Uptime! No Balloon, Yes Camera.

Due to a snafu in my paperwork I was pretty much grounded this weekend... and the next few until the docs get through the paper mill. I could explain but lets just say that even if you are not the one who screws up your docs you still go to the end of the line.... which is uncool but who ya gonna scream at?

So since I was not flying it was a opportunity to take pictures of those that were... albeit from the ground....it was still a lot of walking, running, stumbling, wandering around the area..Just not flying over it.. Over 4000 steps by my phone and that does not include all the spins and shuffling to get just that right shot... which I mostly missed.

I had my 10.5 fisheye lens on my Nikon... and also the Sony RX10V4. Swapping out each and deciding what, when and where is always fun. To make it just a bit more novel lets throw about 25 balloons into the mix to get around to at the right time. That time being just as they hot inflate and stand up. The 10.5 lens is great for looking straight up into the envelope. It can get the whole thing is the shot. Problems with this is that you can get in the shot by accident also. Its that wide.

Swapping out the Nikon for the Sony to grab the up close shots and distant shots and launches made for a fun day. I tripped a few times and almost crashed and burned once. 

So I edited almost all the 10.5 shots I liked and then touched the Sony shots. 700 on the Sony and 300 on the Nikon.. no time to go through them all but a few of each are below and some comments.

Preface. These are only a few from a few I cleaned up. The sky was over-bright and colors were off everywhere. Look for a link to my website http://invisibleblack.zenfolio.com/  for the full list of all the great shots. I promise to load them this week... So some of the select....

The moon! I decided to go the alternate way to the launch field and saw the Moon acting all huge and such. Stopped three times to get a good shot. Sadly there was way too much roiling in the atmosphere for a clean shot of the moon. These are the best I was able to get.

Sunrises in Albuquerque are always wonderful. Almost always... This went on for a while but from the field location you have to try and crop out all the buildings... Somewhat successful.

Hot Air Balloon Dogs are awesome! They are calm around the crowds and the loud burners and fans. Just enjoying the day like we were. He is skeptical about the winds but they turned out very nice. A box on the West side!!

A direct upshot. Very very hard to do. Winds have to be slow and you have to skip about here and there to line up where you think they will cross above you and then shoot like mad to get it.

Very bright.. so many pennants... so many crews. Lots of people stopping by on their way here and there to see it go up.

When you have a good 600mm you can almost get in the basket... This was about half that.. and yeah I tripped getting it.

I did not intentionally cut Katrina's head off. I have the shot before with a full view but this was just wonderful to me and I had to post it. Katrina is holding the red line and turning vent lines so they do not get burned in the hot inflation. She also has her check list attached to her belt loop. Awesome!

Jennifer and Mike's new to them balloon... Named... You Kitten Me... as all their balloons have a cat reference... You have to be here to understand.... Striking colors and bold with the mesa backdrop.

Okay.. Not a balloon pic. Just a frustration pic of trash some "winner" decided to dump instead of paying 5 dollars to dispose of correctly at the dump.  You have to wonder about some people..and I use the term people loosely.

Eric's baby is gliding around on rails. Another awesome envelope that just grabs your eye and drags it with it.

When you want to hit a road to land and you really want to stop on it.. you hit it.. hard. The upswing of the hit. Yes, they did stick to the road after this.

Even though we don't notice it there was a lot of dust in the air today. A nice diffused view of the Sandia's back there. Two Rainbow Ryder ride balloons working North before descending and heading South to land.

One Classy, Sassy envelope. In the blue blue sky. Overhead with no reference to be had.

You Kitten me with Mike at the controls this time I think. Low and slow short of the houses. A good layer type shot.

I really like this shot and I don't know why. I shot five of this type and this is the only one that sits with me.

A nice burn! Closer and closer. There is nowhere to hide from 600mm.

So that was the Sonys shots.. now for a few of the fisheye...

All of these are straight up into the envelope shots. This lens requires you get up as close as possible to what you are shooting. Sorry if I bumped you when I took it.

A totally fun morning. Followed by a totally semi fun of deciding which to post and which to hold onto for now. Boooo....

There was something else but I have forgotten...

Well I was going to break down my balloon basket and get it cleaned up but its too late to do that and I'm too happy sitting here posting pictures.

Have a wonderful remainder of your Sunday and try not to let the thought that Monday is right around the corner depress you in the least bit....

The Down Weekend

Yeah.. not so much....

Off of flying this weekend. That is as far down we go. Since we had such a great flight last weekend and this weekend seemed to be going South as it came closer ( proven right but the crummy and weird weather ) and in the end was two days of standing in the dirt if that got you going ( It does most times ) . I stayed home.

My waterfall on my in ground pond after I cleaned it. Set to half speed or it would spray across the whole thing. Unfortunately that meant removing the pump box, cleaning all the muck out of it, removing the dead filter pad, washing down the pump, washing down the filter balls, dropping pump box on ground splashing muck in my eye, cutting my finger and blistering another hand, cutting new filter, reinstalling all that stuff and strapping it closed.

Eye washed out multiple times but if it hurts I'm heading to the optometrist asap Monday. All so that it can run clean until I get it shut down and the fish transported to the above ground pond. Yeah.

I really want to move to a efficiency condo with no outside work as I hate it so... What possessed me to buy a house with a double lot and so much ground.. oh.. yeah.. Kids and a balloon system...

The interesting thing about the above picture is there are two perfectly circular holes in the water of the falls.

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This week its busy with visitors and then I have to take Patturns Highperactive in for her annual inspection. yep.. Just like a fixed wing aircraft she has to be examined top to bottom every year or 100 hours. As she is in such good condition and there are no issues it should be pretty straight forward. Drop off at Aerco on Tuesday afternoon.. pick up either Wednesday or Thursday. Aerco is great for processing them in and out. Like I said.. she is a fantastically built Lindstrand from Lindstrand USA so I have no worries.

Oops.. forgot I have to remember to take down my Flytec turtle as I took it off to replace the battery and have yet to reinstall it. No biggie there. Just have to remember to do it.

Patturns In Czech Envelope ( AKA Terpsnickery ) ( Love that name too ) goes in in May and that is a pretty quick annual inspection. Again. No issues at all. Love this envelope.. Just wish I could fly her and take pictures of her in flight at the same time.

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There was talk a few weeks ago about where to locate your fan so its safe to the people around and the crew-member managing it and the Pilot in the basket. I took a picture of where my sits.

Cover on the ground so it does not pick up dirt and rock and is secured and not flapping, Fan cage just beside the bolster but not touching. Crew-member on the fan. Fan checked for loose parts and blade checked for wear. I have a P tip on this and its a very good blade.

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I at last sat down and uploaded last weekends pictures to my website at 

 http://invisibleblack.zenfolio.com/

I have to do more because I am so far behind its just sad.

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I did try something new with the photographs this week and tell me what you think... Ill tell you what I did at the end.

Pancake cactus from the Santa Fe Airport. I ran over it ( it was tiny, about 2 inches tall and only one little pancake ) brought it home and planted it on my waterfall and it blossomed nicely. I have to dig it back up and replant it here soon.

Some ribbon reeds. I will also dig this up. The guy who planted it called it Japanese ribbon grass.. I've never looked it up.

My neighbors tree drops stuff in my yard constantly. I have sprouts of stupid trees everywhere. My pond gets choked with the silly circular things too... Though the tension on the water looks great.

So many pictures of clouds out there I rarely take a shot but this was as a storm was brewing to the left. I should have take a pano of it as it would have been super dark on the left and super light on the right.

World balloon fly's... and when I looked at this shot a day or so ago I saw three ultra light craft flying around. Pretty clear but not easy to see. Two on the left one on the right.

 A good progression of balloons... or promenade of balloons as that is what they were doing... To the right.. then the left.. slide South and repeat.

The outcasts.. hahaha... No.. more like finding a spot and with the winds reported to be heading East this morning... it was a good place to fly from.

Shadows of In Czech and Kisses. Love balloon shadows.

Mesmerizing sand drifts. I had to shoot this and look away or I would plow into the ground. Its a great eye candy shot.

Love the colors on this envelope. I wished we didn't get so dusty out here in the desert as the black fabric just sucks it in.. still looks great.

World dominates the valley. They normally take off down by the river so they can get their passengers into or very near the Rio Grande.. I  haven't flown down there in an age. I think after In Czech and Highperactive come out of annual and past a check out flight I want to go down and join them for the fun. It could be a fantastic video and photo day.

Floating over the deeper part of the arroyo. Edges of the volcanic rock outcroppings below. Fun place to fly into and out of.

Another of my fav shadow shots. If only the road were straight but then the shadow would not be there. You work with what you got.

Straight up past the Lindstrand burners is always a nice shot. Semi abstract and eye drawing on any balloon. The soft colors just ring with the chrome burner cans.

So do you line up the balloon in the center or go with the thirds rule or just throw up your hands. I went with the center the closest balloon and keep the interesting shape down in the bottom.

So what did you see?

All shots were taken with the Sony RX10V4 with 20 meg pixels.

Okay.. what I did was create 4000x2000 frames to put the standard 5472x3648 shots into. Allowing for a bit of maneuvering of the subject but the 4x2 frame looks great to the eye. It really changes the way you look at the shot and it also allows for the removal of distracting items.

I will keep this in mind when working on more shots later.

Need to work on the outer frames next.

So that is what I got up to other than the damage from the pond and other stupid stuff... Another week down and a new one coming up.. much closer to real summer and close to the Top Gun Rio Grande Classic... Target rich for photographers. Camping at a target will always get you a good action shot.

Think about it.

http://www.riograndeclassic.org/

I may have forgotten something but this is long enough already.

Riding high in the clear blue sky

An beautiful end to a full on week. Busy busy at the office rearranging walls and data..AAAA rally was cancelled on Saturday due to the ugly wind... and then Sunday a large sucker hole opened up.

Really it was something like that.

Decided I could not decide on which to use as today's banner shot so you get both!

Top shot is after everyone got back to the field from flying today. It was such and awesome day that looked to be a breakfast day.. but more about that in a moment.... then the flag shot as I was about to leave the tailgate and go home .. the winds picked up but the flag looked great against the mountains.

So we got out to the field at Unser and Westside in Rio Rancho New Mexico and there was a brisk wind going East. That was not in the forecast at all.. South at 5 was the forecast.

It was me and Mezz and one other then right before sunrise the place packed in with balloonists.. Lots.. So many that some were going up the hill to the motocross area and some were over at the school on the hill and even some in Cabazon park... Everywhere.. but the winds were not happy.

Three or four Pibals went up.. All went up to about 100 feet.. zigged and zagged in a five foot area then went up another 50 or so and did it again then at about 200 every one of them looked like the added jets and zipped Southeast!!! Not good.. not good at all...

But some thought they might be able to squeak a flight in and started setting up. I watched. I wanted to see what was going to happen to them when they tried to go... Since most everyone was setting up I decided we would get the basket up and prep it so that if it was good we would jsut have to pop the envelope  out and go...

By the time we were set up and the envelope attached one balloon went up and promptly headed Southwest!! Wow.. fantastic.. so we started our inflation and were standing in less than ten minutes. There looked to be a higher layer going Southeast and a medium layer going South and a low layer going Southwest so some movement area... that's real good.

So up and off we went.... catching a couple of those layers and wiggling about at 200 feet. We were heading more West than South so I boosted us up and got more of that Southwest... Drove over the houses and started a descent into the local large arroyo and came to an abrupt stop at about 200 over the wall... had to lift back up about 50 to get moved over and then dropped into the arroyo.

Winds in the arroyo were flowing East which brought us over the only scrub tree in there... could have hit dead center.  Flew over that.. ground tracked and landed in the sand. Nice and easy. Popped up from there and grabbed that Southwest and looked to see where everyone ahead of my had landed and figured that I could get there also and did. Crossing Paradise and dropping down faster than I expected I had to do a heavy burn to stop us about 3 feet up and then vent like crazy so we didn't go right back up as I had put a lot of heat into the envelope.

That was a perfect thing to do and we stayed around 3/4 feet off the ground and tracked right towards Mezzes crew and balloon laid out by Unser. We looked to be passing him on the right but ended up having him stop us before we ran right into the bottom of his basket. Fickle winds. Laid it down to the side and back to the field for some bagels and talk. Excellent day.. Excellent!

The video came out nice on both cameras but this time the Kodak 360 stopped short which was odd but the gopro went the whole way.. which was really odd. Clips below.

So wonderful wonderful and now looking at pictures and editing and laughing. I love taking pictures while flying. Flying over rode some really great shots but that's the rules. Fly first shoot second.

Here are the clips from the video and then some select shots from the Sony RX10V4.

In some crazy order here....

From my cell cam... Alan attaches the velcro that keeps the crown in place while we inflate.

Shelly and Nick hold the throat open to get that fan air in and envelope packed with cold air.

Way out of order.. an initiation for a first time flyer and newly engaged young lady.

Pano of the huge tailgate. There were layers in the back and please do not look at Mark.

Koday 360 4k cam. Forgot to set it to down shoot so the whole flight is in the round. Interesting viewpoint.

Making sure the crew on the throat are ready to go.

Going hot and standing up Nice work on the crown Alan and no roll back towards the trailer.

Up we go with Elisa beside up and Debi out past her.

Cruising along and taking pics and watching what other people are doing as we go over or under...

The one tree in the Arroyo... and we go right to it. Magnetic.. Woodnetic?

Coming into a landing and being chased by our shadow.

Back up out and over Fred. Nice close flyby..

Down into the nice field on the corner of Unser and Paradise.  Watching the speed of the descent it really looks like we are going to bang into the ground.

 Laying down on the job again. But its a nice place to relax. Red ( white/blue ) line in hand venting the top out still. 45 minute flight. 35 on one tank and not off the peg by any means on the other and max temp of 146.. Nice.. Love this envelope!

So that was the side cameras.. here are a few from the Sony. With its 600mm reach I could get into other baskets... Sorry.. no privacy in the air.

All the way across the field and a nice close up. They have no clue. Brian.. get to work!

Over Babs laying out. A shot to show how your hand and baggie should be placed during a gravity drop during competition.

A few out at the motocross area where its a bit less crowded.

Looking back at the field and noticing that the little hills are getting closer to covering the area.

Hi Debi!!! Lookin good!!! She is about 200 feet or so up.

Eric cruses below like a flaming shark looking for a kill... They did too.. They threw a baggie on a storm drain top and hit it too. Saw it I did!

Eric prepares to do something... Im not sure but it was like.. "What... Im flying here!" A Kubi basket with a door... a DOOR!!!

A nicely lined up shot. Great when I can get this without looking.

Me and my shadow....

Fred! Fred!! Yeah.. he knows Im there.. we know each other so well that we know what we are going to do so very close. If you have ever flown in the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta.. you get to learn how to fly touching other balloons and how to manage that... We do it all the time.

A wonderful day as I said. Hoping we have more wonderful days in the future. Since we just found out we have been accepted into the 2018 Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta I am hoping all the days of Fiesta are like today.

Oh..was playing with this.. maybe for a base ball cap patch...