Window Cam, One

I looked out my living room window early this morning, just to check out what kind of a day it was, and along came several balloons. I took five one-minute videos through the window, before I ran out the door and chased the balloons over to the Champions Gate Golf Club - their favorite destination - where I shot the above photo.

Mmmm, maybe I should have named this blog The Hot Air Balloon Daily Photo Blog.

Three Balloons

No Patience

I spotted several hot air balloons floating south of the Clock Tower Plaza, so I shot them, then decided to take a video of one of them. I got a little impatient and spun around, thinking the balloon was moving too slow, but it did move quite a distance in that minute, as you can see.

Easter Morning Sky

I went to the Market Street Cafe in Celebration, Florida for breakfast on Easter morning and shot these on the way over.

See skies from around the world at the Sky Watch blog.

Celebration Today

I went to Celebration, which is about five miles from Champions Gate, to catch the sunrise this morning. The first thing I saw was a couple of hot air balloons directly over the golf course and headed in the direction of Champions Gate. This shot was taken at the lake front in downtown, and by the time I shot it the two balloons you see were probably over Champions Gate.

This is a view of the Celebration Hotel (on the left) and the shops that line Bloom Street in Downtown Celebration. See another shot on the Celebration Daily Photo blog.

Peaceful Sunday Morning View

Balloons coming in from the west, seemingly floating over a small office building on Legends Boulevard. Visible in the distance is the Publix Plaza, and on the very left you can see a portion of the Omni Hotel. The street to the left is Laura Lane, which runs from South Goodman Road to Legends Boulevard.

Balloon Rise

"Balloon Rise" is a contraction of Hot Air Balloon at Sunrise. I didn't plan this. I was on my way to Celebration to catch the sunrise there, not even considering looking for balloons over Champions Gate this morning, when this one popped in front of me. I had to stop and shoot it! I got quite a few shots of this one and another floating in from the east. When I turned around I saw several floating in from the west and shot them also. That's a rare occasion, as normally the balloons are all coming or going in the same direction.

Balloons At The Gate

I was out chasing balloons this morning. "What else would you be doing, George?" you ask. Well, when I looked out my window this morning I saw a beautiful full moon sitting right over the Champions Gate Golf Club. I knew I couldn't be fast enough to get any shots of it though, and once again I had left my camera in my truck, so I couldn't shoot it through my window either. A few minutes later, I looked out and saw fog rising from the tree tops as a balloon floated above them. I had to run out for that, of course. I got a bunch of shots at the golf course, at the Clock Tower, and at the Gate. There are two balloons in this photo, along with the 7-11 parking area (lower right), Regions Bank, Watson Realty, and Walgreens.

Floating High

This is the first time I've seen this balloon over Champions Gate.



One minute video of the hot air balloon floating over Masters Boulevard.

Check out the Turtle Love on Celebration Daily Photo if you have a minute.

Perfect Alignment - Sky Watch

**** Ooops! Camera Critters post is above this one, sorry for the inconvenience. ****

Balloon Reflection

Another of the shots from Feb 27th. Look closely, you can see another balloon behind the trees in the middle of the photo.

Now that I'm becoming proficient taking one minute videos with my camera, I'll be out this weekend trying to get a movie of these balloons.

Balloon Attack

Balloon attack? Not really, but I needed a title, lol.

Three balloons converge on the Champions Gate Golf Clubhouse, along with a couple of runners and a car on the driveway. There were at least six balloons in total that morning, but I wasn't able to get one shot with all of them in it.

I've mentioned the size of these balloons in previous posts, but it's worth repeating. The balloon in the upper right, which is also reflected in the pond, is one of the largest balloons in the world - fully inflated it stands six stories tall and can carry up to twenty passengers. See shots of the balloon fully loaded and taking off here. Compare that with the balloon from two days ago, which carries a maximum of four passengers plus the pilot.

Sailing Over The Clubhouse

This is another of the shots I got yesterday morning. That's the Champions Gate Golf clubhouse in the background - definitely a favorite place for the Ballooners to float over. The course is beautiful, the scene from above must be outstanding. One day I'll fly over and let you know for sure, lol.

Red, White and Balloon

This balloon was floating over Champions Gate this morning when I left my home. I took several pictures of it from the street, then I chased it and the others sailing overhead, over to the Champions Gate Golf Course where I was able to get some great shots. I'll be posting them over the next few days, so make sure you come back!

Surreal

Balloon Landing Three Days Ago, Final

The passengers stayed in the basket the entire time the balloon was being deflated. This crew must be experienced, confident, and skilled, because it seemed to me that this was a risky operation.

Balloon Landing Two Days Ago

The passengers seemed to really enjoy this part of their flight! In the last photo the worker is providing some leverage as one of the ground crew is starting to tug on the balloon to deflate it. I'll finish this series off tomorrow. Be here or be square.

Balloon Landing Yesterday

This is something I hadn't seen before. While the balloon was held in place, one of the waiting vans pulled up close to it, and the men guided the basket up onto the trailer. Then the van drove a short distance down the field with the crew hanging on to the sides and the passengers still inside the basket. See those pictures tomorrow.

Balloon Landing Today

Once again I heard the familiar whoosh of the hot air being pumped into a balloon as I sat at my computer early this morning. I looked out and saw two balloons, one of them very low and moving kind of fast in the direction of the Clock Tower. I ran outside, jumped in my trusty vehicle, and did the speed limit down to the intersection of Legends Blvd and Champions Gate Blvd.

The first shot was taken through my windshield as I drove down the street; shots two and three I took through the open driver's side window as I sat at the red light; shots four and five I took from in front of the sign you see there. I stuck around and took about forty more shots. Tune in during the next few days to see more of this landing.

Through The Window

I was in front of the computer this morning, which is in front of my favorite window, and I heard hot air being pumped into a balloon. I looked out and saw a misty fog rising from the trees, but no balloon. I heard the whoosh again. I looked out and saw this beauty float into my viewfinder. Seems there were only two people in the balloon. And the pilot was giving his passenger a great ride, sailing up, descending, and ultimately floating over the Champions Gate Golf course.