It was warm yesterday when Sir Fido and I took the scenic route to the nearest gas station for a gallon of milk. It had cooled down to 89 degrees by 9:00 p.m. but the picturesque sunset made the whole warm trip worthwhile.
While the last few days were warm they didn't compare to the heat my son and I were exposed to over the weekend. I'd heard that hot air balloonists were looking for help during Skyfest at the Waukesha County Fair this Friday, Saturday and Sunday so we were fortunate to learn we could practice ground crewing at Veterans Park in Milwaukee ahead of time.
My son and I held the opening of the balloon's envelope as, three feet away, a 10,000 degree propane blast heated the 77,500 sq. ft. Aerostar and gave it buoyancy. Even though the 15 foot flame wasn't directed at us, it's still not something I'd recommend you doing while wearing a favorite polyester shirt.
My son got so much out of helping out on Friday night that I willingly took him back Saturday. We got there a little later than Friday but was OK because our new friends,
Jim Bushelle and his wife, were still waiting for the breeze to calm and hadn't unloaded anything yet.
After watching one inflated balloon bob in the wind a while, Jim decided to try it himself. Once the cavernous, yellow balloon was filled with fan-driven air, the burners were fired and several hundred pounds of fabric slowly lifted of the grass.
My son and I held the guy ropes and eased the twenty or thirty thousand dollar balloon upright. I don't think it was up two minutes when the tether suddenly let loose and the balloon quickly headed for a tree. While Jim was bouncing along the ground in the basket and pulling the parachute cord, I ran in the opposite direction with the guy rope and bystanders ran to weight down the basket. It was a pretty intense moment and not at all what we'd been prepared for. Jim was thankful he didn't have to pilot his balloon over Lake Michigan - it would have been a long night.
We enjoyed the hot air balloon experience so much. The new smells and sounds, the family type atmosphere, learning about something new and colorful and full of history. It made for an enjoyable time. I hope to see our new friends at the County Fair this week.
Click
here to learn more about Jim and his balloon.
