81 F/ 27 C

It's going to be
one more beautiful day that
started quite early

~carliewired

We were up way before the sun. The moon was just a sliver over the Gila Mountains as we drove off to West Wetlands Park in the old downtown. The Colorado River Balloon Festival was lifting off at sunrise. 

The event began with a parading of the flag and the Star Spangled Banner as the first balloon rose  before the sun was up. 

The balloons were stretched out over the grassy field, inflated while tethered, then released separately to float gently southward. 

There were fewer balloons than I remember in the past, but there were considerably more spectators. 

We managed to escape the park before the majority of the crowd was moving out. Having left home without so much as a cup of coffee, we made our way to a nearby diner for a big breakfast. We were home again just after 9. 

It will be a quiet day with a chance of a nap in the afternoon.