It wasn’t until the masses of balloons had ascended on Saturday, October 11th that we noticed a late comer — a truck bearing a basket and balloon. Out jumped a lady and her entourage who began puffing up a colorful yellow/red/blue balloon with giant fans. But they were late. Noticeably late. After almost all balloons that were going to lift off had already done so.
But, as we found out later, she never intended to launch a balloon. Just wanted to inflate it only to take it down a few minutes later. To give the crowd a chance to watch the workings of a balloon launch — from start to almost-finished, just before take-off. She even answered questions and chatted with those of us pointing cameras at the crew intent on filling the space with hot air and then checking for whatever they check for prior to launch.
It was then that the idea for a book came to mind: What would it take to go from ground to air? And then we found two photos that could serve as cover art for this inside look.
Checking the interior of a hot air balloon
Holding on as hot air fills a balloon at Balloon Fiesta 2014.
So, what do you think? Which one do you prefer? Or do you have another thought about what would be great cover art for a glimpse into the fascinating craft of ballooning?
Be sure to check out the other entries in Weekly Photo Challenge: Cover Art by clicking here.