Balloons!

 Balloons galore filled the morning sky.

Ultra lights circled them like crows buzzing eagles.

I had big plans to go watch the balloons launch.  To do that I'd have to get up before 6:00 and that didn't happen.   Also, parking to watch the launch is a quarter to half mile walk from launch site.   

Instead, I pulled off the highway near Walmart and watched as they rose from behind the industrial buildings and car lots across the road and soared over where I parked.

Balloon after balloon soared directly over me.  Some basket occupants waved back when I waved.

I like the sound of them, like labored breathing of a large creature, when they fire up the gas.  There is something dragonish about them too.

Then there are the bright colors.  I love color.

All sorts of ultra lights circled them like stalking fans.  Or little birds in awe or jealousy of bigger birds.

After the launch----the chase!!!   There were others chasing. 

I took 20 to Kennel and turned right.   I took Grand Prairie to  Three Lakes, south on Three Lakes to Seven Mile.  South on Seven Mile to Tangent Dr. and crossed the freeway, debated on Tangent Loop, remained on Tangent.  Several landed just off Tangent Dr.  I could see that one landed north of highway 34 while others continued on south and west, beyond Shedd.  I gave up the chase  on Tangent and turned north to return home on 99E since I was so low on gas.

Watching them go directly over me....chasing them to parts unknown---so fun!!!!!

That's Marys Peak behind the balloons and the corn field.   Its real name is Chatimanwi, so named by the Kalapuyans. There are many different spellings of everything around here.  Like Chatimanwi is sometimes spelled Chintimini and that named is well used in the valley.  The Calapooia River runs from up beyond Holley down along highway 228 to Brownsville and on and finally joins the Willamette in Albany.  The river, too, is named after the local originals.

It's going to be near or over 100 next two days.   Not much a person can do in that.   And over 90 for a week.  I'm headed out Tuesday for a few days though.  Can't wait.  I went to the lake yesterday, too.  

I had some spots Monday.  Well they weren't really mine.  Caregiver has to contact the Salem clinic now.  It's become so cumberson to get appointments there.   She fed all these cats along a rural road.  I'd gotten three fixed and had to return them due to lactation.  Otherwise they would have been placed by Silverton Cat Rescue barn team.

Then suddenly they vanished, after return, along with others she fed a different place along the same road.  I had to cancel the appointments, which are so hard to get.  Then after a week of the feeder not seeing any of the cats, suddenly the first group of four of five reappeared yesterday at the one location.   In the meantime I'd posted about the disappearance of close to ten cats.   Then I get contacted by the barn cat team, stating someone had trapped a mom and her two kittens on that road and turned them over to SCR, but the adult had turned out to be already fixed.   I was at the lake when she messaged me and couldn't see the photo well of the adult cat she sent, asking if I recognized the cat.  Once home, I compared their photo to the photos of the two tabbies of the three girls who had been fixed and returned, due to lactation, and one of them matched!   

It's so ironic, too, since she was going to go to SCR for barn cat placement, with her two sisters, but first the kittens had to be found.   I think its the people who live across the road from one place this lady feeds who caught them.  I think the

cats the lady I'm helping feeds, are actually part of the colony across the road, whose people have been catching to relocate and fix.   I don't know that for sure.    It was good news to find out one of the missing fixed girls, with her kittens, is in the care of the barn cat team.  Made me happy.