Burners

Four balloons inflated and launched from our neighbor’s field. Below is a video of the inflating and launching, photos of the burners, photos of the animals watching, and three new balloons.

Birthday & Balloons

Today is Laurie’s birthday and the second day of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta with a mass ascension.

One of the helium balloons taking off last night.

Purple Stain

Purple Stain

As with most parodies, Purple Stain started out to be humorous. However, the lyrics took a turn toward the more serious aspects of life. Purple Stain was inspired by Holly at House of Heart in the Fall of 2020 when we were commenting back and forth on images and poetry. I thought for a long time about how to do a video to go with the song. I finally worked it out.

Many of us don’t fit “Normal” as defined by Miriam Webster*:

  1. Conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern: characterized by that which is considered usual, typical, or routine.
  2. According with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, procedure, or principle.
  3. Approximating the statistical average or norm.
  4. Generally free from physical or mental impairment or dysfunction: exhibiting or marked by healthy or sound functioning.
  5. Not exhibiting defect or irregularity.
  6. Within a range considered safe, healthy, or optimal.

For we who have fallen outside almost all of the above definitions of “normal” at one time or another throughout our lifetimes for various reasons that are often outside of our control, we have dealt with “normal” people who do not understand the issues surrounding the problems we have had, problems we have to deal with continually, and the problem of being different and trying to fit into a “normal” world.

Purple Stain
By Timothy Price
Inspired by Holly Rene Hunter

Cleverly we put off until tomorrow
Wearily the things that make us go insane
Fondly running into the waves and splashing
Fondly raising our glasses, waking with a purple stain

Purple stain, Purple stain
Are we insane? So insane
Purple rain, Purple stain

So here we are scrubbing and washing out that purple stain.

Forever longing wanting to be like others
Our sensitivities make us like the strangest friends
Unfortunately we feel our sensibilities are plundered
Again the same our glasses raised as we pretend

Purple stain, Purple stain
Are we insane? So insane
Purple stain, Purple stain

Funny how we see, we see how things are changing purple stain

You and I we need to live as two
Look! Something new
That time we had to greet her
She stared at us like we’re insane
I thought you were going to lose it
As it was all about it was all about our purple stain

Purple stain, Purple stain
Are we insane? So insane

Yeah!

Let’s get us out of here purple oh the pain
Walking hand in hand

We only want, we only want our sanity

We only want our sanity

Storm clouds built up in the early afternoon, with a constant rumble of thunder as the clouds rolled in. I took the above photo at 1:30 pm and the temperature was 81ºF (27.2ºC). Thirty minutes later the clouds pelted us with hail and heavy rain that lasted for thirty minutes or so. The temperature fell to 55ºF (12.7ºC) in a matter of minutes. Needless to say, our poor peonies got beaten up by the hail.

*https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal

A Little Hot Air

Normally we would have had a lot of hot air this past week with 500 balloons and an extra million people in town for Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. However, like everything else that draws more than 10 people, the AIBF was canceled this year. A few locals flew over our house this morning in honor of the event.

 

 

 

 

 

The Last Hurrah

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta wrapped up this morning. We did not see balloons this morning. They either stayed over the field or flew south. Last night they had the final fireworks show. Above is a video of the fireworks I recorded from the west bank of the Rio Grande at Beaver Point. Below are stills from the fireworks show.

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This armadillo balloon was the last balloon I saw from mass ascension Saturday morning. Most of the balloons flew high to the west on Saturday. The armadillo flew by along the river.

A Dashing, A Splashing, A Bobby & Vixen

The balloonists were splashing and dashing in the Rio Grande before sunrise this morning, and continued until well after sunrise. There were soft breezes moving the balloons very slowly near the water. I doubled the speed of the video to make it easier to watch. The last 10 seconds of the video was recorded yesterday. It shows how the balloons move different directions at slightly different altitudes. They call the wind directions changing every 100 feet or so “The Box” and the box makes if very easy to navigate balloons in this part of the Rio Grande Valley.

Dream Flights

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Dream Flights west of Downtown Albuquerque

Another clear morning for day three of the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Some of the balloons floated southwest of the balloon field, ending up on Albuquerque’s west side and south valley.

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Looking east from Alameda at the river.

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Floating over Old Highway 66 on the west side of Albuquerque.

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Floating toward the Albuquerque’s south valley.

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Hanging over Old Highway 66.

Balloons, Boats & Buzzards

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We had a clear morning, not a cloud in sight, for the second day of the 48th Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Balloons launched in a mass ascension, but there was no wind to speak of, so the balloons hung over the balloon field for a couple of hours.

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This pink flamingo boat is what I believe to be the first special shape boat to be on the Rio Grande during the balloon fiesta.  Kayakers, canoeists, and paddle boarders paddled, floated and shoved their way through the shallows of the Rio Grande as they watched the balloons.

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My neighbor texted me that there were buzzards (Turkey Vultures) in the dead cottonwood a couple of properties south of us. There were still four hanging out in the tree sunning themselves and watching the balloons when I got there. Three flew off soon after I arrived, while the one remaining buzzard shook the dust out of its feathers and settled in to watch what was going on below.