concept and may have milked his few seconds for all they were worth. :-)



Ben, on the other hand, barely pulled the cord.


Even Madisyn, my child that is terrified of heights, climbed aboard after we  promised she would remain firmly on the ground. When the cord was pulled the gas made a loud rushing sound. Mary Claire was terrified!


We visited each balloon and most had trading cards. The cards gave information about  the balloon like who the pilot was, how old it was, where the balloon was from. The pilots were all really nice and talked to all the kids.


We didn't make it out before dark. In fact, it was about 9:30 before we got out of the parking lot. We plan to attend next year, but we won't rush to get there so early and we'll eat first!

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