After reading Egidio’s post and his challenge this week, I thought heavily on what I’m longing for. Health, wealth, increased life expectancy. Yes, really deep subjects. Then I got real. What am I truly longing for. I had the ride in the small 2-seater airplane, but I didn’t take to the sky in a balloon. That’s it. I want to ride in a hot air balloon!

It almost happened at a balloon festival back in 2012. I had just bought my first DSLR, a Nikon D3100 and was anxious to use it. We went to the Hot Air Balloon Festival in Windsor, California. This was a great introduction for me since it was relatively small.

We pulled in with our trailer the night before. I was woken at 4 a.m. the next morning to grab my camera and take pictures of the dawn patrol. In the dark, the only setting I could see on my camera was a green “A.” I knew that would put me on “auto.” That’s the way the following images were captured.

Later that morning, with my camera set to “manual,” I photographed these:

I was signed up for a balloon ride the next morning, but they cancelled all rides because of wind. I’ve not had a second chance yet. However, maybe next year I’ll have another opportunity for a ride with two neighbors who also have the same longing.

Meanwhile, In 2017, my friend and I attended the balloon festival in Reno, Nevada. This was a much bigger festival and the availability for taking pictures was less. But once the balloons got in the air, it was a magnificent sight.

I’m still longing for that ride and hope that 2026 will be the year it happens!

Thanks Egidio, for helping me isolate another activity from my bucket list. When you reply to his post, please link to it and use the Lens-Artists tag. Last week we saw a great deal of quiet — the places you go to for solitude and relaxation. They put me in a very mellow mood. Next week Tina will return and challenge us. Stay tuned!

49 thoughts on “Lens Artists Challenge #365: Longing”

  3. What beautiful photos you got here! All these balloon festivals seem very enticing. I only knew about the one in Albuquerque, NM. I hope you get your balloon ride. I’m not so sure I feel comfortable inside one of those baskets. Who knows. You got me thinking now. Thanks for the great gallery.

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    1. Thanks Egidio! I guess I just like to be up in the air. Once I was offered to ride tandem with a hang glider, I politely refused. I was younger and had three children still needing their mom! I wish I had done it.

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  7. I hope the opportunity comes again, Anne.

    (you wouldn’t get me up there for a million dollars though LOL)

    I used to watch our Melbourne balloons as they hovered above my apartment balcony (with a field nearby as their landing site) when I lived on the north-east side of Melbourne. Your superb sharp focus beats mine hands down.

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  11. Hot air balloons are incredible, so quiet. I went up in one about 20 years ago. I took so many photos, some of them I was so proud of. Then my hard disk died and I lost them all. It was the days when my husband didn’t think it was worth me having a back up system. He has always made sure I had one since,. lol

    I really hope you do go up in one Anne. If you come back to Melbourne we will do the one over the city.

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  13. Beautiful images Anne and I really hope you get to experience a hot air balloon flight before too long. I’ve only done it once, a sunrise balloon flight from Puerta Vallarta over the bay – it was amazing and the memories will always stay with me 🧡 xxx

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  15. Great photos of the balloons, showing off all those bright colours! I do hope you get your wish to ride in one, it’s one of my favourite things 😀 I’ve had four rides to date (one very short, curtailed by a change in the wind) and would love to do more!

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  18. Great images on this one Anne and I loved your subject! We had a balloon ride over the vineyards in Australia and funny enough the other passengers were the local NBC reporters! It was great fun, the landing a bit scary and apparently that’s when people get injured. Happily we did not but it was quite magical and I encourage you to keep trying! For me though it was great but one and done!

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  20. What a great idea to focus on the longing for a balloon ride. We see them fly over the house almost everyday in the milder season of Arizona. I love seeing them. Sounds like that would be a great New Years Day thing to do! Gorgeous photos.

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