Flights of imagination in Ray and Clay counties -- all in a single day

I had a very strange day this week. The weather was unseasonably warm (one of the short-term benefits of global warming, i.e. Nero fiddling while Rome burns) and everyone was out playing. As is my wont (just wanted to use the word "wont", which gives Spell Check fits), I kept to my usual routine, which is only spiced up by thrift store visits, guitar playing and roadside photos. It was a big day for photos -- not necessarily works of art, mind you, but stimulating ones far out of the ordinary. What made the day unusual was the pattern of things related to flying, with or without feathered wings. The captions will explain the locations and circumstances, if that is their wont.

This isn't a Stealth Bomber doing a pre-game flyover, but a hawk crossing Highway 210 near Richmond. The hawk sensed me taking photos, left the top of a power pole and flew over the road.

I've written several times about the unshakable relationship between pigeons and the Richmond Square. This fella took off from the roof of the Methodist Church with unusual grace and good flying form. I was glad to get a shot. I think of pigeons as lovably chubby waddlers, not daring flyboys.

There are a few ultralight aircraft hangars on the south side of 210 Highway between Liberty and Missouri City. I'm fascinated by anything that flies, natural or man-made, so I'm always thrilled when the ultralights are out. As you can see below, there were several in the sky at once.

Not only were the ultralights flying, they were playful, almost like Canada geese making the most of the ability to counter gravity. These two  planes were either playing tag, buzzing the field or one was landing while the other was taking off.

Later, I picked up my son at school in Liberty. As we entered Beige Estates (our subdivision, motto: "Come join us and discover the infinite shades of tan, beige, taupe and mauve"), we saw two hot-air balloons floating between the homes. Isaac took a shot (with a camera), but when I got to Walmart to run an errand I saw one landing in the direction of Liberty Oaks Elementary School. I snapped a shot and that was it for a day that was clearly up, up and away.