Friday The Child and I had to get to bed super early to accommodate getting up at the crack of dawn for our adventure in volunteeritis. Well, to be honest, I'm the one with the problem... The Child is just too nice to say anything.
She's also super cute.
As it happens, getting up that early wasn't a big deal at all, and ended up being the better end of the day. We both truly do love volunteering at ROTR, but I think I've *finally* learned... morning shifts only. Sure we had to be there at 6AM, but it was quiet, it was cool, we folded shirts and ate breakfast and helped get things set up. Just our thing.
As we were at Guest Services for the morning, we had an awesome view of the Front Range and the moon setting.
Click the photo to see it better... it was so beautiful!
Unexpectedly, we were also treated to this:
Seriously huge up close.
As I understand it, when it's time it's time for the balloon to come down, IT'S TIME FOR THE BALLOON TO COME DOWN so get ready. The staff at the event was so not ready. There was a great deal of running around and walkie-talkie-ing, but the bystanders (us included) all loved it! I've always wanted to go for a hot-air balloon ride, but those are some pricey tickets! Just something to throw on the "when I win the lottery" list. Until then, I'll admire from afar.
We ended up not making it to our second shift, the 2PM-5PM art tent, because we were both sweaty, tired messes by noon. We knew they would be alright without us though, since the art tables are largely child-driven and we volunteers are really just there to re-stock (we've done that tent for 2 years, we know).
In between our first shift and punking out on our second, however, we got to see some really neat stuff!
Aztec dancers... I joined in for the Friendship Dance much to The Child's embarrassment. (Of *course* I was invited first, what do you take me for?!) Their costumes were so beautiful, but it was already roasting at 10AM, you know these poor folks were HOT.
Polynesian dancing! They did the usual hula-type stuff, but they also did some dances from other islands like New Zealand and Samoa. Truly lovely stuff and the lead girl had braces and knew all the words to the songs and couldn't stop grinning and was generally adorable beyond measure.
And then there was this:
YES PLEASE.
So after we were done being sweathogs and made it home for air conditioning and showers, we went to help Colorado Alternadad with his packing... he and his girl just bought a new house (after finally selling the current one) and are moving THIS WEEK which is traumatic as everyone knows.
CA is totally OCD in all the best ways, though, so everything is packed in boxes and often in *original* boxes and all the delicate stuff is currently in my office - movers are great and all, but we don't trust them with large expensive audio-visual equipment if we can help it. Seriously it is some of the most organized chaos I've seen in a long time.
We went to dinner Saturday night, which was great but I came out to rain and a flat (which, as it turns out, was due to the 5 INCH NAIL that I most likely ran over in the Boulder County Fairgrounds parking lot). Thank goodness CA was there because I have no idea where the jack goes, although I *can* change a flat.
I can so!
Anyway thank goodness for Firestone... they were able to fix my flat, although they did feel the need to inform me that the cheap-ass tires Nissan provided as the standard are nearly illegal, they're so close to bald.
Nice.
Oh well, that's why I have a Firestone card, right? *sigh* I'm waiting until September to get them swapped out, I they're not totally dead yet and it's the dry season here, but I think I'll be avoiding unpaved roads to mystery mountaintop locales until I *do* get new tires, just to be on the safe side.
Sunday was more packing and a bit of napping (Saturday's heat really took it out of me) and some reading. I've been trying to make use of the local library as much as we can rather than buying books which will only molder on my shelf. The double-plus bonus of this is that I have incentive to actually READ the books since they're on a deadline.
Currently, I'm getting into Joe Hill's "20th Century Ghosts", which is not all about ghosts but which *is* blowing my mind all to pieces. His first novel gave me real and true shivers, which is hard to do in print! He definitely has his dad's genes when it comes to talent, although they are vastly different in their writing styles, which is good otherwise he'd be pigeonholed as Stephen King, Jr. and stop writing altogether out of frustration.
And we'd suffer that loss, I think.
5 comments:
I love Polynesian dancing- I've even taken some classes. Its hard work!
So all the expensive stuff is in your office!
1) Your kid really IS cute! She must take after her mother.
2) We will go on a hot air balloon ride when you come here next time. They have only crashed a few times
3) I wish you could have gotten a pic of the dancer with braces.
4) I agree, Heart Shaped Box was really scary!
@ Mom - The lead girl in the pink was the girl with the braces; click the picture and you can *almost* see the silver glint. She's was so cute!
Awesome pictures! I was a ROTR volunteer too, and it was strange to see the balloons that morning because we were told at orientation that they would not be launching them this year.
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