Special Shape Balloons

Special Shape Balloons were scheduled to compete in a Rodeo today. However, high winds prevented any balloons from flying. So the special shape balloon pilots were asked to merely inflate their balloons for viewing on the launch field. The result was a little chaotic, with balloons battling not only the winds but also each other as they were inflated. I counted as many as 12 balloons in the picture below!

Our pilot helped hold down the basket for one of, if not the, largest of the special shape balloons, the turtle, owned by some friends of his from Belgium.

The envelope of this balloon is so big it was hard to get it all in one picture.

The turtle has lots of extra appendages, including arms, hands with fingers, a ball cap (turned backwards), a bow tie, and sneakers with shoelaces. Every piece has to be inflated. When the wind picked up, the balloon began swaying side-to-side and a few people got pushed by the feet!

I hadn’t seen the clock fly, so I got the best picture I could of it. Then I noticed that Mama Bee, in the foreground, was sporting a pink Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon.

This balloon has three monkey faces: See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil."

Here are more special shape balloons, both from this morning’s struggling efforts and from other days when they flew.

The turtle seems to be talking to the bear.