4 posts tagged “natchez”

So, Saturday afternoon we crossed the river to attend the actual Balloon Festival. Cost of admission is $15 . Bring your own seating for the outdoor concerts. This year they included Country Fried, Amanda Shaw, The Benji Davis Project, Edgar Winter and Better Than Ezra on Saturday. We saw Amanda Shaw first. She stars in the IMAX documentary Hurricane on the Bayou which I saw last spring in New Orleans. She is also an amazing fiddle player.

 

 

 

 

No pics of the Benjy Davis Project because I was too busy trying to get pics of the barge drop. The balloons launch in the afternoon and try to drop a bean bag on a target that is in the river on a barge...really cool. Here are the pics.

 

 

 

 

We left as soon as the barge drop was over. DH and I were really ticked off because they prevented us from getting close enough to the fence to photograph the barge drop at the festival site. The beer trailer and porta potties were lined up in front of one fence and blocked the view of the river and they didn't want us standing against the hurricane fence. I didn't come to the festival to see the beer trailer...I came to see balloons...so..next year we will either head to the festival site late...after the barge drop so we can get better pics or not at all..and save my $30 bucks to buy cool stuff like the t-shirts.

 

I guess that's all for the balloon races this year. Sunday morning was too windy for the balloons to launch so we packed up early and came home. Still a very nice weekend.

Here are the rest of the morning balloon pics that I didn't have time to add yesterday.

 

 

 

After hitting WalMart for a few supplies I walked over to the Flea Market near the RV park to do a little shopping/browsing. Love booths like this...

 

What cool retro glasses!

 

This booth had the most beautiful beaded purses and bags. I really love the colors on this one.

 

Tomorrow...a few pics of the festival and the Balloon Race Barge Drop.

Saturday morning we were up before dawn to catch the first race of the day. One of the target areas was in front of the Melrose Antebellum Home. What a great place to catch photos of balloons! Unfortunately, the sun was rising faster than the balloons and was in the worst possible place for photgraphing the balloons as they came in to throw their bean bags onto the target. But here are a few anyway.

This is Melrose...great place to land a balloon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This balloon was a new one for me...hadn't seen it before in Natchez.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This balloon is my favorite...the people who own/pilot it are really nice. They're from Baton Rouge and we've helped put it away before. As is tradition, they serve champagne and toast a safe flight with the Balloonist Prayer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                            See what I mean about the sun!

 

                                                    This one is cute and a favorite of kids of all ages.

 

                                                        Can you see the bean bag being tossed?

Oops! Time to get ready for work...more tomorrow.

Man has this been a LONG week! Seems like I would have found some time to blog huh? Work has been very busy. But one of my favorite weekends of the year is finally here. Balloon Race weekend! This is what I can look forward to seeing tonight...

 

 

and this...

 

followed by a fireworks display over the Mississippi River. Tomorrow morning we will, weather permitting, be treated to sights like this.

These balloons are so beautiful that they take your breath away. I'm taking DS's Nikon D80 with me as well as the Canon Powershot Pro1 that I normally use so I hope to have some really great pics to share with you next week along with news from our favorite festival. We will definitely eat here and have some of their famous drinks. I should have wifi at the park but I've never used theirs so I'm not sure it will work since we are parked at the far end in the rally area.

I can hardly wait to get there. DH told me that his Thursday meeting had been moved to this morning at 9:30. I told him that I was leaving at noon...with or without him! If he can't get away then, I'll just go ahead in the motorhome and he can drive the tow car down when he's done. I hate to be that way but I've spent way too much time waiting for him to get away from work when he's supposed to be off anyway. Time to finish up here at school and turn in paperwork...have a great weekend...I know I will.