I realize that September 11th is a special day in the hearts of Americans, but this past weekend held a different event for me: I was able to experience (and help with?) the semi-planned landing of a hot air balloon about 50 yards behind our house.
Each year, the United Way of Southern Kentucky holds a weekend event (Balloon Classic) with music, food, booths, various kinds of entertainment, and well, more than a few hot air balloons. As part of the Balloon Classic, there is a hot air balloon race in which teams try to score points in various piloting skills (but still at the whim of the wind), with the winners taking home prizes worth thousands of dollars.
So fast forward to this past Sunday morning. We received a text message from one of our neighbors that balloons were flying just north of us. Apparently, the race, which began about a mile east of the local airport, was ending near our neighborhood. Heidi and I stood outside with the kids and watched a few bright-colored globes pass just north and west of our house and we got a good glimpse of one that passed overhead.
We thought all had passed and that we were going to continue with our lazy day, but that wasn't the case. Because of the glorious weather, we had the windows open, and soon after sitting down to enjoy our coffee, Heidi and I heard hear the loud sound of a hot air balloon fiercely torching. I walked out the front door, looked around, and saw nothing. I heard the balloon torch again, so I walked around to the back of the house where I saw a low flying balloon approaching our house and well....
Well, you're just going to have to watch the video below of the balloon coming down, bouncing a bit, and finally resting in the clearing behind our house.
Each year, the United Way of Southern Kentucky holds a weekend event (Balloon Classic) with music, food, booths, various kinds of entertainment, and well, more than a few hot air balloons. As part of the Balloon Classic, there is a hot air balloon race in which teams try to score points in various piloting skills (but still at the whim of the wind), with the winners taking home prizes worth thousands of dollars.
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| Hot air balloon flying near our home |
We thought all had passed and that we were going to continue with our lazy day, but that wasn't the case. Because of the glorious weather, we had the windows open, and soon after sitting down to enjoy our coffee, Heidi and I heard hear the loud sound of a hot air balloon fiercely torching. I walked out the front door, looked around, and saw nothing. I heard the balloon torch again, so I walked around to the back of the house where I saw a low flying balloon approaching our house and well....
Well, you're just going to have to watch the video below of the balloon coming down, bouncing a bit, and finally resting in the clearing behind our house.
My neighbor and I helped secure the balloon and move it to a safer area where it was deflated and put away.
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