I went to the gym this afternoon and decided to cook a healthy dinner. As I was filling the pot with water I noticed a balloon out the window. I put the pot on the stove and went outside with the kids and the dog. The balloon was low, very low, but started rising. It was fun to see. Then it started coming down again. We waved at it, just for fun, and it came down lower… and lower….

Then the guy yelled down to us “want to help us land the balloon?” Umm… what? Where? How? He threw down a rope and yelled to us to help guide them down. What?! He yelled to wrap it around the tree. What tree?? Our trees are babies! So Lex, Eve, and I were pulling the rope, trying to direct this balloon, not having the best of luck.

Then suddenly neighbors and friends/balloon chasers showed up and pitched in. It was exciting and fun, once it was on the ground and not on my roof!

After we helped land the balloon we all hung out and chatted while the chase van came (with the help of directions over the radio from one of our neighbors). That was when I remembered I had water boiling on the stove!! So much for cooking a healthy dinner tonight. Lots of people were out to watch and it was a fun gathering. Everyone had fun except Huxley who was definitely scared of the balloon, especially when the fire blasted. Lex and I were the last to go in. When I said goodbye and thanks for the entertainment, the guy asked if I wanted some champagne or syrup. Traditionally they give a bottle of champagne to the homeowner as a thank you for the use of the land. Apparently they now offer options. :)

We live in the land of hot air balloons and they are always fun and beautiful in the sky, but there’s nothing like having one come down in your side yard, a yard that seems barely big enough to land a balloon!

Eve and I took a little drive to meet up with Rosy in Maine this weekend. Just for the day. We meet in Freeport, ME at the LL Bean flagship store.

It was huge! We had a lunch, did some shopping, then did some more shopping at a candy store that my friend recommended. It had a 1700lb chocolate moose named Lenny.

We then moseyed on down to Portland. People say it’s an adorable town full of funky shops and cool restaurants. We found it to be crowded and I was bummed that there wasn’t much of any water view due to the shipping warehouses. Oh well. We had fun checking out the stores for a few hours, then headed further down the coast to find some good waterfront.

And boy did we find some waterfront! We went to Two Lights State Park in Cape Elizabeth. The state park closes at 6pm and I was worried about getting locked in (is that a thing?!) so we went to a nearby beach that I think it part of the same place. Or not. Who knows. It was BEAUTIFUL though. We got there at sunset and saw the full moon rise. We took a thousand photos — give or take a few. :)

We were going to have dinner at a pirate ship restaurant on the coast, but when we got there they were very, very closed! We continued down the coast and ended up at a diner place in Old Orchard Beach. The diner was a fortuitous find! The food was awesome, the waitress was adorable and as decorated for Halloween as the whole place was. She got Eve a big mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. I had a house-made black bean burger that was way better than any diner food should be. It was a great way to end a really fun day.