Hot Air Balloon Ride!

I was given a hot air balloon ride with my daughter as a birthday gift!  We camped by lake Berryessa where our tent nearly blew away with strong winds in the night.  We got up at 3:30am on Friday the 13th!  This balloon was inflated and ready with the sunrise.

One of the crew took this shot, the rest are my daughter's pictures, which I love, they capture just what it was like up there, except for the sounds.  It was so peaceful and quiet, you could hear the sounds of a day beginning--dogs barking and a few tractors tilling the fields--then the roar of the flame every so often heating the air to take us up further...

My granddaughter was such a good sport to be there and watch us fly away!

A bit of humor for people in parachutes--makes me wonder if one would find this funny if they were truly in that situation--a chuckle right before it's over?

Our shadow was always surrounded with a glow--the driver thought it had something to do with the moisture in the fields--I wondered if it had something to do with the hot air in the balloon.

After we landed, the rope is pulled to open the balloon to let out air.

We had a bumpy landing, and the basket tipped over--the driver said this was an unusual landing--I'm still feeling the effects of the landing--a bump to the ribs, but I'm doing good. 

The first time we saw the basket was on the way to the airport, the equipment truck passed us by and there, on the back of the truck, was this small basket--my daughter and I just looked at each other and laughed!  These next few video clips were taken by my husband and granddaughter--they were chasing the balloon chasers and managed to film us taking off  and then landing--ouch!  

Kite Festival

Check out the legs kite in the background!

There was a booth where you could make your own kite for free--they flew very easily.

We had a kite festival here in Morro Bay, a few weekends ago.  The wind gradually picked up enough for the big balloon kites to be airborne, but it was fun for the little kids to chase after and tug on those big purple feet, while the kite was deciding whether or not to fly.  

Rainbow Around the Sun

Yesterday this rainbow was around the sun foretelling rain. Today, in our dry season, we have rain!

Steep Ravine Cabins

For my birthday I was given by my daughter and son in law, a weeks stay here at Steep Ravine.



I was to choose a place and having been here before, I knew I'd love to spend a week here.



I also knew that we'd see lots of rain--booking the week in mid March, but I was looking forward to the stormy weather on the cliff overlooking the ocean.



I took so many pictures, I'll have to post in installments.

China Camp

We stopped at China Camp State Park, on our way up the coast to visit with my daughter and her husband. This park is rich with history--ghosts of the past are all over the place. Back in the day, there was a whole little village on a shore of the San Francisco bay, a shrimp fishing village--it's a beautiful spot.
We have our own ghosts in this park--my husband worked here and I would bring my three children here for picnics, to camp, for Easter egg hunts--this camp is a part of their childhood, and a part of my past as a young wife and mother.