If I were a journalist, I’d surely be fired for being this late on a story.

Lucky for me, I’m not a journalist - I’m a blogger. And I’ve got puppy pics that are timeless in their adorability. I can even make up words like “adorability”…with this kind of freedom, why would anyone want to bother reporting on legitimate and current news?

Anyway, in case you hadn’t heard, to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the development of the original design plans for Central Park, the Central Park Conservancy and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation set up a hot air balloon ride for New Yorkers and visitors alike to catch a bird’s eye view of the City and the Park. The balloon was flying through August 22nd. Sorry you missed it. If the site’s still up, you can get more detail on it here. (but why bother…it’s over and done…perhaps you should just scroll down to the cute puppy pics below since that’s what you’re here for anyway)

Strangely, dogs aren’t weren’t permitted on the balloon ride.

Perhaps it’s too risky having all that fur flying around so close to the flames of the burner (although I bet the FURminator could take care of that)…Or maybe it’s because the basket wasn’t intended for quadrupeds, so allowing them would mean fewer riders per trip and less $$ in the balloon company’s pocket (Cue hard-nosed journalistic headline: “Dogs keep Aeroballoon’s profits from reaching the sky”)…

Honestly my biggest concern was that Ella would have caught the urge to indulge her predatory bird instinct at 500 feet in the air. So we thought it best to admire the balloon from the safety of the ground at Cherry Hill.

Sorry I don’t have any aerial shots for you, but aren’t pics of Ella with her tongue hanging out WAY cuter?

Enjoy.