up, up, and away!

early yesterday morning we set off towards the north for another adventure...

HOT AIR BALLOONING!

i pulled together the money i got for graduation and bought a hot air balloon ride!  it's something i have always wanted to do, so why not?! so yesterday morning while it was still dark, we drove to salem, new hampshire (about 40 minutes) to met up with our pilot charlie and the other hot air ballooners.  there were two other balloons in the pack, so we had quite a morning crowd. we lucked out and only had one other couple in our basket.  after surveying the wind direction of the morning, our launching site was determined and we got to work setting up the balloon.  the whole process was fascinating.  before we even launched, i decided that i would definitely be doing this again.

after a smooth lift-off, we began our ascent into the newly lit sky with charlie's thematic music serenading us all the while.  we enjoyed the amazing views all around us.  we could see the curve of the Earth at the ocean, the Boston skyline, endless trees, and gorgeous lakes. 

 

after taking in the splendor for an hour, charlie softly landed the balloon on a little farm (it was probably just a house with a big field, but they had a good-sized chicken coup with roosters welcoming us with their morning call, therefore, i dub it a farm).  the lady wasn't bothered at all, in fact she invited future balloon landings to her property. it may have been the bottle of champagne they gave her (to follow the tradition which started in the south of France to appease scared landowners), or just because hot air balloons are pretty amazing.  we helped pack up the balloon and we were off on the wooded roads.

  

after our flight, we were treated to a picnic complete with the traditional champagne celebration (we enjoyed our orange juice while the others had mimosas).  we had cheese, crackers, pepperoni, and grapes.  we began our morning feast with a toast of the balloonist prayer:

The Balloonist Prayer

The winds have welcomed you with softness

The sun has blessed you with his warm hands

You have flown so high and so well,

That God has joined you in your laughter

And set you gently back again

Into the loving arms of Mother Earth.

our basket buddies! our pilot charlie on the left (and below) and pam and brian on the right.

we thoroughly enjoyed our picnic chatting with our new found friends. it was such a lovely time. the views, the company, the adventure... i would do it all again in a heart beat!  even jeremy would do it again and he's afraid of heights.  he only got scared one time when we were at 2200 feet and he happened to look straight down. he's pretty much a rockstar for being so brave and for kissing me up in the air!