The winds have welcomed
you with softness
The sun blessed you with his
warm hands
You have flown so high and so well
That God joins you in your laughter
And set you gently back into
the Loving arms of Mother Earth
- Balloonist Prayer
Who would have ever guessed that one beautiful, cold winter day - we would rise before the sun and enter the world of the balloonists? Each year Bluff celebrates the Bluff Balloon Festival. The past two years, they have brought tissue paper, glue and wire to the school and Mark has helped them teach his students about ballooning (which is actually a career choice!) and to make their own balloons. Next week they will get to launch their balloons at the school. Interestingly enough the heat source to launch the balloons is a turkey cooker! So Mark was given the opportunity to take me to Bluff and take a ride in a hot air balloon!
Those that are going to ride are considered part of the "crew" and they give you explicit directions in helping them unload and inflate the balloon.
It was a cold morning and a welcome time when they "lit" the burner to make sure it was functioning properly.
As the sun was rising, so were the balloons. Enormous fans are used to blow air into the balloons to inflate them.
Sense would tell you that the balloons are big - but until you stand next to one, you don't realize how big!
Mark helping to put the top of the balloon in place and getting all the ropes in proper alignment.
Looking into the inside of the balloon as it is filling with air.
This is our balloon for the day - the
Skywalker - the owners of the balloon designed the balloon, the number of panels and the graduating color scheme.
Some of the fellow balloons in the morning sky at Bluff as we are just beginning to take off.
Looking "down" on a neighboring balloon.
Peeking through the basket at a ball-capped, happy faced balloon.
Way up there - above the mesas near Bluff.
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Certification that we really did it!
It was spectacular - the entire process was beyond what I would have imagined. All "novice" riders once they have come safely back to earth take part in a "ritual" Balloonists Prayer and toast to give thanks for their safe return to earth. The toast is made with Champagne (orange juice for us) kneeling down and using no hands! After the toast was drunk, there was cheese, crackers, salami and fruit to enjoy. What can I say, it was just a beautiful experience. I'm so glad I got to take part in the day.
So, when I have MY world - I vote for NO CAVITIES, NO DENTAL WORK - What do you think? Tuesday I went to the dentist for one filling and the placement of the post for a dental implant. Woke up Tuesday morning at 5:00 a.m. with a migraine - somehow a migraine and dental work don't fit together - so I took a pill - a great pill - by 9:30 am the headache was "almost" gone - note the "almost" Enter "HAPPY GAS" As the room was spinning and I couldn't tell you my name and I could not manage to keep my eyes open - the dentist says, "Let me tell you about this implant. As it is on the upper jaw, the bone is not thick enough to hold the entire implant, so it will need to go up into your sinus cavity. Now we don't want to perforate the sinus membrane - so we will just drill as far as we can and then take this little instrument (ice pick) and tap the bone with this (hammer) until it breaks through the sinus. Now - this isn't going to hurt!" Of course I was too zoned to say STOP! It was true that it didn't hurt - yet. But the sounds and the reverberation and the echo - imagine dynamite exploding in your sinus. Worst thing I can every remember. I then had a headache that I was not able to get rid of until Thursday afternoon. I finally had to get a shot at the clinic - come home and sleep for about 14 hours and then it finally went away. Two days past that, now my mouth feels like I had dental work done. And so if it won't upset the cosmos or change all of the eternities I plan on there being NO BAD TEETH on my worlds.
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