Digital Diva Meetup- New Smyrna Beach Balloon Festival, Daytona Beach, and Ponce Inlet

The digital divas finally got to go to the New Smyrna Beach Hot Air Balloon Festival after the initial attempt (it got cancelled due to the sleet storm back in February). It's about 2 1/2 hrs from Tampa on the east coast. It was sunny, lightly breezy, and 90 degrees... perfect conditions for hot air balloons, jazz music, and airplane stunts, and strolling the beach and surrounding areas. Even better conditions for photographing! I got some fabulous pictures of the balloons at sunset thanks to my reliable tripod. We also went to a park on the beach when I got some great boardwalk and boating shots. We visited Ponce Inlet Lighthouse, Florida's tallest lighthouse. This was my first experience being in and climbing up one. I had a lot of fun playing with different exposures and different angles as you will see. By dusk we were spent...so we finished the night with what you have to get when you go to the beach...ICE CREAM. Hope you enjoy the pics...these are only just a few.

Bet you've never seen the inside of a hot air balloon

Gives you a perspective on how high up I was in the lighthouse

hot air balloons
airplanes
Air Force plane

at New Smyrna Beach airport when the festival was held

hand gliding i think

air formations

Daytona Beach...can't do this at the Jersey shore

sailboat on the Atlantic

a nice warm day at the beach :)

yeah I can do that

path to the jetty

Ponce De Leon Inlet Lighthouse

the tallest lighthouse in Fla

view from the inside of the lighthouse...magnificant

reaching the lookout point

view from the ledge

climbing the 203 steps, 175 ft tower...love the winding steps

one of the cabins around the lighthouse

oops

inflating the balloons for the balloon glow

nearly inflated

tadah

it was a small meetup (just Lori and I)