Finally. We actually had begun to think this day would never come. Weather conditions for balloon rides, we now know, have to be beyond perfect. The slightest of breezes, a hint of rain, the merest suggestion of a low pressure front coming in (or was it a high pressure front?) and the ride is called off.

We had it happen three times – once we even went so far as to rise at 4:50 in the morning and drive forty minutes to the meeting point, then another ten to the the take-off point, only to have the pilot finally declare the tiny little wind we felt from the ground but which HE could tell was gusty at 200 feet unsafe for flying.

But the next day – success! We rose this time at 4:10 (we had actually been LATE the day before – this time Cathleen was there to set the alarm, a task too complicated for the two of us!) and we made it to the meeting point once again where we discovered we were early.

Kathleen and Joan, Paula’s fellow-travelers were already there and Tony, of High 5 Ballooning arrived soon after with his colleagues Sean and David.

After a brief and thorough safety run-down, Paula was asked to sign her life away.

Kathleen and Joan, mother and daughter, signed too (Kathleen had given Joan the ride as a Mother’s Day gift; we liked that Paula’s mother name is Kathleen and mine is pretty close to Joan. It’s all about US.)

Tony and his team have their act pretty well polished. Setting up the balloon is a mammoth task but they have a drill so well-memorized they were ready almost before we knew what was happening. The grass was covered with dew and our feet were freezing by the time it was all up (the guys all had sturdy rubber boots on). We were particularly delighted to see the balloon they had chosen for the flight:

On the earlier attempts, Tony had promised us he would be using a huge yellow balloon with a big smiley face on it – vaguely reminiscent of the 70’s. When I begged him to use the purple one with lilacs, he said it wasn’t big enough. As luck would have it, the day she finally flew, there were only the two other women and so the smaller one was adequate.  Paula had bought a new dress specially for the occasion and we were astonished to see how perfectly it matched!

The other thing we liked was how they involved the passengers in the setting up. Cathleen and I took photos from the sidelines, but Paula, Joan and Kathleen worked hard – too hard, in fact to even think about being nervous!

That basket, by the way, has no doorway – you have to climb in, using the footholds you can see here. We really admired Joan’s spirit of adventure!

This moment, though still very low, was so exciting for all of us!

The moment they were up and away (and of course, Tony, the master showman, had that very song playing on a stereo as they rose above the fields), Sean and David sprang into action, putting all the equipment away and setting off in the “Balloon Chase Vehicle”.

Cathleen and I  followed behind, staying as close as we could. Their task was to keep the balloon in sight the whole time, to be ready to assist in the landing wherever it might be – as New Hampshire is around 85% forest, landings tend to be tricky and generally end up happening in someone’s back garden.

Sean and David were wonderful. They drove to a gorgeous spot where we had a perfect view of the balloon in the distance. Slowly and surely it moved closer to where we were waiting – the air was so still we could hear them laughing and talking from a height of over 1000 feet!

The time flew by. By now, the sun was well up and the balloon began its slow descent:

Suddenly, Tony radioed to Sean and David. They shouted to us to follow them, leaped into their “chase vehicle” and sped off. By the time we caught up with them, the balloon was landing – as predicted, right in someone’s back garden.

For those pictures – Next Post!