Another Balloon Fiesta in the books

It’s officially over for another year, although some pilots may continue to fly for a few days. They do like our wee valley.

Saturday evening they managed to take off and flew east, for a change, right over our house and heading out toward Waterford. Lovely to see for sure!

Sunday morning I pedalled down to the launch field hoping for more photos of the balloons going up again. Unfortunately, the fog was like the proverbial British pea soup (or what you might more normally see in Saint John). Although there was no wind, fog poses a true safety hazard in that, when the balloons are aloft, the pilots can’t see well enough and far enough to be able to react to obstacles like power lines. It also makes it difficult to find good, safe landing spots. So, the organizers made the (wise) decision to hold off. The field was full of spectators who were, no doubt, disappointed, but I’m sure they understood It was such a friendly atmosphere. I met a nice couple from Sackvlle, NB, who’d driven down to see the balloons and spend time with some of their grandchildren – adorable triplets!

I also spent time chatting with a terrific lady from Ukraine. She and her husband, two kids, and parents live in Moncton but had driven down to see what it was all about. Although the balloons didn’t fly, some inflated so the kids could see just how very huge they really are. We watched one strong young man drag what was obviously a very HEAVY cart through the fog-soaked grass to lay out a balloon.

Spectators roamed around chatting with each other, forging new friendships among the adults, children and numerous dogs (all well behaved AND on leashes) in attendance.

The sun tried, somewhat unsuccessfully, to break through.