Hot Air

I've listened to bikers for years crying..."Please share the road." But,....do I have to share it with a hot air balloon, too?

I was on my way to church this morning at 7:00 a.m., to help set up chairs. This colorful boy was crossing over the expressway. After crossing the e-way, the pilot and his passengers were drifting lower and lower. They were getting ready to "put down" at Lake Fenton High School.

I went to Fenton High School. We always thought of the Lake Fenton kids as spoiled liitle rich kids who lived on the lake. It wasn't entirely true.

If I wanted to get a little nasty...I would send this picture to the local paper...suggesting these headlines..."THIS PROVES IT!!! LAKE FENTON IS FULL OF HOT AIR!!! Or, I could pick on the football team and say..."THIS IS PROBABLY THE ONLY TOCHDOWN THAT YOU"LL HAVE ALL SEASON!!! But...I won't do either one.

Maybe 20 years ago, us kids bought my dad a ride on a hot-air balloon. They had an extra spot...so I went along, too. Something to cross off my "Bucket List." I don't know what I was expecting...but I thought it would be "scarier" than it was. Just a little touch of danger. You just kind of feel like you're "floating" along. I did enjoy it, but I thought it would wake up my adrenal glands, and get me hopping. I had to look this up about the adrenal gland...but, my inner medulla produced nothing, and my outer vortex stayed silent. In other words...a nice caaaaaalm ride.

It was fun to have people point and yell to you. The blast of the gas freaks out the dogs...forcing them to bark. We did see a cute little fox. I remember thinking the "fire" was close enough to you that it kept you heated up. As passengers kept boarding...I wanted to ask "Captain Carl" about capacity. We were crammed into the basket. If I would have had my wife... it would have been easy to do a little gond-o-la fond-o-la. The landing was shaky. Instead of a road...we ended up in a muddy farmers field. After shaking off our shoes...the passengers voted to make "Captain Carl" a sergeant.

Next up on the Bucket List....more state highpoints,(I think I have 16 or 17) and to get chased by a moose in the north-woods of Maine.