Prosser 2008 Up, up and Away!

What a beautiful weekend we had in Prosser. The ballons were able to get up, up and away, but more importantly, it was the first time the doctors let Ken get away. This really shows the progress he has made in his recovery as before we had to be within a half-hour of the clinic. One of the reasons we were allowed to go was because we would be able to stay in Dick & Lynne’s new trailer. Many less germs than if we were to stay in an old motel. For dinner Friday we drove into Richland. It was amazing to see the many changes that have occurred since we moved away.

The weather for the weekend was beautiful – a photographers dream. Since Ken was not going to be able to jump in and help with the set up of the balloon he concentrated on documenting the hot air balloon experience from before sunrise set up, to packing it away after the flight. Here are just a few:

Kemp & Georgia connect the burners - you can tell this is way before sunrise.

Sydnie, Lynne & Dick help with the cold-packing of the balloon.

Liberty Belle is ready to stand up amid the many balloons at The Great Prosser Balloon Rally.

Lift off!

This photo shows how the hot air gets out of the balloon after the flight.
Is it all going to fit back into the bag??
Here's how....."Buns on"

Lynne watches Midge, her granddaughter JoAnna, Jim and Mary work hard on the final step of getting the air out of the balloon envelope before it goes back into the trailer.

After the flight on Saturday, we toured some of the wineries that have opened in Prosser. We especially enjoyed The Winemaker’s Loft – a collection of about 6 different wine tasting rooms with a central court yard. We even went back on Sunday to get lunch at the Bone Fish Grill tent before leaving town.
It’s hard to express how wonderful it was to get away from home and doctors to spend time with friends!

I'll put a seperate post with some of the wine tasting.