Hot Air in October!

This morning as I left for work I noticed that it was a bit colder than the previous mornings! And that bit of cold made me think about the time of year and just as I was walking to my car I heard that familiar noise that told me it's Fall! That noise was the sound of the propane burner from a hot air balloon! I love to see the balloons up in the early morning hours. So this means that the Albuquerque International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta starts in 9 days!!!! I am sure this weekend there will be plenty of balloons in the air in preparation for the big event. They say that at least a million people will make their way for this event. The RV park across from the balloon field is starting to fill up!! They seem to come earlier each year! Well, you want to get the best spot!! Even though any where is best since the balloons can fly in any direction! The Balloon Park is located on the north side of the city. It's about the size of 54 football fields. I'm not sure how many balloons are expected this year. Somewhere in the 700 to 800 range. Can you imagine hundreds of balloons of different shapes, sizes and color up in the sky? It's just beautiful.
What makes it so special here? According to the balloonists they love to fly here and look forward to coming for the event. There's a 'box effect' that they enjoy. What that is, they can leave the balloon field, say going south. They can then change altitudes and head back north, change again, go east, etc. The box effect is because of the winds coming over the Sandia Mountains, which is located east of the city. There are days that the box effect isn't available. One of the most popular events is the Special Shapes. They have two days devoted to just them. It's wonderful to watch these different shaped balloons flying over the city. I heard that Darth Vadar will be here this year!!
I am pretty excited about the Fiesta coming up on October 6th. It runs for 9 days. Hope that the weather will cooperate this year. Sometimes there are days that the winds are too strong for anyone to fly. Sometimes the pilots are allowed to fly at their own discretion. Sometimes it's just too dangerous. Some of them get blown into power lines. So they take their chances.
I haven't been on a hot air balloon. At one time it seemed like fun. Then I see that sometimes they have hard landings and there's not much you can do about it. If you fall out, you fall out. Not from way up in the sky. When they land and the baskets take up hard landings and go bouncing on the ground. Some people get thrown out. Not many seem to get hurt bad. It just doesn't look like fun. Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to get in one.
Hopefully by the time the event starts I'll know how to put pictures here and share them. Wish me luck!!!!

Wide Load

Today as I was driving on the interstate I saw a truck with the sign "Wide Load" and following was a truck loaded with a huge tractor. Reminded of something that happened back in June. I went on a long road trip with my niece, Juella. She has her very best friend living in Landisville, Pennsylvania. I thought it would be nice to get away from home for a few days and travel. I knew she wouldn't say no to a trip to see her best friend. Her best friend, Fran, moved with her family to Pennsylvania about 6 or 7 years ago. They would take turns visiting each other each summer. They really hadn't had any plans this year so I sort of made it for them. So we spent the first night in Oklahoma City. We left early the next morning. Juella is not an early bird like me. So she fell asleep once we were on the interstate. As I was coming up to Shawnee, OK, I passed this huge truck hauling some huge equipment. Way up ahead was the truck with the "Wide Load" sign. I'm driving along and Juella wakes up just as I was going to pass the truck. She looked at the truck, looked back and saw nothing behind us. We had just went over a hill so there's no vehicles in sight. So she looks at the driver as we passed him. He was a big guy and he was eating a doughnut. Juella said "Is that why he has the sign on his truck?" I looked over and I started laughing because of what she said. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw the top of the truck coming over the hill. And she asked what was funny. I told her the sign was for the truck coming over the hill. She looked back and saw it coming over the hill. She just laughed about it. She thought he was just saying to beware of the wide load in his truck.

Bunny Foo Foo

One day I went to pay my nephew's cable bill at the cable company. As I left the building, I was heading home. So from the parking lot I take a left on the street. It curves around and heads in a southeast direction. Well, as I was turning the curve I saw this bird, a hawk, possibly, hovering on the ground with it's wings spread. I thought "What is he doing?" Then as I got closer he must have heard me and started to fly off. I saw something in it's claws!! OMG!! What does he have? Just as he was getting off the ground I started to honk my horn, hoping I can save whatever he had as it was struggling to get loose. The bird dropped it prey and this little bunny started hopping away. The bird wanted it and tried to get it but I continued to honk my horn. Poor bunny was trying to get away. Then the bird gave up and flew out to the west. I stopped my car by then and watched the bunny hop along it's way. Here I am saying "Run Bunny Foo Foo, run. I'll make sure you make it home! Run, Bunny Foo Foo........" I made sure that bird wasn't coming back before I left. They little bunny was out of my sight by then. Must have found his home! I was on my way home. Not sure if anyone heard me honking. There's a car dealership just on the other side of the field. Hope that no one heard and thought I was in trouble.
I saved Bunny Foo Foo's life that day. I felt like a hero!

My First Post

Greeting from Albuquerque! I was introduced to blogspot by a good friend, Tacy Marie. It took me a few weeks to get started. I thought way a great way to share things with your friends. And an easy way to get to a lot of people instead of writing to each individual. Not that I won't write to an individual any more...........
I hope I can make this more interesting, adding things, like music, photos. I am not computer literate like some people are. It will take me a while to figure something out. I think it has something to do with old age. Not that I am old even though some people may think I am. But it takes me time to figure it all out. Maybe it's just that I have so many things going on. (Yeah, I am trying to come up with good excuses!)
Tacy, if you see this one, WE MISS YOU!!!!