Diana’s Little Corner in the Nutmeg State: Rats

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Rats

Today is off to a bad start, this morning with the smoke detectors going off and just now I was in bed around seven-thirty watching the news and reading the newspaper when I heard the unmistakable roar of a hot air balloon burner. I looked out the window and saw it; the balloon was just down the street and was trying to land. I jumped up got dressed, ran got my camera, changed the lens to telephoto and ran out the door. I ran down the street to get a good shot and when I went to take a picture the camera didn’t work! The battery was dead, quick ran back and changed the battery. Ran back down the street and they had already rolled up the balloon. :-(
It’s those damn lithium batteries they have a flat discharge curve, they read full then all of a sudden they drop like a rock. When I last used the camera the battery read just about full, down about a quarter and that was two weekends ago. Now it read less than a quarter full.
I guest there is a lesson learned here, at the cost of some good pictures.

5 comments:

Anonymous9/9/06, 10:03 AM
That stinks! I missed a photo op yesterday morning- fog over a field and the full moon setting. I didn't have time to stop-had to drop off my son at school on time. I went right back, but the moon and the fog were gone.

I shelled out the money for a second battery after having a similar experience to yours.
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Diana_CT9/9/06, 10:19 AM
I do have a second battery, but I didn't realize that the batery was that low.
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Jude9/9/06, 11:55 AM
Too bad; if it was a blue van chasing the balloon, then it was Berkshire Balloons, and my friend Robert (the thin woman with is my friend Kristen, who has been to the COS banquet a few years back), and I woulda shoulda been crewing for him (if he had thought to call me before 10:00 pm; I was in bed).

As it was I went to Jazzercise. I called him this morning on teh way home, and I guess he landed nearby your place, but I imagine most of the balloonists ende dup in that direction.
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Diana_CT9/9/06, 12:13 PM
No, it was a pick-up truck that was the chase car.
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Jude9/10/06, 7:10 AM
For future reference, you can sometimes figure out who you've seen (you sort of life along a common flight vector) from this page: http://lighterthanair.org/photo_gallery.htm
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