Living near Albuquerque has it's perks, like being a local during Balloon Fiesta. We (my mother and I) started our morning early with the dawn patrol balloonists, a set of pilots who take off before the sun rises. We struck up a conversation with one of the teams, who later invited us stand inches from the balloon during inflation. I will never forget the sound of the burner or the waves of heat firing into the balloon as it prepared to stand. There is something magical about these moments.