People Fiesta at the Balloon Fiesta

ABQ: Today was the opening celebration of the International Balloon Fiesta.  I was up before five to join 100,000 people from all over the world for this majestic spectacle.  Over 1,000 hot air balloons rose into the deep blue sky as the sun rose over the Sandia Mountains.   It was exhilarating and frankly all I could do is giggle and cry and dart from balloon to balloon as the roar of the gas jets and the roar of the applause pushed the silk kaleidoscopes into the sky.  I took over a hundred photos and will create a new gallery, but I wanted to throw up some preliminary pics.

Because this is the most photographed event in the world I will not even try to present spectacular pictures of the balloons.  Instead I focused on the people.  I spoke with folks from Canada and from Belgium and from all over America.  I saw many visitors from Asia.   This is the biggest gathering of the year for the Good Sam Motor Home Club and bikers from all over America make this pilgrimage each year.  Still it was the children who were most delighted by the glowing balloons.

It would be tempting to get mad at the people because they were in the way of the getting the story---but in fact, they ARE the story.   Imagine watching a 100,000 people as they open the best present they ever got.   That is the look on all these faces.   There is joy here, and utter astonishment.   I had older men come up to me so excited they could hardly talk, and tell me how glad they were that they came.  One such man, from British Columbia, assured me this was the most amazing thing he ever saw.

I will spend the rest of my day at various art festivals and performance art happenings, but it will be hard to top the majesty and the beauty of this beautiful morning.  And this is just the beginning---The Fiesta will continue through next weekend with more mass risings and races.   I will keep you posted all week.  Check here often.  And if you get to go in person, be sure to bring a child; it will be a memory they will never forget.

(Kodak has always advertised this as their biggest film use event in the world each year.  Sorry Kodak, 9 out of 10 cameras I saw today were digital.  The world is changing.)

Peace, Love, and you really got to see this live, Daddyo in Messico

Comments

[joey]

better post pictures soon....

[Kelley aka Daddyo]

Thanks Joey, I will be publishing the photos all through this week. There are so many great balloon pics up on my various friends' blogs (see the links at www.dukecityfix.com) that I am almost don't want to compete, but I will be adding my best pics. Later in the month I am doing a hot air balloon flight that I won---I suspect that will provide my best balloon photos yet.

[joey]

if only i had time...