Avogadro's Number

Just about anything

Recent Posts

A day in the life of a hot air balloon.

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Originally published in 2010

My second year at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta!
(Pics taken on different days.)

I took Amtrak from LA to Albuquerque, arriving Friday, October 1. Up at 4am. Yes, 4am. Showered, caffeinated, dressed, and out the door by 5am. Karen, Kevin and I head for the mess tent, where the pilots and crew get fed breakfast and discuss the weather. Out on the launch field no later than 6:30, to find our spot, and get ready to unpack. The sun isn’t up yet, and I’m bouncing around with several hundred other balloon teams, getting ready for the day’s excitement. [Read more…]

Mabon and Equinox

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The second of three. The first is Lughnasadh on the first of August, and the first day of fall as modern pagans count it. The third will be on Halloween.

In this house in the northeast, I’m still learning how to garden. Too much shade, and more rain than this Angeleno is used to. When I lived in Los Angeles, I had to water things. Here, I have to make sure things don’t drown. So far, I’ve been successful with nasturtiums, summer squash, chili peppers, and parsley.

From my time in Los Angeles:

And the grapes growing on my grape tree smell and taste wonderful. (Grape tree? Yes, the loon who planted things in my yard all those years ago planted a lemon tree and a grape vine very close together. So I have a lemon-vine-and-grape-tree combo in that corner.)