Up Up & Away

On Saturday morning we bumped shoulders with a crowd of thousands at Ann Morrison Park early in the a.m. to watch, in awe and wonder, as a myriad of brightly colored hot air balloons took flight over the city of Boise in an annual celebration called "The Spirit of Boise." We left the house at 6:15, wearing jackets to cozy ourselves against the crispness of the morning and rubbing the sleep from our eyes, unsure of what awaited us, but anxious just the same.

The event was ushered in by a fly-over!

Arriving early not only afforded us an optimal parking spot, but also a front row "seat." Although cold, wet grass is not optimal for sitting. Just a tip from me to you! ;) We stood for what seemed like for-e-ver, as the crowds of spectators grew thicker around us; people bundled up their jacket and blankets, armed with cameras.

And then "things" began to happen...

Did I tell you that we literally just rolled out of bed and left the house?
It explains why we look like this...

and this...

Brock watched in dumbstruck fascination as the balloons began to inflate. Come to think of it, I'm not sure Brock has ever really seen hot air balloons anywhere besides TV. It's something entirely different and far more gratifying to see them in person.

And then the balloons took flight!

Blast off! What may have been the ugliest pile of balloon on the ground, turned out to be one of the most popular balloons of the day. The rocket!!!
Of course, as fate would have it, Brock had to use the bathroom just moments before the rocket launched. He missed it! Luckily, his superhero mom saved the day with these images:

Going old school.
The retro Boise State logo balloon was the MOST POPULAR balloon of the day. And why??? 'Cause you're in Bronco Nation, baby, and be it old or new, as long as it is Boise State, it RRRRROCKS!!
Who better to embody the spirit of a true blue Bronco fan that Clarke and our future Boise State linebacker, Brock?!

When the BSU balloon launched, there was a thunderous cheer!
The other balloons were probably jealous because NO OTHER BALLOON received such a spirited send off.

To demonstrate just how early this all happened, here is the sunrise...after most of the balloons had already launched. Most of you'alls were still in bed, right?

The Spirit of Boise is a 4-day event, Saturday being the most popular. The theme that day was competition. The challenge for each balloon was to knock over a porta-potty in the park. Yeah, um, welcome to Idaho???? But in the spirit of true sportsmanship, I will say that for most of the balloons who tried, the task was near impossible. Except, of course, for the sponsor balloon who cheated.

So early that the moon was still out...

I'm not sure we've recovered fully from such an early Saturday morning (yawning even now), but the sleep deprivation was so worth the visual intoxication!

We'll definitely make this an annual family tradition!