Balloon Glow

[carold]

Yes, Sparkle, those are beautiful and as usual, you guys are having way too much fun.

Went on my first balloon ride in Tampa many, many years ago. My friend gave her DH a ride as a present and I went with them to watch. As they were getting ready to take off, I was asked how much I weighed. When I told them, the "ballooner???" said to hop in. What a ride! And it was free!

Then in Oct. of 05, my DH and I went for a ride in Sedona. I had a marvelous time-what views. However, dh had to hang on for dear life and not look down. Realized then how bad his vertigo can be. Would go again in a heartbeat. carold

[bluepinecones]

Such wonderful pictures! Thanks again for taking us along on your adventure.

[mtngal]

Loved the "glow" and thanks for the ride! Many years ago we stayed in a motel in Nevada not knowing balloons would be in the field across the highway the next morning. It was so cool to open the curtains and see them setting off. That morning was the cherry on the cake to a week-end that included a ride over Tioga Pass the night before under a full moon.

Gallop in December? Maybe......

[rvgrammy1953]

Love the photos and you both look like you had a grand time, but it wouldn't be for me....I start shaking standing on a step-ladder

[Birdie]

I think that the glow is really a silly grin being cast over the whole state of NM by Beth and Sparkle!!! If they went bear hunting with a switch, they'd be laughing all the way up the bear's butt That's a love for life that we all need to carry with us daily. Thanks to you two lovelies!

[Sparkle]

Oh Nancy, that was so nice! Beth and I have agreed the Honeymoon is over and now we can be crabby with each other and still be good friends!

[Bethers]

Thank you very much, Nancy. Isn't Sparkle a snot? But what a lovely snot. And she can spot another of her countrywomen or men a mile away. Not sure how she does it - but happens time and again.

[Sparkle]

See, she calls me a snot and I still like her!

[Birdie]

Sparkle, I think you are a libber and like Beth says a "lovely" libber. However, I am still suspect of the 'glow'! Glad you two had a grand flight.

Continue to make haste slowly and keep us posted and pictured

[sunshinecruiserTN]

Many years ago Nashville hosted a balloon rally and the night glow was awesome. Three years ago I was in Sedona and my friend and I went up in the balloon at sunrise, talking about beautiful! I would do it again for sure. When I had almost turned 50 I went skydiving. It was something I had said I wanted to do before I turned 50 so at 49 and 9 months, Geronimo! That was the coolest experience EVER! When you look out at the curviture of the earth, whew, there is just no words that can describe the feeling. I highly recommend it.

Sparkle and Beth, it looks like you all are having a great time and reaching new peaks as you venture northward. Continue to enjoy and so will we.

[Nasoosie]

My sky-diving experience is one I prefer to totally forget!

I went through the sky-diving class in Orange, MA....with my boyfriend who was a paratrooper, his brother, and a close friend of ours. I was REALLY excited about doing that leap! It was my first time in a plane of any kind, and the piper cub we took off in had no door on the passengers' side----just a little wooden platform outside the doorway to stand on while you held onto the wing strut before pushing off backwards. I totally LOVED standing on that platform, and thought it was the neatest thing ever that I was so safe with my two chutes on, looking down on the fall colors of MA. HOWEVER----when it came my turn to jump, the jumpmaster got me positioned on the little platform (the others had already jumped) and counted, "ONE< TWO>THREE JUMP!" Me feet flew off the platform, but my hands hung fast to the wing strut! I shouted at him to pry them off for me, and he dug his fingernails into my knuckle spaces. Did I let go? Nope! It turned out that the pilot had to land with me still on the little platform, after hauling my legs and feet back onto it, as my chutes wouldn't come back in the doorway! My father was on the ground, filming the disaster in 16mm color! Talk about a mortifying experience! So they let me try it the next weekend again, after practicing time and time again on the ground. Did I do it? NOPE! I discovered that, although my heart and mind REALLY wanted the experience of floating down in a chute to the ground, my hands simply wouldn't allow it to ever happen! And I still dream about parachuting, sometimes beginning a dream with jumping higher and higher and higher, until I'm way up in the sky, floating down with an open chute above me! Sigh-----something about me that I guess is 'under the covers' so to speak!

It was months before I would come out of my room after the failure of that second attempt. It was a very traumatic failure for me----perhaps the worst of my life. My mother threatened to take me to a psychiatrist, and then I decided I had punished myself enough!

So now you all know what a wimp I really am!

[Sparkle]

Not a wimp at all, because you trierd...twice. That took great courage. Maybe your brain is stronger than your willpower. It KNEW you shouldn't do it.

[Cedar518]

I'm sure with Sparkle on this Soosie,..... I believe that we truly know inside what we should do. haha...only some of us take years to do it! Let's just say I know what I'm talking about because I'm talking about myself!

[bluepinecones]

I'm with Sparkle and Cedar; At least you tried. That is more than most would do. You have plenty of other daredevil and daily life skills to your credit.

[mitch5252]

I"m with Sparkle and Cedar and Blue - YOU'RE NO WIMP!!! You tried and it just wasn't your thing!!! Feel proud that you tried!