National Reno Air Races 2012

On Friday, we took a home school field trip to the National Reno Air Races.  This was our second year to attend and it is a great Reno event!

Yes, the sun was a little bright if you can tell.  LOL!

From left to right, Sierra, Addie, Summer, Autumn, Thomas and James.

The air show is held at our small local airport that is near our home.  So we are able to walk from our house to the show.  And this year, we were given FREE tickets!  So the show and parking were free!

On the runway, you see the jets for the Patriot team.  They are the ones that fly in formation - it is amazing.  Because I had to leave early this year, we did not see them fly. :(  However, you can see one of the planes doing their maneuvers in background.

This little girl actually was pretty good considering she is two days from her 2nd birthday. :)

Shannon and I. :)

One of the military helicopters on display.

The Jelly Belly plane that did one of the flight shows!

Inside one of the military planes...the kids LOVED going inside and checking it out.

And then they were able to sit in the pilot and co-pilot seats...yes, they were in Heaven. :)  And yes, that is our little tomboy with her camo hat backwards.  LOL!

Baby Johnny...the newest member of the Traynor family.  Isn't he cute? :)

This little girl insisted on getting up the plane ramp...even if she had to crawl. :)

I didn't get many pictures of the planes in the air but here is a good shot of one. :)

One of the planes on display.

One of the "heats" - races that day.

Goodbye until next year!

The Great Reno Balloon Race 2012-Part 2

More pictures from the Great Reno Balloon Race 2012!

Addie, myself, Autumn and Sierra

I love the contrast of the balloon so close and the ones far away!

A view of all the variations of beautiful balloons and the crowd gathered.

One of the character balloons - a panda bear.  This was Sierra's favorite and it went up right across from us. :)

The girls kept saying that this would be Daddy's favorite!  LOL!  It is pretty neat!

So awesome!!!

It was so neat to see these huge balloons go from nothing to these gigantic things!

My daughters' first balloon race!  Addie-9 yrs., Autumn-6 yrs. and Sierra-4 yrs. :)

On the way home, we saw that they were blowing up the shark balloon and we missed it!  LOL!  It is the largest balloon here at 112 ft.  And my favorite - the ladybug!  Can you see her in the middle?  :(  Next year, I will stay longer to see her. :)

And this is something you don't see everyday!  A gigantic Pepsi can blocking traffic!  LOL!!!  Yep, the Pepsi can went down right on the street. :)

Goodbye until next year!

The Great Reno Balloon Race 2012-Part 1

The girls and I attended the Great Reno Balloon Race here in Reno for the very first time Saturday morning.  And it was amazing!!!  The event is held for one weekend - Friday, Saturday and Sunday in September.  And it is a must see!

This picture is blurry - I was not able to get very good pictures for the Glow Show.  The event actually begins at 5am.  In the dark of the night, there are several balloons that participate.  They do ascend and they do glow.  It is pretty neat!  But I realized that I might need to bring a tripod so that my camera is completely still for the night pictures.  

It is fun to bring a blanket and sit on the grass and enjoy this show!

After the Glow Show at 5am, here is the beautiful sunrise over the mountains.  It was amazing to see the number of people that come out for this event.  I read that 150,000 people come each year.

Then came four planes flying in formation.  One plane broke off from the formation in honor of the pilot that died last year at the National Reno Air Races.

Then this beautiful balloon (that we were sitting right by!) ascended with our American flag...and a young lady sang the National Anthem.

Sierra wanted to do silly faces with me. :)

What vibrant colors!

A fun perspective!

LOVE!

My daughter actually took this last picture...I love it!

Mt. Rose Trail Hike - Galena Falls

Here are a few pictures from our family hiking day on Saturday!  

This is our first time to hike the Mt. Rose Summit trail.  As you can see, where you begin on the trail is 8,900 ft. in elevation.  Just on the hike to the falls, it is a gain of 500+ ft.  So we were at 9,400 ft.  This point where the trail begins is the highest year-round Sierra pass.  

It is quite windy as high as we were.  Here is my hubby and I ready to take the hike. :)

Summer got a free ride.  LOL!  This is a Kelty hiking child carrier that we found at a garage sale.  She looked so cute in it.

So awesome!  You can actually see Lake Tahoe from the trail!!  Yep, there she is. :)

Love!!  Our three oldest with Tahoe in the background.  Addie is 9, Autumn is 6 and Sierra is 4.

On the trail, you could catch a glimpse of this mountain lake through the trees.  So gorgeous!  I wish we could find the trail to hike there. :)

The girls loved the water from the falls...howbeit, very cold!

This is the falls we hiked to - Galena Falls.

Love this little chubster!  Look at those cheeks!!  LOL!

Ahhh...our little tomboy with her Dolphins football jersey, her backwards camo hat and her dirty face. :)