I'm So Excited!

On Thursday we went to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park with the objective of enjoying a pleasant day and giving our new cameras a workout.  I got mine in late September, and Craig got his for Christmas, but with my shoulder healing from surgery, I really haven't had the chance to experiment very much.

The Safari Park is about an hour's drive from Jojoba Hills, and is a perfect place to photograph animals. It was a beautiful day, and the park was not crowded. Most of the animals we observed were awake, and the enclosures were large and photo-friendly. 

Below are ten images.  I could easily have added another ten from the day's shoot! It looks like our biggest problem is going to be deciding which to keep and which to delete. 

I love digital photography!

Sony RX10

Sony RX10

Sony RX10

Sony RX10

Nikon D850

Sony RX10

Sony RX10

Sony RX10

Sony RX10

I don't know this boy, but he reminded me of a boy I once knew
Sony RX10

I am really looking forward to taking lots of pictures on our travels to the Northwest this summer, and sharing them with all of you.

Next week we go to the Winter Blast in Havasu City, NV. I hope we can do some hikes during the days at the beginning of the week. I think the fireworks don't start until later in the week.

Looking up!

Special Shapes "Glowdeo" at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta

Basically the days of the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta can be broken into three parts. 
Early morning: dawn patrol at 6 AM, mass ascension at 7 AM,
evening: glows, musical performances, and AfterGlow fireworks,
daytime: flying competitions and non-balloon events.

Because of the weather, some of the evening glows have been cancelled. On Friday it was perfect, so we decided to go down to the launch field for the Special Shapes Glowdeo.

As the sky began filling with soft pink clouds the tethered balloons were inflated one by one all around us. They do not fly in the dark, but the propane flames illuminate them beautifully from within.
  

We saw some balloons that we had not seen before.  Mr. Owl was quite a delight!

We did see the owl glowing, but as with some other images here, the pictures of him unlit were better than the glowing ones.

Humpty Dumpty was a surprise since all other characters were upright.

As darkness fell the night was filled with the whoosh of propane flames. They do not run the burners continuously. They give it just enough to keep the balloons from tipping over, but not enough for them to lift off. Some of the time, it is very hard for the crew to hold the baskets down.

We had not seen this big guy before. He looked so happy, and so much like he wanted to play with the big balloon balls all around.

This Fiesta is one of the few that allow the public to be down on the launch field. When all of the huge characters are fully inflated, things become quite crowded. They are so big.

Who could not be happy under this enormous smile?

Finally, one by one they went dark and were deflated. The zebra was one of the last to go. 

We have so many happy memories from this week. If I ever find myself doubting what we are doing living in an RV instead of being proper "retired people in a house", I will come back to these posts and say "that's why!"

After the nightly fireworks show,  it was time to make our way back to the bus stop and get in line for a ride back to our RV. Some people complain about huge crowds, but I have found everyone in this one to be in a great mood. No pushing, no grumpy words or rudeness. All of the lines for food, buses and potties were long, but everyone was very patient! 

How could you not be after a show like that?