The Dragon's Breath
Imagine...Floating...The earth slowly moving beneath you, the sky a turquoise blue, the distant mountains a purple silhouette, the white sands underneath sparkle like crystal as the emerging light hits the prisms of gypsum and the sound of a dragon's breath breaks the silence. WHOOSSSSHHHHH!!! You slowly, slowly spin and turn, you ride the beautiful dragon as her fire rises above your head, her colorful skin the colors of rainbows or chakras. Elves scurry below her, watching your every move as she rises into the morning sunrise... Wait! This is not my imagination (although it is yours), I am really watching the dragons, the elves and in the midst of it all, that beautiful scene. Let me start from the beginning...
John and Cathy are old and dear friends, we have known them a very long time and have shared many life adventures. All my friends, my family, are my treasures. Far above material things, it is the people that people your life that are those gifts that keep giving. Instead of waxing philosophical here, I just want to impress how important it is to stay connected. My friends John, Cathy, their children, Ona (C), Heather, Cindy, John's sister Ona (B) and her husband Bob are all treasures. We have stayed connected even though John, Cathy and family have moved far away from Phar Lepht. John's passion has always been the sky, flight, he is Icarus, the winged god, that liked to fly too close to the sun. Many times he has crashed back to earth (both literally and figuratively) but each time, he rises phoenix like, to fly again. Cathy loves John, she does not like to fly like John and instead, has been his support crew, making sure that everything is there so he can fly again. Ona (C) and Cindy have families and John and Cathy's grandchildren. Heather is like her dad, she likes to fly too and has become his partner in this adventure.
Cec and I rarely get to see this family, once or twice a year Ona (B), John's sister who also does the art show circuit with her husband Bob (Outta My Gourd, painted and carved gourds)lets us know so we know when they are coming to town. We try and see them, meeting at Ona's house for a party or just a quick hello. It is never long enough but it is a connection we all treasure. This last show (Kermezaar), Ona and I were chatting and she let us know that John was coming but that Cathy had a new grandbaby and would not be able to make this trip. I found out that instead, Heather was coming with her dad and I had not seen Heather since she was a child and since I had no show this weekend, I was determined to see them both.
This was no easy task as both of the boys (Cecil and Nathan) are not crazy about getting up at 3 am and riding for two hours to a spot in the desert where you may or may not see something happening. "It might be windy" he groused, "It might not happen and I don't like getting up that early!" This time, I gave them no choice, I stood firmly against their resistance, despite their 'grumping' and packed a picnic lunch, got the folding chairs ready by the door and Cecil set the alarm for 3. I was a brick wall and they could not get passed my will of mortar. Saturday, it was not bright, but it was early, they stumbled to the car and we headed out in the desert darkness to White Sands National Monument, a good 1 1/2 to two hour drive. I was my usual chatty, happy, chipmunk self... They were gloomily silent, as we drove through the starred night.
White Sands is an anomaly, you may have heard of the place...There is an Air Force base near there, Holloman (hollow man? hah!), and the small berg of Alamogordo where an air and space museum resides. The white sand is gypsum, a crystalline mineral and the dunes lay in the Tularosa Basin, slowly drifting across the landscape, stark white against the surrounding tan desert and the deep green Sacramentos and purple Organ mountains. We arrived at the gate to find hundreds of cars, trucks and RV's sitting in the parking lot, waiting. The party had already started. We ended up following the crowd to a viewing point, and as Cecil parked, I knew we where in the wrong place. Instead of arguing with him (about that, heh.) I leaped out and started walking through the throngs of viewers until I spotted a Ranger that was parking cars on the hard flat, white surface. "Where do the crews go?" I shouted, he smiled, "You are in the wrong place...Go back down the road and take a left. Talk to the Ranger there, he will direct you." Aha! My ingenuity and will worked again. We found Ona (B) and Bob and then were directed to John and Heather who were sitting and waiting by their truck and trailer for the pilot's meeting and the start of the event: The White Sands Invitational Hot Air Balloon Rally! (Kisses and hugs all around.) Cec and I had flown with John several times before and our oldest, Noah, had flown when he was but four or five years old. I trusted John, he was a good pilot and knew what to do in a high wind landing. I had had one of those with him before and survived. Today, the wind gods were kind, the sun god was peeking over the dunes, the happy buddha was happy, it was a perfect day to fly.
Cecil and I didn't fly this day, we crewed for Heather and John. A young air force pilot, who was a test pilot, and flew all types of prototype jets (the F15 is his favorite) crewed with us. He was going to get his first hot air balloon flight... He worked the lines, unfolded yards of nylon, followed orders and then got into the basket with John, Heather, and Judy (an old and dear friend of Ona (B)'s who is now handicapped.) Cec and I watched from the top of a large dune, Nathan went in the chase truck with Ona and Bob. John tried to get him to fly, but Nate hates to fly, "I'm afraid of heights!" and he wouldn't get in the basket. He rode in the truck though, as Bob followed the balloon. From our vantage point, we could see the surrounding dunes, the balloons as they circled in what is called a 'box' where the winds move different directions, depending on height, taking the balloons first one direction, then back towards us again and John's truck as Bob chased the balloon.
Imagine once again, the white of the sand, the early morning sun, the whoosh of the burners, the silent floating of thirty-five brilliantly colored, Easter egg-like balloons. There were a couple of shaped balloons too, these shaped balloons are always a hit with the crowds. Tweety Bird (or maybe she was a duck?) was there, she sat up in the space next to us. Smokey Bear (NOT 'the' Bear, okay Bob?) had his hat on. A balloon that had a small balloon looking as if it crashed into it was the strangest one. A beautiful tan balloon with painted kachinas (southwestern indian gods) all around the perimeter was my favorite (other than John's, okay John?).
After packing the balloon we headed back to Alamogordo where the event promoters held a picnic for all the pilots and crew. Food, gas (pilots need gas) and shady trees abound. John and Cliff (another pilot and friend) held the ceremonial first flight ceremony with a good dousing of champagne and pinning [guys are pinned on their zippers (yes, that zipper!) and girls pinned on their chest (yes that chest!)]. Ona pinned Dan, our fighter pilot and Cliff pinned the gals. Dan and I chatted afterwards as we sat in the shade eating, "you know what I loved about the balloons?" he mused. I could see the light in his eyes, "Well, what?" I asked, smiling back. "I have flown high and that is great, I have flown fast and that is wonderful, but the drifting inches above those dunes, just barely floating above the ground, I LOVED THAT!!" he grinned. Another convert, John should be proud. I know he is proud of Heather, she has got it covered and her beauty really shines through when she is with her dad, flying that dragon.
John and Cathy are old and dear friends, we have known them a very long time and have shared many life adventures. All my friends, my family, are my treasures. Far above material things, it is the people that people your life that are those gifts that keep giving. Instead of waxing philosophical here, I just want to impress how important it is to stay connected. My friends John, Cathy, their children, Ona (C), Heather, Cindy, John's sister Ona (B) and her husband Bob are all treasures. We have stayed connected even though John, Cathy and family have moved far away from Phar Lepht. John's passion has always been the sky, flight, he is Icarus, the winged god, that liked to fly too close to the sun. Many times he has crashed back to earth (both literally and figuratively) but each time, he rises phoenix like, to fly again. Cathy loves John, she does not like to fly like John and instead, has been his support crew, making sure that everything is there so he can fly again. Ona (C) and Cindy have families and John and Cathy's grandchildren. Heather is like her dad, she likes to fly too and has become his partner in this adventure.
Cec and I rarely get to see this family, once or twice a year Ona (B), John's sister who also does the art show circuit with her husband Bob (Outta My Gourd, painted and carved gourds)lets us know so we know when they are coming to town. We try and see them, meeting at Ona's house for a party or just a quick hello. It is never long enough but it is a connection we all treasure. This last show (Kermezaar), Ona and I were chatting and she let us know that John was coming but that Cathy had a new grandbaby and would not be able to make this trip. I found out that instead, Heather was coming with her dad and I had not seen Heather since she was a child and since I had no show this weekend, I was determined to see them both.
This was no easy task as both of the boys (Cecil and Nathan) are not crazy about getting up at 3 am and riding for two hours to a spot in the desert where you may or may not see something happening. "It might be windy" he groused, "It might not happen and I don't like getting up that early!" This time, I gave them no choice, I stood firmly against their resistance, despite their 'grumping' and packed a picnic lunch, got the folding chairs ready by the door and Cecil set the alarm for 3. I was a brick wall and they could not get passed my will of mortar. Saturday, it was not bright, but it was early, they stumbled to the car and we headed out in the desert darkness to White Sands National Monument, a good 1 1/2 to two hour drive. I was my usual chatty, happy, chipmunk self... They were gloomily silent, as we drove through the starred night.
White Sands is an anomaly, you may have heard of the place...There is an Air Force base near there, Holloman (hollow man? hah!), and the small berg of Alamogordo where an air and space museum resides. The white sand is gypsum, a crystalline mineral and the dunes lay in the Tularosa Basin, slowly drifting across the landscape, stark white against the surrounding tan desert and the deep green Sacramentos and purple Organ mountains. We arrived at the gate to find hundreds of cars, trucks and RV's sitting in the parking lot, waiting. The party had already started. We ended up following the crowd to a viewing point, and as Cecil parked, I knew we where in the wrong place. Instead of arguing with him (about that, heh.) I leaped out and started walking through the throngs of viewers until I spotted a Ranger that was parking cars on the hard flat, white surface. "Where do the crews go?" I shouted, he smiled, "You are in the wrong place...Go back down the road and take a left. Talk to the Ranger there, he will direct you." Aha! My ingenuity and will worked again. We found Ona (B) and Bob and then were directed to John and Heather who were sitting and waiting by their truck and trailer for the pilot's meeting and the start of the event: The White Sands Invitational Hot Air Balloon Rally! (Kisses and hugs all around.) Cec and I had flown with John several times before and our oldest, Noah, had flown when he was but four or five years old. I trusted John, he was a good pilot and knew what to do in a high wind landing. I had had one of those with him before and survived. Today, the wind gods were kind, the sun god was peeking over the dunes, the happy buddha was happy, it was a perfect day to fly.
Cecil and I didn't fly this day, we crewed for Heather and John. A young air force pilot, who was a test pilot, and flew all types of prototype jets (the F15 is his favorite) crewed with us. He was going to get his first hot air balloon flight... He worked the lines, unfolded yards of nylon, followed orders and then got into the basket with John, Heather, and Judy (an old and dear friend of Ona (B)'s who is now handicapped.) Cec and I watched from the top of a large dune, Nathan went in the chase truck with Ona and Bob. John tried to get him to fly, but Nate hates to fly, "I'm afraid of heights!" and he wouldn't get in the basket. He rode in the truck though, as Bob followed the balloon. From our vantage point, we could see the surrounding dunes, the balloons as they circled in what is called a 'box' where the winds move different directions, depending on height, taking the balloons first one direction, then back towards us again and John's truck as Bob chased the balloon.
Imagine once again, the white of the sand, the early morning sun, the whoosh of the burners, the silent floating of thirty-five brilliantly colored, Easter egg-like balloons. There were a couple of shaped balloons too, these shaped balloons are always a hit with the crowds. Tweety Bird (or maybe she was a duck?) was there, she sat up in the space next to us. Smokey Bear (NOT 'the' Bear, okay Bob?) had his hat on. A balloon that had a small balloon looking as if it crashed into it was the strangest one. A beautiful tan balloon with painted kachinas (southwestern indian gods) all around the perimeter was my favorite (other than John's, okay John?).
After packing the balloon we headed back to Alamogordo where the event promoters held a picnic for all the pilots and crew. Food, gas (pilots need gas) and shady trees abound. John and Cliff (another pilot and friend) held the ceremonial first flight ceremony with a good dousing of champagne and pinning [guys are pinned on their zippers (yes, that zipper!) and girls pinned on their chest (yes that chest!)]. Ona pinned Dan, our fighter pilot and Cliff pinned the gals. Dan and I chatted afterwards as we sat in the shade eating, "you know what I loved about the balloons?" he mused. I could see the light in his eyes, "Well, what?" I asked, smiling back. "I have flown high and that is great, I have flown fast and that is wonderful, but the drifting inches above those dunes, just barely floating above the ground, I LOVED THAT!!" he grinned. Another convert, John should be proud. I know he is proud of Heather, she has got it covered and her beauty really shines through when she is with her dad, flying that dragon.
posted by SooZen | 4:24 AM
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