Wonderful photos and commentary Denver.

Hot air balloons always remind me of a dog we used to own. We had a balloon land in our backyard once, and Ollie went ballistic. Every time after that, whenever he heard a balloon, he would bark his head off.

One time in Ohio I happened to see a government issue silver balloon heading toward the east. It was years later that I found out that it was my cousin and another guy who took off from the airport in Akron, OH, and were headed east. Apparently they ditched on the east coast just before heading out over the Atlantic.

Do you know the origin of the term "Blimp"? It originally was "B-Type, Limp", referring to the fact that the gas cell was non-rigid. It was manufactured by the B. F. Goodrich Company in Akron. Goodrich also manufactured the first space suits worn by the Mercury astronauts. I worked for Goodrich, my father-in-law worked for Goodyear, my dad worked for Firestone, and my best friend's dad worked for General.