Up, Up and Away
Balloons are big in ABQ these days. The Balloon Fiesta is going on which provides lots of family fun and plenty of gorgeous photos which all look about the same.

Speaking of balloons, a couple of weeks ago I decided to treat myself to some KFC. I sat facing the window with a nice view of the afternoon clouds while I pulled apart a chicken breast. There were planes making their chem-trails and I noticed a very bright point of light that seemed to be high in the sky. I thought it was a teeny little trail from a jet, but it just stayed there all the way through my last bite of cole slaw. Then as I drove home I could still see it, and I thought it must be a planet. As the sky grew dark it was obviously brighter than any planet I had ever seen. I finally fished a pair of binoculars out of the closet and checked it out. It was shaped like a guitar pick -- obviously not a natural shape, and seemed to be brightly lit from within. What was it? The news informed all of us that it was a weather balloon of course. They had been getting calls all evening about it, and they got to strike that usual news reader pose with the hint of a smile and a slightly raised eyebrow that they always use with UFO-type reports. Now I can't find any mention of the incident... do I smell a cover-up? Do I smell Kentucky Fried Chicken?