Tired!

We're both tuckered out. From Thursday morning through this morning (Monday), we've been in Mancos at 7:15 a.m. for possible balloon flights. Thursday was a no-show, Friday and Saturday flights were scrubbed due to weather. But yesterday and this morning made it all worth while ... beautiful conditions, allowing long, leisurely flights!

Saturday's flights were about evenly divided twixt Boyle Park in Mancos and this field on the south edge of the town. This morning, all but one of those who stayed for a Monday flight launched from this field. 

I must admit, tired though I was then and am tonight, this picture got me excited as I saw the balloon moving into position between the two inflated balloons that were still on the ground. The gold of the dawn sunlight on the hayfield and the barn, Mesa Verde in the distance and the balloons in blue sky overheard are just, to me, the essence of the Mancos Balloon Festival. 'Twas a gorgeous couple of days, with lots of good memories.

We set up a table at the Bauer House during the benefit wine- and cheese-tasting event Sunday afternoon and found homes for a number of cards and a couple of prints. It was a bit of a pressure-cooker midday, but we were able to have photo cards of the morning's flight for the pilots, crew and onlookers in the afternoon, and that turned into a good selling point.

But, tomorrow morning, we mount up and head 'em out for Wisconsin. Are we ready? No! But we're going anyway! Actually, we'll get it together and it will be nice to drive off and leave the undone things ... undone. We're retired, darn it! And, the slopes of the La Platas are getting more golden every day, so we're hoping for good fall foliage pics across southern Colorado tomorrow and in northern Wisconsin and the UP a few days after that. tv