Love Is In The Air

Early Sunday morning, Motor Man and I met our friend, Mark, who owns the hot air balloon business that I’ve written about several times recently. He had a very special flight booked: a marriage proposal.  How romantic!

(And thanks, Mark, for the title of today’s post.)

It was another beautiful morning for a just-after-sunrise flight.

Of course, the upcoming proposal was top secret (well, I think the bride-to-be was the only one who didn’t know).  Before the flight, I smiled as I noticed a ring box in the back jeans pocket of the groom-to-be and how he kept pulling at his shirt-tail to conceal it.

After the balloon is inflated with cold air, it’s time to light the burner to fill it with hot air. Then it rises to an upright position.

A few minutes later, Mark and his passengers climbed in, and we had lift-off.

Their flight was just about an hour long.  Flight times vary depending on many conditions, mainly the wind.

Motor Man and I don’t drive the official ‘chase vehicle’, but we keep track of where the balloon is and, of course, I take lots of pictures of it in flight. It’s always fun to experiment.

When they landed, the question had been “popped”, and she said yes! I wish I had gotten a clearer picture of her ring.

The balloon launch was at our county fairgrounds, and we noticed this LOVE sign when we arrived.  Since our county is very rural, the hay bale, tractor tire, corn stalks and farm gate are very appropriate elements.  The county fair was last week, so most likely this was put on display for that event.

Even without knowing in advance about the LOVE sign, Mark chose the perfect spot to launch this particular flight.

We wish this sweet young couple much happiness.

~These Days Of Mine~