As I drove into The Hill School parking lot to pick up Cameron and Robbie for soccer practice, suddenly the sun disappeared. I looked up to see a brilliant-colored hot air balloon sail over, quite low to the ground. I quickly pulled over and put my camera together. I got a few pretty shots of the balloon before it moved north toward Middleburg.

After picking up the boys, we headed toward Purcellville on Foxcroft Road. As we rounded the sharp curve near Glenwood Park, the balloon appeared over our heads, making a beeline for the racecourse. Thinking it might land in the infield, we took the gravel driveway at speed and headed toward the rail. The balloon was so low, maybe 500 feet off the ground, that we waved at the pilot and his passengers as they floated by. I could see one passenger taking photos of us as I shot them. The three of us enjoyed our balloon-chasing interlude, and we all agreed that it would be fun to take our own sky-high ride one day.