QotD: Up, Up and Away
Have you ever ridden in a hot air balloon or a helicopter? Where did you go?
Yes, both. (I'm so glad you asked!)
The hot air balloon took off from a field in Nixa, Missouri, with the ride lasting about 45 minutes, and landing on the east side of Springfield. Strix and my mother went with me. It was something I had been promising Mom since Christmas. These are from July, 2001:
It was a cool morning, it was a magical experience, floating above everything. When the burner isn't on, it's perfectly quiet, and you can hear people talking on the ground from a long way off, since there's nothing between you and them. Also, we really freaked the dogs out.
Then, a couple of years ago I took a training flight on an helicopter ambulance. It was a short flight, and there wasn't much to take pics of.
Comments
Yeah, the dogs on the ground really didn't like the balloon. Acted like they thought they could attack us.
The burner was off more than it was on. The owner/pilot that we bought the ride from would just hit the burner occasionally to keep the envelope filled with hot enough air to keep us at the proper altitude. It's really quiet and peaceful. I highly recommend it.
Ever seen the ABQ Balloon event?
Yes, I have! I was there in 2005. You can read my post about it here.
Oh, my dad's family is all from Missouri - 1st Versailles, then Sedalia.
My wife's family is from Sedalia. We're probably related to you.
Looks like you all had a great time. -Looks like fun!
I've never been in a hot air balloon, but my mom tells me I was almost born in a helicopter... -Does that count? ;-)
Hmmm -I remember Slater more than I do Sedalia.
Easy to make that sort of mistake. Then there's the other "S" town in Missouri - No, not St. Louis, but Springfield. I have a friend who teaches English Lit at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_State_University and another who teaches Creative Writing/ Am. Lit., etc. at the University of Missouri in Columbia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Cairns.
By any wild really chance, ever been to Ash Grove?
By any wild really chance, ever been to Ash Grove?
Yes, tiny little town, but right outside Springfield where I used to live.
A dear friend of ours & his family live just outside of Ash Grove. His wife teaches in the English Dept. at the Univ. in Springfield. He is curator and director of a little, very neat and interesting museum in Ash Grove. It's called the "Ozarks Afro-American Heritage Museum" and includes many historical, underground railroad quilts, slave artifacts, etc. It has a website at: www.oaahm.org
Neat place, if you ever get back that way and can visit it. He is African American, also a decendent of Daniel Boone, and is from that area. His wife was Jewish American, from NYC. An interesting configuration, especially for that neck of the woods, so to speak. Their property also has on it what is called the "Old Negro Cemetery" - a historical site which includes graves of his family, other blacks, Native Americans, slaves, former slaves, paupers and underground railroad workers. My hubby (Hispanic) was best man at their wedding, many long years ago...We got to visit there a few years back when driving from S. Texas to Toronto, Cananda. A bit of a long journey... nice to have a friendly spot to stop and visit.
This is another article about our friend in Ash Grove: http://www.ruralmissouri.org/02pages/Feb02Moses.html
National Geographic has done a few story segments on him as well.