Change of plans.....

I am very disappointed that I just cancelled my flight to Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta... As I previously mentioned, there were issues that needed to be resolved before I could go and... they weren't. I was really looking forward to seeing my friends in Albuquerque and experiencing the wonders of Fiesta. It is truly a magnificent event. So, it will have to wait for another time. I need to resolve these issues first so it doesn't affect my upcoming voyage.... would hate to cancel that!

Up next.... The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Tomorrow, hopefully, I will finish packing and prepare for a very early morning flight Thursday to Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have a couple of issues I have to deal with before I can leave but hopefully that won't be a problem... The last time I went to Albuquerque for the Fiesta was in 2006. I haven't been there since because I was on the Holland America Grand Voyages to Asia, Australia & the South Pacific during the Fiesta. It will be great to see all my friends out in Albuquerque and to photograph perhaps the most colorful event in the world. I am sure there will be at least 750 balloons flying at the event.... very cool! I will be helping out with a balloon crew for "Zephyrus' Kiss" and it's pilot Eric Hodges who I consider the best around.... His mother, Jan Hodges, is a longtime friend who I worked with years ago when I lived in Albuquerque. I included a few photos from my last Fiesta in 2006. Enjoy! Then I return home for the final push to get ready for my exciting new voyages between October and the end of April.....

Just another day at the beach....

Yesterday I said I needed to start getting serious about my upcoming trips but….  another beautiful day at the beach always takes precedence.  It couldn’t have been nicer!

Virginia Beach....

I spent a marvelous day today in Virginia Beach…  I don’t normally come to Virginia Beach even though it is the closest one to my house because there are so many tourists.  Today was the exception… most of the out of town tourists are gone and summer has officially ended.  The day started out very overcast and breezy but that changed by late morning and  all was right with the world… the sun came out and the weather got hot.  As a side bonus, the Blue Angels were putting on an air show.  It was nice watching them fly over at the beach.  Later in the afternoon I left the beach and did a bit of shopping and eating before returning home… nice day!!!  It is time to get busy on getting ready for my trip to the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque and my voyage.  I’m not very excited at this point about the voyage but hopefully that will change….

Wrapping up the season...

Every summer it gets to be that time.... The time when summer wraps up its season, kids head back to school and everyone prepares for fall and winter. I had a fabulous visit to Delaware for the Labor Day weekend.... I enjoyed visiting with my family and friends, some of which I won't see again until next year after the World Voyage ends. I came home to Virginia today and will start preparing, in earnest, for the trips ahead. First up is the International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque. If you haven't been, put it on your bucket list. It is an event that everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime and, if they are lucky, fly a hot air balloon while you are there... there is nothing like it. As soon as I get back from the Fiesta, I will be scurrying around doing my last minute packing. I have taken care of a lot of the big issues already so the packing should go fairly smoothly. I have done this so much that I have the process down pretty well. I regrettably, cancelled my ship's Overland tour to Machu Picchu today.... bummer. I talked with the Shore Excursion folks in Seattle and the amount of time we actually will spend up on the mountain seeing Machu Picchu is very limited so I cancelled. I have been there before so it isn't worth the thousands of dollars they charge for 2-3 hours of seeing what I think is one of the most magnificent sights around.... some other time perhaps. I do have a pretty special trip planned to Varanasi India... google it, should be a photographers dream.... so much culture and history there....

Amazing day at the beach....

Summer may be coming to a close but you couldn't tell from today's weather.... It was simply fabulous!!! There are still some pretty good waves from Earl and a pretty good breeze but the sun was magnificent. Tomorrow is family get together time at my sister's house and the weather should be great. It should be a fun time. Saw a great shirt today, "I survived Stiff Breeze Earl" the hurricane kind of fizzled here.