Sunday, June 28, 2015

Up, Up and Away...

in my beautiful, my beautiful balloon!!

A Hot Air Balloon Ride...
it is the experience of a lifetime...a view and feeling like no other I have ever experienced.
Our "experience" was on June 25th, we were celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary.
What a great way to celebrate!

We arrived at 6 a.m., as the sun was rising.
We had so much happy anticipation as they inflated the balloons.
Two balloons were going up on this morning.

And have you noticed my beautiful Guernsey Wrap
it was a cool morning and I was thrilled to wrap myself up in it!

Now...
let's get to the good stuff, pictures,
 they tell the story better than I ever could!

 We look like peanuts standing up against the balloon.

 This is the inside of the balloon, as it's being inflated.

 Side by side, our balloon is the one on the right,

 both balloons were spectacular.

 We rose with the sun, it was such a magical moment.
The entire ride was about an hour.

 I like flying low best, as you can see everything perfectly.

 The fields...

  The farms...

  The landscapes...all manicured perfectly!







This is a picture of overwhelming joy,
our cruising altitude here was about 7,200 feet.

Next are a few images from our descend...



You never know where you will land,
on this day, we landed in a Pottery Barn parking lot...nice!

If you have a fear of heights, which I do, you will not feel afraid.
There is no physical connection between the earth and the balloon like there is in a tall building.
The feeling of complete freedom alleviate any apprehension or anxiety.

The balloon moves at the same speed as the air, there is no feeling of motion.
The sensation of ballooning is the complete absence of sensation.
Tranquil, Calm, Relaxing, Weightless...are the only words I could use to describe this experience!!

Many thanks to our pilot Kyle Lucas and our "clean-up" crew, you guys are amazing!!

This will, perhaps, become a new anniversary tradition!
Have fun while you're here, you won't be here forever!

39 comments:

eileeninmd said...

Good Morning, Debbie! All I can say is WOW! What a cool experience! Your photos are awesome. I was wondering about the motion feelings. You seem to enjoy living for the moment, it is true you never know what is in your future. Happy Sunday, have great day!

Changes in the wind said...

Wow that was quite an experience!! Thanks for sharing and Happy Anniversary.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Beautiful smiles aside...shot 15 was worth a desktop photo. :)

TexWisGirl said...

really awesome. just love that farm country! gorgeous!

Farm Girl said...

I am so glad you explained all of that because I get that weird feeling in my stomach looking at your pictures. I think it is just breathtaking to look at the colors of the landscape around you. What a beautiful place you live in Debbie.
I think some of the first blogs I read of yours was the first(?) balloon trip. I was just mesmerized then.
I am so glad you did something fun for your anniversary. Thank you so much for sharing.

Adrienne said...

Spectacular - on so many levels!!! So happy for you! I love that shot of you "rising with the sun" - that's the one I would frame. And the ones looking at the other balloon give such perspective! I love this!

joeh said...

I see these floating around NJ from 287 a lot...almost caused several accidents watching.

Judy said...

Our town is having its Balloon Fest this weekend, so I see them overhead a bit.
I love how the fields are so beautiful from high above!
I have had people tell me that there is no sensation of movement and it feels like you are just softly floating up to Heaven. (Except for the noise when the gas is turned on.)

Sally said...

Such magical moments for you guys to celebrate your anniversary.
I'm so happy you were able to enjoy, and I simply love all the pics. :)

xoxo

jp@A Green Ridge said...

What an exhilarating experience, Debbie!!!...:)JP

Kerry said...

I've often wondered what it is like to go up in a balloon. I also have a fear of heights, but you make it sound fabulous. And what great pictures you took!

Gayle said...

Fantastic and what a memory! Congratulations.

Ruth Hiebert said...

The views from up there are amazing. Everything looks so neat and tidy. Beautiful,beautiful images.

Bonnie K said...

Wow! You are so lucky. Thirty seven years? Congrats! What a grand way to celebrate.

Brian King said...

How awesome is that! Beautiful photos from the air! Glad you enjoyed it!

Nicki said...

Absolutely love that first shot of you two. Me, I'd be hanging on for dear life - but oh so exciting.

MarmePurl said...

Not sure that my smile has ever been bigger.
What a way to celebrate Life and Love!

karen said...

It was a fabulous experience of a lifetime so high in the clouds looking down on earth. Im so happy that you & your husband got to experience that day. Wonderful memories, wonderful pictures. You look so pretty in that wrap gorgeous smiles.

The Furry Gnome said...

What a way to celebrate is right!

Bonnie said...

Debbie, your face says it all. I see pure joy! What an experience. Loved all the pictures. Thanks for taking us a long. Hugs!

LeAnn said...

Oh this was just lovely. I still don't know if I could do it; put you tell such a sweet story and the pictures are just magnificent. It does look like an experience of a lifetime. I loved how beautiful the landscape was; flawless.
I love your new wrap; awesome!
The photos of the two of you showed pure joy. You have made some precious memories and I loved that you shared them. Blessings and hugs!

Kay said...

This is so beautiful! I do have a fear of heights so it's hard to believe I won't panic. It sure does look like fun though. Good for you.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

HI Debbie What a wonderful experience adnone that is on my bucket list. Your images are all brilliant, the views as well as the gorgeous balloon.

Sharon M said...

What beautiful photos! I'm glad you had a great time. I can't believe you have a fear of heights but can do this. I admire that. I don't fear heights, but I'm really claustrophobic, so I'm not sure I would be able to do this.

Debbie said...

thank you so much karen, the wrap....awwwwww, so necessary!!

Dynna said...

I also have that fear of heights but have gone on 2 hot air balloon rides. It is a fabulous experience. Congratulations on your anniversary. I love the farm lands that look like beautiful quilts.

Debbie said...

many thanks for your kind comment. i looked for your blog but was not able to find it. if you have one, could you please send me a link!!!!

Debbie said...

hi judy, you comment here often, thank you!! i have never been able to find a blog for you. if you have one, could you please send me a link!! you described the ride perfectly!!!

Dreaming of Vintage said...

Congratulations! That looks like so much fun Debbie! Going on a hot air balloon ride is definitely on my bucket list!

Conniecrafter said...

That is just amazing, love the pictures but that will be the best I see of it because I could never do that, I wouldn't be able to handle not having anything under me. Glad you had such a wonderful time!

Sue (this n that) said...

Fabulous !!! Loved your post Debbie - congratulations on your Anniversary too. That was a really great way to celebrate it. Your photos are awesome... those farmlands are so beautiful spread out like that and all the different colours. Can see in your faces how thrilled you both are - with the balloon ride and each other :D) xx

Sue (this n that) said...

Your wrap looks so beautiful too - well done!!!!

21 Wits said...

What an incredible adventure for you to share together. Beautiful memories to last a lifetime!

Cathy H. said...

The views from the balloon are spectacular and so is your wrap! Congratulations on your anniversary!

Ida said...

Super post. I was anxiously awaiting these photos and I wasn't disappointed. Loved all the shots of the farm land and seeing how happy you were. Very pretty balloons.

New Jersey Memories said...

I've always wanted to go to the Ballooning Festival held in Readington every summer, but I have somehow never made it. I couldn't take a balloon trip anyway because my husband is afraid of heights and I can't afford it, anyway.

It looks like you had a marvelous time. That was a unique idea for an anniversary "date" ; )

Happy Anniversary! Wonderful photos from the balloon! The countryside looks spectacular, and you and your husband look so happy together :)

Miriam said...

Happy Anniversary Debbie. What a wonderful way to celebrate. The pictures are simply beautiful. I was lucky enough to experience this a few years ago for my husbands birthday. I have vertigo but you are right, I was fine. Happy days. x

barbara l. hale said...

What a wonderful ride you had! Looks like it was a simply perfect day for a balloon ride. I can remember the feeling (or lack of feeling) of ascent. Seems like there was no movement then all of a sudden, you were up in the air. This is making me itch to go on another balloon ride.

Anonymous said...

I was going to say you are much braver than I! But your description of the ride makes it not so scary. Thanks for sharing, and happy anniversary!