The thought of a hot air balloon ride inspires a sense of nostalgia for a time before my time. Something about traveling slow enough to take everything in and being carried by the wind like a kite makes me feel dreamy and relaxed.
I would love to go on a hot air balloon ride. I’m waiting for my youngest to turn eight so we can all go for a ride at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, where more than 500 balloons are launched on a field the size of 54 football fields. The pictures of the event are as striking from below as they are from up high.
My youngest son Sami was so intrigued by hot air balloons when he was 3 that I even considered having that be his birthday party theme, but went with Where the Wild Things Are instead (more on that to come). So we read every story with a hot air balloon that we could get our hands on. His favorite, hands down is: Roo The Roaring Dinosaur by David Bedford and Mandy Stanley.