An optical illusion of my friend reaching out to hand a flower to a large butterfly. The flower and butterfly are actually a hot air balloon!
Link to the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, held at Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico. This annual event attracts hundreds of balloonists and thousands of spectators every October.
Link: http://www.balloonfiesta.com
Taken at the Balloon Festival in Albuquerque, N.M. 2008. The sun was just coming up as I caught this sight.
This beautiful balloon caught my eye as it drifted by the coloring so matched the clouds, and sky. The sunrays shinning down through the clouds in front of the Sandia Mountains just made the whole picture come together
While I was taking a balloon ride, these two balloons were side by side. Their reflections appeared in the water as they gently floated above the Rio Grande River in New Mexico.