**HOT AIR BALLOON** Alert!!

Reason #994 why we love living close to "home"....Elkhorn is just a hop, skip & jump away when that "HOT AIR BALOON" alert call comes in from Grandma & Grandpa's house - who live just down the road in neighboring town Waterloo   :-)

A front row seat to a pretty neat (FREE) show.  :-)

Macy spotted to flames & signed "HOT"!

Grandpa trying to take Macy in for a closer look...

she approaches with caution...

she sais "huh uh old man...we are stopping here...that's HOT"!

I love watching him watch her.  :)

he likes to photograph all angles of her reactions as well.  like father like daughter I guess!

I'm gonna have to check out the pics he got...

waving and saying "hewo"

McKenzie & cousin Brook watch the hot air balloon action from a cool shady spot.

bye bye bawoons.

Macy waves bye bye as I drive away (volleyball game).

she cried for a second & then remembered "it's not so bad here".  hehe

Kenzie's first HELICOPTER RIDE!!

Hearing the sound of a low-flying helicopter over your neighborhood is usually quite surreal.  Makes you wonder what's up?  LifeNet?  Police Copter? 
Not in this case...
Luckily this time it was just some Helicopter company offering up rides in the sky...for fun...for a minimal fee of course.
McKenzie was pretty stoked.  Of course, she kept bugging & bugging us to take her on it.  She and her & daddy visited a couple times and talked with the pilot dude about the details.
Last Sunday, she finally had her chance.  She was thrilled!!

Going UP!!

hair flyin' in the wind.

Macy watched from down below!  She had to stay back with G&G Lee.  :-)

lots of lakes around these parts...that's Westshores...

Lawrence Youngman Lake

Riverside...part of the Ski Lake & part of the fishing lake...near the Elkhorn River.

It's pretty awesome seeing Western Douglas County from this bird's eye perspective.  I grew up here, and have seen all of these sights...but never from this vantage point!  At least from this vantage point so low to the ground.  :)
You could really get a first-hand glimpse of the effects of this drought we are in.  The ground is so dry & SO BROWN!  Pretty sad really.

the back of our house...

"look mom, I can see my house!!"

Our wonderful Bethany Lutheran Church.  :-)

aerial view of G&G Lee's house...as you can see he's remodeling the gazeebo & hot-tub slightly!  Crazy crazy man!

Waterloo!!!  My beloved hometown  :-)

Dalton, Dylan & Colton took a ride with Grandpa Lee the day prior.  :)  Some of these pics were from their camera too!

Ta-Ha-Zouka Park

front of Travis' new place.

Back of Travis' place.

more of Riverside.

It's difficult to see...but this is me, Joe & Kenzie climbing in the copter.

Kenzie's next door neighbor-friend Hannah went on an impromptu adventure with her Aunt Cheryl.  They posted this pic to FB and I HAD to steal it.  Could she seriously look any more excited!  Such a sweet smile!  :-)  She's got one very cool Auntie.  btw - Hannah LOVES "babysitting" Macy, and is always asking us when she can do it next.  hehe

"MACY" PAINTING at Zach's house!

Macy spotted her buddy Zach outside having some fun with Sidewalk paint...of course she wanted to JOIN IN THE FUN!!!

What started out as clean innocent "driveway" art fun...quickly turned into an all out Macy-Mess-Fest!  Yikes. 
So...let's start with the "after" pics...

"What?"  "I really don't understand what all the fuss is about??"

"I was just having a little fun"

"perhaps my fun got a little out of hand"  :-(

"UH OH!!!"

"bath-time!"

At least it was "her" color!  :-)

And now...here's some "during" shots I got with my iPhone...

brush brush

she's working so hard!

"oops.  Missed a spot!"  Almost forgot the BOTTOM of her foot.  Heaven forbid she leaves an ounce of skin unpainted.

ta da!

Below is a brief video captured at the scene.  This fun lasted a good hour!  Grandpa Lee would be proud.  She knows he's ALWAYS up for a good mess.  hehe

Thanks Zach for sharing your paints with Macy...sorry Dergan family for the HUGE mess in your driveway.
Better yours than mine.  hehe    j.k.
HOPE IT RAINS SOON!!