10-19-06 POW

Hello everyone! I'm back!
In case you forgot, last week Brent and I were in ABQ for the balloon fiesta. Joyce came out here to live in my house and watch the kids (by the way: happy birthday - again!) and we hit the skies for NM. The weather was great the day we got there, but it rained the next two days. Blue skies for Mon-Fri, then more rain for the last weekend. Mom and Jim drove out on the last Friday and stayed until Sunday (thanks!) to see the beauty that I've never been able to capture either in words or on film, but found themselves in the rain/wind also. No, I'm not talking about the beauty of the topography. It doesn't please me even one little bit and I'm sorry if those of you who live out that way are offended (ha!). I need my trees and green grass!!!!!

This picture was taken by some of the customers we took up one morning. We were setting up off site (you start off the field at least one mile away and try to fly in) and the sun was coming through the top. It made for a very pretty picture. They were really nice people and very gracious. If you can click on this picture to enlarge it, notice the chalk ovals in the grass. These were part of the competition. On one of the days that we start off site they put tall poles in the center of these circles. On top of each pole they put an envelope. One contains $1000 cash, one has a $7,000 watch in it and another has keys to a Honda motorcycle. Sounds easy, but over 700 balloons are trying to go after the same thing! On other days they place large red "X's" within 10 miles of the balloon field. They are marked on the map and the pilots try to fly over one of them and drop a long streamer. They are weighted like the ones you see in a football game when there's a flag on the play (a football reference...are you proud of me Cheryl?? Ha!), but they are about 3 feet long. They have a sticker on the end with the pilot's balloon name and number. Whoever comes the closest without landing BEFORE the attempt wins a prize also. After you attempt to either grab and envelope or drop a flag, you land somewhere. This picture was taken by our passengers. You can see us running to catch them before they hit a tree. I'm in the back, my head closest to the white Jeep. When we land in neighborhoods we usually solicit help from the little kids who are watching. Anything to keep
off a fence or out of a tree. This is our crew. Clockwise from Brent: Brent, Pam, Wayne, me, Alisa, Mike, Brandon, John and our pilot Tom. Mike is not really the crew - he's the station manager for Continental at the ABQ airport. He's a really great guy! Pam and John live in LAX, Alisa (Pam and John's daughter) lives in DEN with Brandon (boyfriend), Wayne lives in Houston and so does Tom.

Since we are the official airline of the ABQ balloon fiesta we, once again, had the great honor and privilege of taking up the flag on Wednesday while the Star Spangled Banner played. It was so beautiful, it brought a tear to my eye and gave me chills. All 700 balloons had to wait as we were the first balloon to launch. It was quite a sight! It's a little hard to roll up the flag while you're in the air, but they managed. Here are just a few shots of a typical day. I never got tired of looking at them! Each time I thought I had picked out my favorite one, another one would float by and take its place. I could put hundreds of pictures in here but the website wouldn't hold them all! Each crew member took pictures and we are all supposed to burn them to CD's and mail them out to the others. When I get them all put together I'll put them all on a CD to share with you. They are so beautiful!
That's all for now. I got back Sunday night and I've worked 10-14 hours every day since then with no relief in sight. We have the International Home Furnishings Market in town and we are slammed at the airport!! Also, as if it wasn't busy enough at our little 'ole airport, Mr. George Bush brought his GORGEOUS 747 here yesterday. Don't you know I was out on the runway with my camera (it helps to know the airport cops....)! Ha! Gee, Heather and Billy have never seen this plane. Yeah, right! Have a great week!