Abrra, I feel extremely inadequate in writing this.  For one thing, I cannot find where it relates to David, and I expect it to bore everyone.  I could not find the words to relate how much fun it was, mostly to be going with my lovely granddaughter.  I threw in everything and hope you will cut it drastically.  I only do this because you asked me to and I love you 🙂   Will send pics.  ~ Dayzee.

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No worries Dayzee.  You supply the pics, and I’ll supply the relevant David connections.  After all this time, there isn’t much I can’t relate to David and that includes the importance of family.  The way you told of your experience with your granddaughter was wonderful and not one bit boring even without my throwing David in there every few sentences.   I had fun doing it though, and since I am responsible for supplying David content, I took liberties with your text.  My edits appear in red.  ~ Angelica

Inspired by photos of my parents from the 1920’s, my granddaughter and I take a week every summer to visit the ghost towns and old mining areas where my father worked at that time. It is interesting to see where they lived so long ago in east central Utah.

This year we visited Canyonlands, Capitol Reef and Arches National Parks and Goblin Valley State Park.  We hiked to a place in Arches where the wind had eroded a twisting tunnel through the mountain and when the wind blew it would scream.  It was hard not to relate Arches with “Archies” or “Archuleta.”  Especially when I heard the screams.  It was just the wind, but it sure brought back fond memories.

This year we made plans for a hot air balloon ride.  I know David took a ride in a blimp, but I’m pretty sure he once said he’d like to ride in a balloon someday.    The most difficult part was getting up at 4:20 so that we could be in the balloon basket by dawn.  We watched them fill the balloon and get it off the ground.  The basket had four areas that held three people in each, with the pilot in the center.  13 people?  What were they thinking?  Indeed.  What were they thinking when they put like, a hundred people in a VIP and you had to stand on sore feet for hours waiting for a brief encounter with the pilot, uh, David.  Well, he is kind of a pilot of sorts, fixated as he is on going up.  Think about it:  The Other Side of Down, Elevator, Parachutes and Airplanes, Zero Gravity, and that “like a satellite we’re flying” song.  But I digress.

We were the only people from Utah, except David, who is from Utah but he wasn’t there, but I’m sure he would have wanted to be.  There were only 4 of us from the U.S.   There was a couple from Germany, one person from Ontario, one from Australia and the others were from Asian areas.  Unfortunately, for many fans, David has only been to the Asian areas.  I’m sure that will change when he gets back though.  Ages ranged from 8 to 78, much like the demographic of David’s fan base.  It was great hearing their stories.  The fellow from Australia had been ballooning in many different countries and he was disappointed to find there was no wild life to be seen in that area.  The only living things I have seen in that desert are lizards.  None large enough to be seen from a balloon.  It piqued my imagination that he had seen giraffes and kangaroos from the air.  David would have liked that.  He loves animals.  He might even love lizards.  I don’t know.  He wouldn’t step on one, that’s for sure.

When we go skydiving,  (uuurrk!!!!  Wait!  What?  Guurrl, you can’t just throw a line like that out and not give details, Dayzee.  Please elaborate in comments.)  the plane reaches an altitude above 12,000 feet.  The balloon was only 3,000, but that was enough.  With the balloon there is no steering and the pilot controls altitude by heating the air in the balloon.  He then finds air currents to ride on.  We were in the air for 90 minutes.  About the length of time of a David concert.  The pilot radioed his crew where to pick us up, but as we were landing a strong wind blew us to the wrong side of a railroad track.  The balloon was lifted again and the ground crew grabbed ropes and pulled us to the side where they could retrieve the balloon and pack it on the truck they had driven there.  Just like the roadies pack up David’s gear and off he goes in the bus they had driven there.

It was a great experience that we will never forget.  I could say that about every David concert I’ve been to too.  But I digress.  That reminds me, David digresses a lot, like the way he can never stay on topic in vlogs, just rambles on and on in that adorable way of his.  Oh dear.  I did it again.  #DA2014 can’t come soon enough.  Just come back soon David, even in a hot air balloon.

You can reach me by railway

You can reach me by trailway

You can reach me on an airplane

You can reach me with your mind

You can reach me by a caravan

Cross the desert like an Arab man

I don’t care how you get here

Get here if you can

You can reach me by sailboat

Climb a tree and swing rope to rope

Take a sled and slide down the slope

Into these arms of mine

You can jump on a speedy colt

Cross the border in a blaze of hope

I don’t care how you get here

Get here if you can

There are hills and mountains between us

Always something to get over

If I had my way, surely you would be closer

I need you closer

There are hills and mountains between us

Always something to get over

If I had my way, surely you would be closer

I need you closer

You can windsurf into my life

Take me up on a carpet ride

You can make it in a big balloon

But you better make it soon.

“Get here (if you can)” Brenda Russell

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Dayzee is a guest writer for The Voice