Holly Springs, June 8, 2024

Adrian and I went to an event out in Holly Springs that promised hot air balloons and lasers, both things that I thoroughly approve of. There were roughly a zillion folks there and traffic control was…well… somewhat lacking. Thankfully I’d ponied up for the VIP parking, which means that most of our time was spent sitting in the car waiting to get to the lot rather than walking in the much-too-hot-for-Gina sun with the lawn chairs, camera, etc.

Two of the balloons were scary clowns (why?!!) and there were fewer than 10 balloons total, but it was kinda cool when they took turns lighting up (“flaring”). (Trivia: Adrian did some research and discovered that the fuel they use for the night display is actually different than the normal fuel they use for going up!up!)

Not long after we started dating, Adrian and I went to the balloon festival in Statesville, which is HUGE (and we took a balloon ride too!), so I have to admit that I had pretty high expectations.

Once the lasers started, though, things got more interesting. I’d brought my tripod and an 18-300 lens, so I started messing around with some longer exposures. I am pleased with the results: