I have dreamed of going up in a hot air balloon for years. Last winter, I got the chance - thanks to a birthday gift from my partner.
We were up before dawn, when winds are most calm.
The balloon was massive! I was captivated. There's our captain, fillin 'er up with hot air.
The geometry of the thing was awe inspiring. More than any other symbol, the hot air balloon represents human achievement in a way I can really relate to: astonishing, dangerous, a little silly.
It was so peaceful up there, sometimes I felt we were barely moving. Seeing the world from above is something else, a real joy. Picture above: happy fellow travelers we shared the ride with.
We moved up and down in the sky, and we got blown around - pretty much at the wind's will. Despite all that propane we were burning up, we were never really in control.
The geometry of civilization: parallel lines, rectangles, boxes... unlike our magical spherical hot air balloon.
All pictures were taken on 35mm camera with color slide film. Honestly, it was not easy for me to set down the camera - I even brought a medium format 120mm camera too! Funny looking back at 5, 6, however many pictures of fire in the balloon.
What an amazing ride - if you ever get a chance I highly recommend it.
, who surprised me with the birthday flight.
