Day 9: Something You Like About Where you Live

Ascension

I love so many things about where we live - I love the size of Reno and how the character is a mix of cowboy independence and California; I LOVE the geography, and how we get to enjoy both the dessert and the mountains; I love our nearby alpine lakes and our local junior ski program; I love our church; I love so many of the people here.

The year a balloon landed right in front of our house!

But to choose a new one today - I'm grateful for my favorite annual Reno event, the Great Reno Balloon Races.  This is a hot air balloon festival that happens for three days every September.  It takes place at a park near our house, so even on the days we don't attend, we can usually see some of it from our driveway (and once had a balloon land in our cul de sac!).  

The events start at 5 am, so you wake up and leave the house while it's still dark, and then you use flashlights to find your way through the parking lot, then through the trees, and down to the field - the dark makes it feel like an adventure. If you get there early enough, you get to see some of the balloons lift up in the dark and glow like little moons.  They start the main event around sunrise - 100+ balloons blow up in a giant field and then ascend.  They let the spectators walk around the field, so you are right in the middle of the action, surrounded by an explosion of color and the sound of blowtorches going on and off and people looking up to the sky in wonder.  

I'm so grateful for this annual event that's a thrill for kids and and adults alike.