June Update (June 15th 2020)

[hotairballoonist]

I just wanted to send a quick note to all the HAB members,

Update on my health

I have nearly made a full recovery from my homoerotic stroke in late February.  I have a few tests left to complete but the only remaining symptoms are some dizziness and loss of strength.  The dizziness happens mostly when I stand from sitting or if I bend over to work on something then stand back up.  The strength is coming back as I do more and more around the house and doing some yard work.  Again I must say, I am fully aware that I am an extremely fortunate to have come thru this nearly unscathed!  I have since learned that only 26% survive and 60% of the ones who do survive have permanent issues or disabilities.  I thank all of my Balloon Family for their continued support.

Face Masks

Since my return from the “Extended Vacation” (in the hospital).  I have stayed very busy making face masks out in the shop.  We looked at a dozen different designs and chose this version.  They are light weight, comfortable, washable and you can insert additional filter material inside should you wish.  We were selling them about as fast as I could make them.  One balloon ride operation purchased 100 of them to sell to their passengers who show up to fly without a mask.  WELL,,,  My wife stumbled on 100% cotton (all of our masks are 100% cotton) Hot Air Balloon Print.  We sold nearly 100 of them on the very first day we put them up on the site!   Since then we have sold another 100 of them.  Currently it takes me about 8-10 minutes to make one mask.  Production is backed up!  If you have purchased a mask on the HAB site and have not received a shipping email notice, do not fret, you will receive an email in the next few days letting you know we have shipped your order.  We did not anticipate the demand but, we promise you will be pleased with your product.

Equipment 4Sale

Once again I would like all of you whom are looking for equipment or have balloon equipment for sale to have a look at the Equipment 4Sale section on HotAirBalloonist.com.  We have posted about 40 new items as well as created three new categories.  The categories make it easy for you to find exactly what you are looking for. These specific categories also make it easy for you to post your equipment in the correct category for others to find.  Remember, if you are a member you can check the “Notify me of Replies” button at the bottom of your equipment listing. If you check the “Notify me of Replies” button when anyone posts a reply to your advertisement the system will send you an instant email!  (Super handy feature).  But remember you need to be logged in when you create your advertisement to be able to follow the post.  The entire Equipment 4Sale section is also open to the public.  You do not need to be a member on the site to advertise your equipment!  Posting equipment for sale is FREE to anyone.  You can tell us all about your equipment and add all the contact information and your location.  You can also post up to 20 MB of photos!  That is 100 photos if they are less than 200 KB each.  There is a Video Tutorial about posting stuff for sale.  So have a look today and post anything you no longer need for others to see.

Please your membership helps us keep this site going.  If you are not a paid member please consider becoming a paid member today.  A general membership is only $20 for an entire year!

Thank you for all you do for the Balloon World.

Jeff A Thompson