Balloons

It's happens every year. Hundreds of hot air balloons fill the sky over Albuquerque, New Mexico. Every year, I forget that they do. I'll be on my way to work, in my own little world and...then I look up. There they are! Gracing the expanse above, each one unique and spectacular. Oh. Then there's the weather. For three gorgeous weeks prior to Balloon Fiesta, the weather could not be MORE perfect. Then, the very first day of Fiesta - it's just not. Rain, wind, monstrous, foreboding clouds that linger and threaten. Plunging temps, rain, slicing breezes, rain, and did I mention rain? Ah. Also, there's the hoards that descend into Duke City. Traffic is…something else. Visitors tend to rubberneck seeking balloons, the roads get a little lock-jammed. As I notice all the overwhelming amount non-NM plates, I wonder… "Do they know how great New Mexico is - even without the balloons?" I really do live in an amazing place. ...