Did you feel it? The excitement in the air approached ebullience, beginning Thursday evening. I was driving home from the grocery store when traffic slowed to a crawl. Neighbors whom I'd never met
wandered out of their homes, looking...up. 
Something about the balloon festival brings out the inner toddler in all of us. From the moment I spotted the first gliding orb of silk, my spirit became...well...light. I felt like a kid again, hearing rumors the traveling Labor Day carnival was back in town. As evidenced by the stopped cars, lawn chairs in the front yards, and the squeals of children others shared my joy. For one weekend, instead of a humdrum trip to work, I looked forward to the drive (although I stayed off the highway for as long as possible. I'm sure the city's fender-bender rate increased exponentially for the last four days. Any insurance actuaries out there?)
Hubby and I once took a hot-air balloon trip on our twentieth anniversary over Lake Tahoe. It was, without a doubt, a "bucket-list worthy" experience. We're not in the financial position to repeat that thrill anytime soon, but I wonder if I truly appreciated the trip back then. It seems I now truly relish the brilliant colors of the silk, the quiet whoosh of the burners, and the awe those balloons inspire in each of us, the neck-craning onlookers.
And just like Christmas, I wish the spirit of Balloon Fest could last all year long. Sigh....
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