Monday, September 5, 2011

Balloonfest/ Our World

 This Purple People Eater has eyes for you!

My husband and I are just back from a few days visiting family in Upstate New York.

Last Saturday my sister-in-law took us to Dansville to see the New York State Festival of Balloons.  We were hoping to see the evening launch of the many balloons at the Dansville Airport - flat beside the runway and ready to be blown up. Unfortunately, the air was hazy and there was too much wind.

 Don't be fooled by it's smile! It thinks you look very tasty!

However, a few of the balloon owners knew we'd be disappointed, so for our enjoyment filled their balloons with hot air, then tethered them securely so they'd remain close to the ground.  The Purple People Eater was a crowd pleaser. (And you'll be glad to know the purple People Eater didn't eat a single person - that I saw, anyway!)


Heating the air to lift a balloon featuring a lady bug on a sunflower

This third photo was taken by my sister-in-law. I love the way she captured the flame heating the air inside another balloon, and also how she  photographed workers as they pulled the balloon's basket upright.

More photos from Our World can be seen by clicking HERE.
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47 comments:

  1. AndySeptember 5, 2011 at 12:06 PM

    Who could ever forget the one-eyed, one-horned, flying, purple people eater?

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  2. AnonymousSeptember 5, 2011 at 12:34 PM

    What a wonderfully quirky and cheerful purple balloon!

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  3. Tina´s PicStorySeptember 5, 2011 at 12:37 PM

    Great shots :)

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  4. Penelope NotesSeptember 5, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    That is a nice action shot of people working on the balloon. It shows just how large and powerful these amazing creations really are. With its discolored tooth, it looks as if the purple people eater had one too many bad meals. :)

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  5. Leif HagenSeptember 5, 2011 at 12:45 PM

    What a fun hot air balloon! BIG eyes - all the best to see us with....

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  6. MadSnapperSeptember 5, 2011 at 1:07 PM

    oooohhhh I am scared... and that last one looks like they are about to get carried away into the wild blue yonder.

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  7. KarenSeptember 5, 2011 at 1:33 PM

    How cool!!!

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  8. Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotteSeptember 5, 2011 at 1:35 PM

    WOW! Who knew this was the kind of balloon you were referring to? What an experience.

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  9. KathySeptember 5, 2011 at 1:36 PM

    I've always wanted to go to a balloon festival. That is one cute balloon!

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  10. ZosiaSeptember 5, 2011 at 1:52 PM

    Great fun! Back to the romantic era of aviation. "Around the World in 80 days".

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  11. My name is RietSeptember 5, 2011 at 2:14 PM

    What a lovely post and so much fun. It must have been hrd work to keep it near the ground.

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  12. RedPatSeptember 5, 2011 at 2:23 PM

    Too bad it was so windy - great shots anyway!

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  13. UnknownSeptember 5, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Cool balloon. It must be so much beauty there.

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  14. cieldequimperSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:03 PM

    I'm chuckling here!!! I would have loved this!

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  15. UnknownSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    In answer to your question: yes I heard the CBC show which was great but I thought fell short of my defintion of wilderness and park. But it's great to be in such good company!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  16. AngelaSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    That would be neat to see in person! I remember when I was around 12 there used to be a lot of hot air balloons that would fly past our house. I don't know why they don't do that anymore. It was so exciting seeing all of them flying by and waving to them. A friend said that one dropped a bag of sand on their house!

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  17. CarverSeptember 5, 2011 at 3:43 PM

    What fun. I love hot air balloons and these are so entertaining.

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  18. Sylvia KSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:06 PM

    I love hot air balloons, too, and these are terrific! What a great post for the day! One of those fun days I'll always remember is when my daughter and I took a balloon ride over the wine country in California! It was such fun! Loved being able to look the eagle in the eye!! Have a great week!

    Sylvia

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  19. Kay L. DaviesSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:12 PM

    Hot-air balloons are beautiful to watch and certainly capture the imagination. The purple people eater is certainly imatinative!
    I've never found out why a balloon crashed and burned several years ago in my former neighborhood in BC. I used to love to watch them when I lived there.
    — K

    Kay, Alberta, Canada
    An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

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  20. EbieSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:12 PM

    Such great eyes you have my dear! Love them.

    I always enjoyed balloon festivals and I missed two this year.

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  21. Chrissy BrandSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:18 PM

    That's so funny ;-)

    Chrissy

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  22. AlSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:24 PM

    What fun, and nice photos of that strange balloon. We had a balloon festival in my city this weekend (every Labor Day), but I didn't make it this year. There are about 60 balloons each year at our festival!

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  23. eileeninmdSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:29 PM

    Great shots of the hot air balloons. I like the Purple People eater one.

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  24. LornaSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:45 PM

    there is such a dichotomy between the amount of work it takes to manage one of those, and their buoyant, cheery look

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  25. Gill - That British WomanSeptember 5, 2011 at 4:57 PM

    I would have loved to be there.....

    Gill

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  26. JackSeptember 5, 2011 at 5:41 PM

    I'm kind of a chicken. In good weather, hot air balloons might be fun. But in strong winds, no thank you.

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  27. Elisa N ViajesSeptember 5, 2011 at 6:03 PM

    Oh! I´d like to be there one day!
    Beautiful!
    Have a nice day
    Elisa, Argentina

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  28. MichelleSeptember 5, 2011 at 6:33 PM

    Cute balloon. Love those big eyes.

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  29. Lois EvensenSeptember 5, 2011 at 7:34 PM

    What a fun day! Love that purple guy. Purple People Eater, huh???

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  30. LifeRamblingsSeptember 5, 2011 at 7:35 PM

    what big eyes you have there. love your smile. thanks for brightening up my day.

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  31. RoseSeptember 5, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    I bet Lorelei would love the Purple People Eater!

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  32. Lap Dog KnitsSeptember 5, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    Love the balloons....you're right, great flame capture.

    Looks like a fun day.

    thanks for joining in the weekly word theme - "gentle" for this week.

    If you join with me - that'll make two of us ...hopefully others will join too. Otherwise, we'll just support each other and say what wonderful pictures
    we both take:-)

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  33. IndraniSeptember 5, 2011 at 8:49 PM

    This is thrilling, I hope I will be able to attend one some day.

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  34. Nature RamblesSeptember 5, 2011 at 9:17 PM

    That must have been fun!! Love the Purple People Eater!

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  35. kayerjSeptember 5, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    How fun!

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  36. RandySeptember 5, 2011 at 10:44 PM

    I love that first shot. It reminds me that our Balloon fiesta is only a month away.

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  37. ArijaSeptember 5, 2011 at 11:17 PM

    Judging by the last photo, the conditions were anything but ideal for ballooning! I really love the last shot, reminiscent of sailors straining against a gale-force wind to haul in a sail.

    Looks like you had a great day anyway, thanks for sharing it.

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  38. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    that is one festival i really want to see. a goldmine for photo ops.

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  39. stardustSeptember 6, 2011 at 2:44 AM

    Purple People Easter is really eye-catching with its impressive eyes and colors. Our eyes are always caught by the balloons, so the last is the nice shot to see how people are working on the ground. Have a nice week.

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  40. GattinaSeptember 6, 2011 at 4:21 AM

    What fun ! We will have the same here in a few weeks ! but smaller and in the city.

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  41. MalyssSeptember 6, 2011 at 5:01 AM

    It seems to be hard to manipulate such balloons. Happy to read that the "thing" did not eat anyone! :o))

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  42. KateSeptember 6, 2011 at 9:13 AM

    Looks like a very tough job on a windy day! Great looking balloons, even if they were tethered. Considerate of the owners to do that, too!

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  43. Joe ToddSeptember 6, 2011 at 12:33 PM

    Fun post and great phtos. I did a post on a balloon festival a couple weeks ago.. The festivals are a lot of fun

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  44. HalcyonSeptember 6, 2011 at 6:03 PM

    How fun! We were just in Rochester. Where was the balloon fest? Maybe we can make it next year. :)

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  45. Singapoare Plants LoverSeptember 6, 2011 at 10:11 PM

    That's fun.

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  46. genieSeptember 6, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    Awesome captures of the balloons. Love the one where the people are trying to hold onto it. They are just so colorful. genie

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  47. JackieSeptember 7, 2011 at 4:52 PM

    I would love to go up in one. Some years ago we had a lot of hot-air balloons go over our house, from a special event organised by Castle Howard (Yorkshire), they were all sorts of weird and wonderful shapes, a cup and saucer, a teapot, a telephone box, you name it. Wish I had got photo's of them.

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