*Gulp*

Not gonna explain why.

Just going to say this photograph made me well up.

Miss you, my Fair New Mexico

(Photo by Dean Hanson of the Albuquerque Journal)

Photo source: Albuquerque Journal

Happy Awkward Easter!

Because you didn't ask, I decided to provide a blast from the past.

Easter, April 8, 1976 from our backyard in Albuquerque:

I'm only sorry I had to drag my siblings into this.

I'm the shortest one. You know, the one with a deathgrip on my Easter basket.

Man, I loved that dress. It had a sash and everything.

We'd been to Easter Mass that morning.

Mom had sung "Jeeeesus Chriiiiist is riiiiiisen todaaaaaay!" loudly along with the congregation and the church organ (man, she loved that song. Something about all the allelujahs.)

Ham was in the oven and the backyard Easter egg hunt was soon to begin.

I always did love Easter. A new dress. New white sandals. A basket full of candy. Yeah baby!

Anyhow, Happy Easter to all who celebrate it!

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Oh, also, because no one asked, on the next page of that same photo album....

Here's what the 1976 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta looked like:

Geez! Well finally!

Yes, yes your intrepid blogger returned from her road trip and got immersed in catching up.

It's taken me a week to sort through the over 300 photos I took at the 38th Annual Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta.

But sort through I have, and if you click here you can see about 60 of them.

I've not done any retouching, Photoshopping, or editing of any kind. These are straight off the camera, complete with the smudge on my lens, visible in the upper right corner of many of the shots.

I'm a real pro at this! Yay. Thankfully in most shots the smudge can be easily edited out.

*sigh*

Here's a few to whet your appetite!! (click image for bigger size)

Second time's the charm

Woo hooo! Ok, today's Balloon Fiesta was *awesome*! So worth using that crowbar to get my butt out of bed this morning.

Special Shapes Rodeo, yeah baby!

This will be a quick post because I have to pack up all my schtuff and check out of the hotel. Today I'm headed out of the 'Burque and southbound to Las Cruces.

I can't wait to hug my two beautiful goddaughters! What a great way to wrap up my trip.

Note to NewMexiKen: The Albuquerque Box was not in effect today. No surprise, eh?

Here's just a couple photos for Sin Pantalones (I believe you said in comments on Ken's blog that these are a couple of your faves). I have to sort through the rest to see if there's anything good in there.

Enjoy!

(Click photo for full size image)

Take 2

Dawn Patrol is up and so am I.

I must be crazy.

However, today is special shapes! I feel like a kid at Cutter Field again. W00t!

Yanno, that cloud cover yesterday made things feel a bit warmer. Today is just nice and frosty cold. Yeow!

Photos to come if I can score 'em.

Woo. I am *tired*! And delerious. I am dangerous when I am delerious.

Well...

Best laid plans of mice and men and sleepy bloggers.

Made it to the Balloon Park at about 5:30 in the morning, did the waiting around thing. Shopped the vendors, bought the pin, ate the burrito and at about quarter to 7:00 they announced that due to the rain, none of the balloons would be taking off.

*sigh*

So no, I don't have any photos to share. Ah well.

I decided to use an early morning with time on my hands to head up to the National Cemetery in Santa Fe to pay a visit to dear ol' dad.

The pounding rain was a bit more fitting for that scenario.

Now I'm exhausted and melancholy and I believe I'll take a little nap.

I'll share with you this year's Balloon Fiesta poster. I almost bought it, but held off. It's really beautiful in person, and would be lovely framed.

Still pondering if I'll try the fiesta again tomorrow.

Double the thanks!

Well hey! This little ol' blog topped a hundred visitors for two days in a row! Thanks to all 117 who stopped by yesterday!

Yes, I am posting at 4:00 in the morning. No, I don't know why.

Juuuust kidding, on my way to see the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.

I hope to make some decent photos this morning. Here's hoping the weather holds.

More to come today!

Woo!

So. 4:30 a.m. huh? Really?

Balloon Fiesta gates open, at, ahem, 4:30 in the morning.

What the $%#& am I thinking?

And to make it more fun, it is supposed to rain tomorrow. Oh yay.

Wonder how many of the seven dwarves I can be tomorrow? Cranky and snarky are part of the crew right?

Let's see, there's sleepy, cranky, snarky, PMSy, drunkey, slap happy, and Bob.

Right?

Wheee!

Stop the world and let me off

Lots of weirdity going on in the world. Lots of changes, flip outs, oddness.

Market up. Market down. New president in a month.

And I think I'm changing jobs soon. Whoa Nellie!

Funnily enough, there is some comfort in my reading the ABQjournal during these crazy times.

Guess what? The Saturday Balloon Fiesta's mass ascension didn't happen! Too windy!

Reeeeally? That almost never always happens!

Oh Fair New Mexico, granting me comfort during troubled times.

May your winds blow gustily over the middle Rio Grande Valley and may the annual scent of roasting green chiles waft my way.

Uh oh, she's back in the wayback machine

My friend and resident of Albuquerque told me that the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is well nigh….

Yup, starts October 6.

Let's start with this query…how in the utter $#*&!!! did it get to be October already?

So I was telling my mom I'm considering going to ABQ for the fun and staying with my friend as she lives near the right part of town.

Then I said "of course, anymore it's a complete pain in the ass to go to the fiesta"

That kicked off a step right into the wayback machine.

She said "yeah, remember how it used to just be in a big empty field and we'd go and get right up close, your dad would talk to the balloonists and before you know it, we'd all be holding a corner of cloth, helping them inflate it? That doesn't happen anymore."

No, it sure doesn't.

Remember when the Balloon Fiesta didn't have sponsors? It was just a bunch of ballooning guys getting together for some fun and competition.

Remember when they flew out of Cutter Field? Yeah, that flight path used to take them over our house in the northeast heights (somewheres around Montgomery and San Pedro). I used to dash out to the backyard and wave and try to talk to the balloonists. They were always nice, good for a wave at least if they were low enough.

I remember drinking scalding hot chocolate out of that battered green Coleman thermos, trying to warm my hands and frozen nose, bundled up against a cold October morning at like, oh-dark-thirty.

We'd help some guy my dad just met (my dad never met a guy he didn't know) get his balloon off the ground, then we'd leap into our battered blue and white Chevy Blazer and help chase.

Ya can't do that anymore. Insurance and progress and all that rot, I suppose.

I also remember when I used to work for Honeywell back in 1993. That's when the balloons had already moved to their new location, the Balloon Fiesta Park, which is catty corner to Honeywell. It was HELL getting to work, but I'd go inside, get a cup of coffee, then go back outside with all my coworkers and watch the morning show. Special shapes day was always the best.

When it gets to be this time of year when the nights and mornings are cold but the days warm up nicely, I still look to the sky hoping to see ornaments hanging there, listening for the whoosh of propane. The conditions aren't right here in the Bay Area. Sometimes I sure miss a sky hung with colorful balloons. Nothing like it in the world.