Up, Up and Away!

Above are the views of South Dakota from a few hundred feet up in a hot air balloon at sunrise. Below is the balloon "captain" Steven, offering a toast and the balloonist's prayer. "May the winds welcome you with softness. May the sun bless you with his warm hands. May you fly so high and so well that God joins you in laughter and sets you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth. "

The champagne is a tradition that started in France (of course) to appease the farmer on whose land the balloonist landed. Apparently, the first flight ended a bit roughly, with villagers attacking the balloon with pitchforks.

Where the Wild Things are...

is actually Chicago's Lincoln Park and the Newport Aquarium near Cincinnati. I got way behind on posting pictures on the first leg of the trip since I was hauling butt to get across so I thought I'd share a few of my faves from my excursions with my friend Denise and cousins Chris and Dan Maloney. If I seem a bit tense with a bird that close to my head, well, I was.