About 9:30 last night I finally got caught up with the DMN weekend “Guide” and discovered the Plano Balloon Festival was underway. This morning I ventured to Plano to catch a sunrise launch of countless Hot Air Balloons. As STBFDIL Tammy said in a reply text message (I sent her and several others a cell phone picture around 8:30), I did my own solo photowalk today.

Balloons aside, I don’t remember the last time I saw so many cameras – of all sizes, shapes, and styles – in one place. There was just a whole lot of photo walking, sitting, standing, and gawking go on. I could have learned a whole bunch about cameras and photo-taking had the guys with the lens as long as my arm stood still long enough for me to converse with them.

And speaking of conversing, I wore my KSU ball cap which caused a 20 minute football conversation with a fellow alum. I ran into a middle aged couple that brought their 2 Scotties to the balloon – that was another 15-20 conversation about that particular breed (I didn’t take the Mackie…she would have barked away the balloons thinking they were airplanes). Then a young friend of our family (Cody, originally from our home town) and his newlywed wife (Lindsey) hollered at me in mid-picture taking…that was 10 minute conversation. My “hot air” goes a long way in this small world of ours.

It was a “cool” morning in more ways than one. Zero wind delayed the launch about 20 minutes until the sun rose. There was a slight ground fog over the launch area. All we were missing were bagpipes playing Amazing Grace.

A few pictures plus more on Flickr – tm