I thought this seemed quite American for the 5th of July, even if the French first came up with this mode of travel. Or maybe it’s because I don’t have any recent photos of grilling meat or fireworks.
According to Wikipedia – just to let you know about my extensive research – the hot air balloon is the oldest successful technology that can launch humans aloft. In Paris, France, 21 November 1783, the first untethered manned flight was made by in a hot air balloon created on 14 December 1782 by the Montgolfier brothers. Wine, cheese, the Statue of Liberty, and hot air balloons. Find someone French and give ’em a big hug on this fine Independence Day!
This was taken at the Sonoma County Hot Air Balloon Classic, Sunday, 17 June 2012, in Windsor in Sonoma County, California, USA. And yes, some day, I will get over to Albuquerque, New Mexico to see their hot air balloon festival. That has several hundred balloons, much larger than the 25-30 at Windsor. I used a Nikon D90 and my very weazy 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens, which is currently in the shop getting a thorough cleaning and replacement of all it’s woeful, worn-out rubber parts.
Equipment: Nikon D90, 18-200mm VR Nikkor lens
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