Halloween Pumpkin at Irvine Great Park

@JudyEv - It is wonderful! I think the balloon is a tremendous asset to the community. We have it the year around, but it is only decorated as a giant pumpkin during the month of October.

@JudyEv - No, Halloween is the only time they decorate the balloon, at least currently. Maybe that will change in the future.

@DeborahDiane Does it get dolled up at other times? Easter? Christmas?

@jaboUK - I have ridden in it several times, and you can see for miles! It is a lot of fun and it is less dangerous than regular hot air balloons, because it is tethered to the ground!

@DeborahDiane I like tethered.

@JamesHxstatic - Yes, it is much safer. It can't drift into any power lines or other dangerous situations!

@DeborahDiane It must be a huge parcel of land!

@JamesHxstatic - El Toro actually closed about 20 years ago. Then, there was a huge battle in Orange County. The cities which were near John Wayne Airport wanted that airport closed and thought the runways at El Toro could be used to build a new, international airport. However, the cities close to the El Toro base did not want jets flying overhead night and day. The battle went on for about 10 years. Finally, it was resolved. John Wayne remains as our airport; El Toro was annexed by the City of Irvine and is gradually being converted into an amazing regional park. It is huge. It already hosts youth sporting events, a New Year's Eve event, concerts, the balloon you see above, gardens with produce which is given to food banks, and other attractions. Eventually, they plan to add a water park (next year) and, later, buildings for museums, etc. It is a wonderful park, only seven miles from our home in Laguna Woods. It may be another 20 years before it is fully finished, but they make a new improvement nearly every year. It is really shaping up. Here's a little more info about it:

@JamesHxstatic - Oh, in addition to the information I mentioned above, there will also be a veteran's cemetery built on the land.

@DianneN - We have enjoyed our trips up in this balloon. However, I must admit that I like the fact that it is tethered to the ground! It is a long tether and can rise quite high, but it can't drift into power lines!

@DianneN - Yes, they have caused some dreadful accidents to hot air balloons. I'm a coward. I'm happy to go up, but I like to stay tethered!

@DeborahDiane Power lines would be awful to hit. Scream!!!!

@just4him - Our daughter took that picture. The Great Park is just a bicycle ride away from her apartment and she and her kids ride over there sometimes for different events.

@just4him - I loved this photo she took. The sunset behind the Pumpkin balloon was perfect!

@DeborahDiane She's a good photographer.

@andriaperry - Your base in Alabama also closed and got changed into a park? That is so interesting!

@andriaperry - Yes, that is exactly like what happened here. No hospital, but there are already two hospitals in Irvine just a few blocks outside the Great Park. However, there is now the enormous park area, housing, schools, and a veteran's cemetery will be built, too.

@DeborahDiane No not just a park, it has a park and new housing, new hospital... a bunch of stuff for everyone, the city bought it.

@toniganzon - Thank you! I love seeing it, too!

@toniganzon - We all really enjoy it!

@DeborahDiane It is sad and my local paper have been doing many stories how homelessness is getting worse here and other places like Anaheim, and half the comments are just ridiculous. So full of hate and nothing about fixing the problem. They make it political or like you say, complain about people trying to abuse the system. Yeah people are becoming homeless to abuse the system. So dumb. I have learned people who make those comments are the ones probably abusing the system and making this epidemic much worse.

@crossbones27 - I agree with what you said about the ridiculous things people think about homelessness. I just wrote another post about the things I have learned from volunteering with the homeless. It has been a rewarding experience!

@crossbones27 - I agree with you 100%. The reason we have so many homeless is there is simply not enough housing for the poor. Most of them, even if they are working, only earn the minimum wage and we do not provide enough housing for minimum wage workers. It is outrageous! My husband and I volunteer at a homeless shelter and many of them are people who actually have jobs working in low paying jobs in restaurants and hotels in the tourist areas, but they cannot afford to rent a place to live, so they spend their nights at the homeless shelter. Isn't that sad?

@DeborahDiane This is what I thought, great view from the high.

@LadyDuck

@LadyDuck - Yes, almost everyone in our family has taken the balloon ride several times. For years it was free. Now they charge a reasonable fee, and the ride lasts longer. It is a lot of fun!