I am dreaming of life before the pandemic. In my New York City apartment I created a hot air balloon themed stained glass window for a transom over my bedroom door. For some reason I have always had a “thing” for hot air balloons. I have been up in a hot air balloon twice in my life. Once was in Upstate New York before I started working for Walt Disney Feature Animation. The most vivid memory of that flight as quietly floating over a prison with all the inmates in the yard shouting for us to come on down so they could climb aboard for a jail break. I actually produced a whole series of sketches about that flight.
The next flight was many years later with Pam Schwartz. This balloon flew over an elephant retirement refuge, although I didn’t actually spot any elephants. The landing was at Wallaby Ranch which is an amazing spot to experience hang gliding, which Pam and I also experienced.
Between hang gliding and hot air ballooning, I preferred hang gliding since you really feel like a bird. You are rigged into the kite with a cocoon like sleeping bag. You steer by leaning from side to side. A highly trained pilot is strapped in with you. I remember that as I flew over the clouds, the shadow I cast created circular rainbows in the cloud. This would be the magic Icarus experienced before he flew too close to the sun.