Ballooning With Family

I'm a scaredy cat by nature.  So there are a lot of activities that I admire from afar but am quite hesitant to actually do.  Riding in a hot air balloon is one of those things.  But when Layne saw an ad for a balloon ride for half the usual price, he asked me if I'd like to go.  In a bold move I said yes.  So he bought tickets for us.  Since son Gerald and daughter Audrey were soon to visit with their families, he bought tickets for most of them too.  We joined with Gerald and his two kids (wife Frances declined) early last Friday morning to see if the weather would permit us to ride.  It did.

We climbed aboard a basket that seemed pretty small to me.  Our driver, Layne, me, Gerald, grandkids Seth and Angelica all crowded in.  In short order we were up and away.  Well, we were definitely up but our away was really mostly a hover, as the wind was rather unimpressive on that Friday morning.  Layne went on and on about how amazing it all was.  The kids peeked carefully over the edge of the basket.  Gerald and I hung on for dear life.  Yes, it was a little scary at first.  But, as with most fears, once you are into it and nothing bad happens for a sufficient period of time, the fear tends to dissipate.

And so it was for us.  My hands, clinched on the poles and handles nearby, began to loosen and I began to enjoy the ride.  It was lovely to see the area from the big picture a little height offers.  The sky was blue, the wind calm and people below us waved as we passed slowly by.  A little change in altitude speeded up our movement, taking us above the rooftops of a neighborhood as we headed out towards nearby farmer's fields.  Beyond that lay our landing spot, determined by wherever the winds take us.  Part of the adventure is you never know where you will end up.

Landing turned out to be part of the adventure, as we wound up in a farmer's field next to a gravel pit and surrounded by water ditches.  That left us with no easy exit.  Landing was bumpy but adequate.  We all climbed out and pulled on the balloon to help it deflate in the best possible space.  The trailer assigned to follow us and pick us up could only approach us from the other side of the ditch.  While our rescuers worked on how to get the balloon and basket out, we crossed the ditch and rode out with a very nice lady from the balloon company, leaving the others to the rescue challenge.  What a fun adventure!  The weather willing, it will be repeated next week with Audrey and her kids.

Me with grandkids, Angelica and Seth, in front of our inflating balloon.

A view from the balloon.

Our landing spot, with Gerald and Layne by our deflated balloon.

I love our life here, except for the absence of family.  My cup has been filling these past few days as Gerald and Audrey and families are here.  We girls went shopping yesterday.  There has been great conversation, games, and general fun in each others' company.  I have a feeling that our children are not completely at peace with our move here.  It isn't logical for us to move away from family.  That is still an issue for me.  I have hopes that it will all work out to our eventual good but can't help a sadness at being so far away.  And I want our children to feel good about it.  They are good people and, I think, really care about our welfare and enjoy our company.  I want them in my life on a regular basis.  It is a quandary.  Layne is very happy here and, especially, grateful for our much improved financial situation.  How can I resolve these conflicts?  Perhaps time will help.

Seth and Angelica on our new mower.