fiesta favorites

It is hard to wrap up the Balloon Fiesta and not put all the pictures here for you to see. It is so easy to take hundreds of photos of these balloons, literally. Between my four sisters and my Mom I bet we took as many photos as there were balloons, which were 500 or so. Here are some of my favorites (not counting all the ones I shared in the last two posts). The quality in some of them is not the best. We did have a cloudy day which made for murky looking skies in some of the backgrounds. But the crisp blue sky on the other mornings made up for the clouds. Every time I look through the folder of balloon photos, I can't help but smile. They really are a cheerful, colorful group.
I really liked this bohemian hippy-ish one. I especially love the scalloped edge along the bottom of the balloon.
I'm sure this little guy was a crowd favorite. I couldn't help snapping a pic of him. His sweater is so cute and he and his enamored Daddy were enjoying the moment so much.
While the sky was just starting to lighten up for the morning, the moon was still above the mountains. This one was lit up just perfectly with it's burners on high and the morning sun glowing behind it.

This could have been my favorite (at least during that ten minutes of time). I just love the little confetti of colors between the bright red stripes.
These were all such bold colors. This was the only peek of the black and white checkerboard that I saw. I'm curious to know what the rest of it looked like. Are my sisters and I all kicking ourselves because we never bought a program with each balloon and it's name in it? Probably yes.

I just thought this one was a happy balloon. And I love this kind of picture. Under the basket with an upward peek inside the balloon.
See. Another inside shot. This one was still on the ground. But it is one of the best ways to photograph these beauties.
The roar and the heat of the burners is really quite something. Anyone that has ever seen a hot air balloon fill up and launch knows that sound. And on a cool morning, the heat is a welcome bonus when you are this close.
As they are being filled the silk billows ever so softly.
I love the balloons that have these flags around their girth. I think it adds a touch of playfulness to the balloon.
This one had launched and circled around and was later able to land back on the field. They pull a rope which opens the "envelope" at the top releasing the air out of the balloon. They quickly dance and float to the ground for the crew to once again roll them back up until next time.
Who can get tired of seeing this?
A little flock of birds swooped through just at the right moment.
An interesting juxtaposition of flight.

I love the flight of a hot air balloon.