Hot Air Balloon Event

I have always had a fascination with hot air balloons. When my boys were little, I would make up stories about us flying over the land and what we could see by being above it all in the quiet, between heaven and earth.  Those are some good memories. I read about the Thurston Classic, a hot air balloon event held in Meadville - about 40 miles north of Barkeyville and wanted to see what it was all about. This year was the 24th Annual Event.  I asked my nephew Martin if he would like to go with me and we could celebrate his 28th birthday at the same time.  It was a date!  We jumped in the car, beat feet to Meadville and got there early enough for a good parking spot.  With a blanket and water, we headed to the field where the event took place.  The ground was a bit hard for comfortable sitting,  but we survived by thinking about the sites we would soon see.  When the wind calmed down enough to enable the balloonists to inflate and then fly, they filled their balloons quickly and were off.  It was a successful evening and a one of a kind experience. The photos below are of the balloon called "Movin' Magic".