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2014 Chester County Balloon Festival

I FINALLY got through the gates and found a place to park, and it feels SO good to stretch my legs!

I gathered my gear, and started up the hill.

I HOPE I can find my spot later…

As I got to the dirt road, I heard a voice call my name, and it was Brian A, a fellow local photographer in his car with his wife, and they were leaving.

We chatted for a little bit, and I headed off for my well deserved beer!

It was quit noticeable, the lack of balloons in the air, just laying on the ground like colorful shadows…

Walking to the Victory beer truck, I did see someone was taking advantage of the strong winds, by flying a very colorful kite!

You might be able to notice, the long grass had just been cut, and was laying in the sun to get dry, but that did not stop the children from building hay forts in the fields!

I finally got my beer, and quietly drank it, as I surveyed the fields and the setting sun…

My stomach and nose also told me, it was time to get something to eat, so I ventured back up the hill and into the vending area.

and of course, there were kids and parents all over the place!

All eyes were on this man and his flying kite! – As long has his kite was flying high in the air, no balloons were taking off!

FAA Kite Man 144
Image of the FAA Kite Man, monitoring the winds at the Chester County Balloon Festival.

Eventually, one brave group decided to give a balloon raising a try!

As the sun faded, the temperature began to drop.

Folks began to cuddle up, as a few more balloons attempted to fill the night sky.

Cuddling up 171
A couple cuddle up during the flame glows at the Chester County Balloon Festival.

But the winds refused to die down, as the balloons began to slowly sink back to the ground, a mere shadow of what they could have been.

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Getting there is half the battle…

Logan did his best, but the early afternoon at the Brandywine Food & Wine Festival had wiped him out, so I dropped him at Home, and  went back out the door for my second event of the day.

[approx 17:30] – Driving south on Rt 162, the traffic seemed a little bit heavier, but as soon as I got to the intersection of Doe Run Road (Rt 82), I knew it was going to be a long wait…

[18:03] – It took me about a 1000 yards and 30+ minutes until I could grab my cameras and start recording things around me and Posting them to Facebook.

In the Car 001
[18:03] – About Halfway between Rt162/Rt82 intersection and Green Valley Road. If you look carefully, there is a car/van turning around.
In the Car 003
[18:26] – The top of Green Valley Road just a head! You can see the traffic from the other direction. – Images taken while waiting in line for the Chester County Balloon Festival.
In the Car 004
[18:38] – On Green Valley Road, about 150 yards from the last image. – Images taken while waiting in line for the Chester County Balloon Festival.
In the Car 005
[18:44] – On Green Valley Road, almost there!! Damn, can’t Post to FB… No signal… and my battery is low… – Images taken while waiting in line for the Chester County Balloon Festival.
[19:08] – I can finally see the entrance to Plantation Field and hear some music!

[19:13] – I am second in line to turn into the Parking area, but a car of people just pulled out yelling there were not going to be balloons tonight!

[19:21] – I need at least a beer after this… Then I’ll decide about what to do…

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Bushmaster Blues with Gary Brown

The Bushmaster Blues band with Gary Brown on Guitar and Vocals at the 2014 Brandywine Food & Wine Festival in Chester County PA.

I for one, very much enjoyed having these folks playing in the background!

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Brandywine Food & Wine Festival Chester County Events Photo Essay Photo Journal Photography West Chester

2014 Brandywine Food & Wine Festival

Update – The wonderful folks over at TheTownDish.com, did a GREAT blog post about the Brandywine Food & Wine Festival!

Images of 2014 Brandywine Food & Wine Festival held at the Myrick Conservation Center in West Chester, Chester County PA.

There was a ton of good food and wine, which was especially welcomed after several previous days of rain!

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Images from Media in County Lines Mag!

I am happy to announce that the Folks at County Lines Magazine have published several more of my images in this June’s “Meet Me in Media” article!

Back in April, I spent a chilly morning wandering around Media with Jaimielynn Cooper, as she planned her story for the article. It was like having my own personal tour guide of the town!

When I received the Final PDF Proof of the article, it was also fun to see that I shared image space with Ralph Nardell, as I first learned about him on Flickr and then on Facebook.

The world just seems to get smaller!

Here are some additional images that were taken that April morning.

If you are interested in the Full Article, it can be viewed in PDF format with this Link:

Download County Lines – “Meet Me in Media” (June 2014) PDF file

Thanks again to Jaimielynn Cooper and all the wonderful Folks behind the scenes at County Line Magazine!

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