I'm not naturally a morning person. I really don't like to hear the alarm go off when it is still dark. Sometimes though, when you get going, and arrive at your destination, you realize how worthwhile it was to have done such an unnatural thing.

Amy has this alarm clock that has proven to only be useful in that it does sound an alarm. Amy actually has a history with bad alarm clock choices, but that's a blog for another day. This clock glows blue to an extent that Amy props a Post-it pad in front of the clock face. Fortunately, it has a kind of cool projector that shows the time on the ceiling, which turns out to be not nearly as annoying as is the blue glow that illuminates the entire room. The clock gains a minute or so per month. But the worst part is that its alarm is loud, obnoxious, and requires turning on a light and pushing a series of random buttons to stop. That's difficult when you are asleep.

This morning it went off for the first time since the last day of school and Amy stood up and announced: I don't know how to turn this thing off. Oh good. Eventually she put it out of its misery, although in a more gentle way than the way in which I would have. So after getting ready, in the car we climbed. In the dark. Amy was so nervous about getting to the balloon launch on time that I knew that my best demeanor was in order. Didn't help much.

We arrived in Hudson (Massachusetts) for the balloon launch just as the first group began filling their balloon with air. Within a half hour, balloons were launching and on their way. There were almost as many cameras as people there, but I persevered none the less :-)