diary

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Santa Fe. Editing photos, regrouping. The silence of the church courtyard is a welcome relief from the fiesta. Photo by: @jeremywadeshockley

  One of my earliest memories is of my great grandmother, Momo, my mother and myself, driving the Buick through the dawn light outside of Farmington, New Mexico to see the local balloons take flight. I seem to remember eating donuts for breakfast, or perhaps that was another memory… Photo by: @jeremywadeshockley

The intel airship crew sets up for a glow as dusk envelopes the fiesta. A visual tour de force as flame meets the deepening blue sky, drawing in spectators each evening to play witness to this awesome display of light & sound. Photo by: Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley

Skyline. A single balloon lifts up towards the earth’s atmosphere, the Sandia Mountains still visible on the distant horizon, propane burners light up the aircraft as it lifts skyward. Photo by: Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley

Zebras. The name given to the volunteers who work as launch directors throughout the week, coordinating the simultaneous launches that take place each morning, often sending up as many as 600 balloons into the New Mexico skyline. Photo by Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley

Eyes on the sky. Spectators watch as the balloon teams begin to lift into the air following the dawn. Photo by Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley

Mounted patrols ride in formation, a touch of the old west graces the Balloon Fiesta Park, where crews set up for the evening balloon glow. Albuquerque, New Mexico. Photo by Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley

Mass ascension. In a sort of grand entry of ballooning, participating balloons launch in a series of organized waves, quickly filling the Albuquerque horizon, this display is hailed as the most spectacular display of sound and color in all of aviation. Photo by Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley

Crew members work diligently throughout the early morning and evening hours to achieve the mass ascension of balloon aircraft for which this New Mexico event is so well known! Photo by Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley

Fireworks. Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Vendors hock their wares well into the night. Photo by: Jeremy Wade Shockley @jeremywadeshockley