Oh fine, then. Photos.
I arrived Thursday. Rigel and I got lunch (*amazing* Mexican food - the red sauce was outstanding) and checked out part of Petroglyphs National Monument where you can see vestiges of volcano cones. The site also affords a nice view of Albuquerque's sprawl, as you can see.
Thursday night, we gathered at Jenn's and Rigel's for drinks and a planning session. Meetings are boring, so no photos. Sorry.
Friday morning, I met up with my Indies Unlimited friend Kat Brooks (a.k.a. K.S. Brooks), who drove over from Phoenix to take photos of the petroglyphs. Here's me with what may or may not be a raven. (It's probably a macaw -- the ancient Pueblos considered it sacred, and yes, trade routes from Central America were that well established).
We finally got to the Balloon Fiesta Friday night, for the Special Shapes Glowdeo. Here are a few shots I took. The first features the back of u.'s head...
Saturday, it rained, so we skipped the balloons and prepared for the traditional barbecue at danlo's that night. I should mention here that this may end up being known as the Walking Wounded E-Fest. Besides lorin's multiple surgeries and Io's health issues this past year, danlo has a mass in one of his sinuses (surgery to come shortly); Lady Tam was in a lot of pain due to (best guess) arthritis in her hips, and is also having heart trouble; and Jenn had just gotten off crutches after breaking off a bone spur in her foot when she fell and broke three ribs. (SRD also couldn't make it, as his wife has been ill.) Lorin took a head count at one point -- the only attendees who weren't "broken" were u., Io's daughter, Rigel, and me. So our usual hosts were variously incapacitated -- and yet they came through for the Watchers who descended on them. Kudos and big hugs (gentle hugs, in Jenn's case!) to them.
Sunday began dark and early, as we rolled out of bed and headed, bleary-eyed, to the park-and-ride to catch a bus for the mass ascension.
This first balloon is the mascot for Bimbo snacks, a Mexican-based company whose snack foods are popular in ABQ (or so I'm told). When this little guy ascended, he had an American flag hanging below his gondola, and he drifted across the crowd while the US national anthem played over the PA system. I'll trust y'all to draw the appropriate ironic conclusions.
Getting ready for liftoff. That's Rigel with his phone on the left, and Io's daughter, with her hair up, next to him.
Creamland Dairy tried to launch their cow balloon, but it was too breezy. They ended up flying their regular-shaped balloon instead. (There were a *lot* of corporate-sponsored balloons, which I guess shouldn't have surprised me.)
More balloons. I have a better shot, but this one has Jenn in it.
Between the pre-dawn hour, the breeze, and the desert's penchant for losing heat overnight, it was chilly!
Moar balloons!
I liked the ones with the spirals.
I had a shot on FB of the group at the Fiesta from that morning, but I guess someone else took it as it's not on my phone.
I'll try to download it from FB and post it later.
Anyway, after the mass ascension, we retired to the Flying Star for brunch, then to our respective rooms for naps. We reconvened Sunday night at danlo's for lasagna, cooked by lorin. Jenn and I had a little too much time on our hands at Walgreens while waiting for her prescription to be filled, and the Halloween aisle beckoned...
Left to right on the couch: Jenn, Catherine, Io, and lorin; in the back, u., Lady Tam, me, danlo, and Rigel. Io's wearing Minnie Mouse ears and lorin's headgear is a giant spider, in case you can't make them out. Grace did the photography honors.
I couldn't tell you what happened after that, as I drove straight from dinner to Santa Fe. Went to a museum, walked a labyrinth, toured Georgia O'Keeffe's home and studio in Abiquiu, and flew home Tuesday.
