bjregan

Up, Up and Away

Until last year’s Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, I would not have said that riding in a hot air balloon was an item on my bucket list. Since moving to Albuquerque, Lee and I have enjoyed watching the balloons, both during the fiesta and throughout the year as they frequently fly close to our apartment. But last year as I stood on the field and thrilled once again at the sight of all the balloons going up, I had a sudden revelation of how special it would be if I were a passenger in one of those balloons. I made up my mind that this would be the year I would experience Balloon Fiesta in the air, instead of on the ground.

Deciding that you are going to be part of a morning launch is no guarantee that you will actually get to go up. Ballooning is totally dependent on the cooperation of the weather and we have experienced a number of disappointing mornings at Balloon Fiesta Park when the balloons were not able to launch. I scheduled my ride for the first day of the Fiesta, knowing that chances were better of getting rescheduled later in the week if opening day was a no-go.

But the weather this morning could not have been more perfect. I had to be at the check-in location at 5:00 am. The traffic into the park was already building up as Lee drove me to a spot within walking distance, but not too close so he could get back out. He was going to come back down to the park later to watch the launch, which gets underway at 7:00 am. We managed to find each other in the mass of people and walked down the field with our group.

It was just starting to get light as the balloonists worked on inflating their balloons. Our pilot was personable and knowledgeable, sharing with us facts about ballooning, as well as funny stories about things he has encountered over the years as a balloon pilot. He promised us a good time, and fulfilled his promise, keeping us in the air for a full hour.

The winds carried us north of the city, most of the time on a path that followed the Rio Grande River. At our highest point, the pilot said we were over 2000 feet above the ground. Partway through the ride he brought the balloon back down so that we skimmed over the treetops along the river. As our landing spot, he picked out a vacant lot in a Rio Rancho subdivision. Before the ride he had given us instructions on what to do if it was a rough landing but there was hardly a bump as the basket touched the ground. The chase crew was ready and waiting and we were packed up and on our way in no time at all.

What a glorious, wonderful experience for my first balloon ride. The photos can’t do it justice, but here they are:
Balloon ride photos.

German Unity Day

As we approach the end of our time visiting family in Germany, it seems fitting that today is the day we travel from Leipzig to Frankfurt on the first part of our trip back to New Mexico. October 3 is a national holiday in Germany–German Unity Day. It is an observance of the event in 1990 when East Germany and West Germany were once again united to become one nation. For me, this trip to Germany has been a wonderful opportunity to reunite with a part of my family that I have been separated from for most of my life.

I was born shortly after World War II. My mother was the only one in her family who left Germany after the war. Everyone else lived in the part of Germany that was designated as East Germany. American citizens were not allowed to visit East Germany and East German citizens were not allowed to visit the West.

As children growing up in Michigan, my siblings and I knew we had grandparents and aunts and uncles in Germany who loved us but we had never met them. We always looked forward to Christmas and our birthdays when we would receive packages from “grandma in Germany.” Everything she sent was exciting and special, nothing like the things we had in the US. As we got older we exchanged letters with our family in Germany. But overseas telephone calls were an unknown luxury in our family. And, of course there was no such thing as the Internet.

It wasn’t until my senior year in college that I met my German family for the first time. My parents and I obtained special visas for a two-week visit. What an eye-opening experience for a naive American college student in the 1970’s to see what life was like behind the Iron Curtain. But also what a thrill to spend time with my grandparents and aunt and uncle.

In the years since my first visit to Germany there have been several other opportunities for the German and American Schwesinger families to meet. Every time has been special and this time was no exception. I have learned a lot this visit about missing years in our shared family history. I hope in the near future to write down more of these stories. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures to illustrate part of the story of this visit.

Planning our strategy for souvenir shopping in downtown Leipzig.

Up close we could see how this mural told a story of life during the years of the Berlin Wall.

Fresh farm vegetables plentiful here compared to New Mexico.

We climbed to the top of this memorial which commemorates the Battle of Leipzig in the Napoleonic Wars.

Hall of Fame inside the Memorial. Girl sitting on the bench gives scale for size of statues.

One of the views of Leipzig from the top of the memorial.