alainaflute
Greg
Jody
E.G.D.A Sea of Balloons!
Posted by alainaflute on October 12, 2012
Every October, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta draws balloonists and visitors from around the world. Hundreds of hot air balloons take to the air in waves, dotting the bright blue, New Mexican sky with vibrant color. Today’s post features pictures of beach and ocean-themed balloons taken in The Land of Enchantment at this year’s event.
A giant globe! (Photo by Alaina Diehl)
97% of the earth’s water is in the oceans! 100% of these balloons are awesome!
“Sea Fantasy,” an ocean sampler: octopus, fish, sea star, dolphins, and a sea horse. (Alaina Diehl)
On my mission to photograph beachy balloons, this one stuck out like…well, a colorful octopus covered in other sea creatures! Said creatures are not to scale.
Smiling Sea Star on Sea Fantasy (Photo by Alaina Diehl)
Doesn’t a smiling sea star just make your day?
Crazy Crab looking not too crabby! (Photo by Alaina Diehl)
This happy crab is such a fun special shape! With the blue sky acting as the wide open ocean, there are many more sailing and swimming balloon shape ideas to discover.
Do you have an idea for a beachy special shape?
The Shark (Photo by Alaina Diehl)
Doooo do. Dooooo do. Dodododododododododododododododododododo! You’re gonna to need a bigger boat! I’d hate to be a giant fish in the sky when The Shark comes to town.
Look out, giant guppy!
Gus T. Guppie from Balloon Fiesta 2011
Yo ho ho and a barrel of root beer! This one is so much fun. As large as it seems by the photograph, the main body of the balloon is a barrel. On the top, a fun-loving (and eye patch clad) kid sticks out with his spy glass. He be flyin’ the Jolly Roger!
Little Pirate (Photo by Alaina Diehl)
Arrrrr! Shiver me timbers!
A Closer Look at “Little Pirate” (Photo by Alaina Diehl)
The next vessel that’s ready to set sail is Noah’s Ark, aka ARKY. Even the balloon’s ground tarp is special; it depicts a rainbow.
The Balloonist’s Prayer
May the winds welcome you with softness.
May the sun bless you with its warm hands.
May you fly so high and so well that God
joins you in laughter and sets you gently
back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.
Are you missing the Fiesta this year? Never fear, it comes around during October each year. The 2013 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is scheduled for October 5 – 13. Happy sailing!
Kim (klling) @ Tranquil Dreams said
Love the post! So colourful and beautiful! We have a balloon festival near where I am too. Definitely not as impressive as this one though! I especially like Noah’s Ark..that one’s super awesome!
alainaflute said
Thanks! Yes, this is a pretty cool event. We’ve been enjoying these balloons for over 20 years! We have buckets of photos (think pre-digital photography).
Jody said
Yes! A smiling sea star does make my day!
alainaflute said
Wingclipped said
Fantastic! I always remember a balloon flight that was held close to where we live in north London – a strange, built-up, place for a balloon flight you may think, and you’d probably be right, but it happened. It was surreal, with all sorts of multi-coloured balloons floating passed our flat. We sat there for ages watching…
alainaflute said
That’s great! Do you know where they landed? In Albuquerque, they land just about anywhere: open fields, parking lots, back yards, and even on the roads. Over the years, we’ve grown accustomed to the beauty (and peculiarity) of this event.
Wingclipped said
I have no idea where they landed, nor indeed if they landed. We watched them for an hour or so, until they were just dots in the sky. It may be they are still up there, where all is quiet, life is still and time stops…!
E.G.D. said
LOVE IT! A sky full of sea ^_^