It’s a good week for things falling out of the sky here at OFT, as we’ve now got a new vehicle where it ain’t supposed to be. Last weekend, a becalmed hot air balloon had to make an emergency landing, and it wound up in Hunter and Jenna Perrin’s tiny backyard. You may have already seen footage of the landing, with everyone looking delighted:

[Image via: Hunter Perrin]

I particularly appreciate the sheepish grin and shrug, but my favorite shot comes from later, when the balloon was being hopped out of the backyard:

[Image via: Hunter Perrin]

You certainly don’t see that every day. And speaking of unusual events, the company in charge of this particular flight was Magical Adventure Balloon Rides, who have previously made headlines for a rather different reason. They offer “mile high flights”, and according to their site, “[i]t is exactly what you are thinking”. You and your partner can take an exclusive flight to 5,280 feet in “a basket equipped with a privacy curtain”, while the “discreet pilot will wear protective hearing gear and focus solely on flying the balloon”. A 2024 piece I found was quite a read, and included this:

“I don’t want to be indelicate, but OK, I’ll just be direct: They were [doing it] doggy-style, with the woman over the side of the basket…so she could look out.”

“Wouldja look at that view?!”

As the weather warms up in New England, the massive snow piles found around Boston are finally melting. One particular pile has garnered quite a bit of attention due to what was revealed underneath it. Namely, cars. A half-dozen cars were covered by snow piles, and now they’re reemerging.

[Photo credit: u/jj3904]

I’m a bit skeptical of the claim that all of these cars were “waiting to be junked” prior to being buried under tons of snow. Regardless, however, but they’re definitely junkers now.

Louise Dickinson Rich once wrote “My attitude toward catastrophes is that I don’t really hope they’ll happen, but if they have to, I hope I’ll be there to see”. I share that perspective, and so I was glad I got to see this poor, water-logged front-end loader:

If you too enjoy a rueful chuckle at a vehicle where it ain’t supposed to be, you can find more shots of this mess over on Instagram.

When I first heard that my late father had once slept through an earthquake, I was incredulous. I pictured the sort of catastrophe you see in disaster movies or the 1989 World Series. Since then, however, I’ve lived through some minor earthquakes myself. They’re disconcerting, to be sure, but I can now understand how they might fail to wake someone from a deep sleep.

Failing to be woken up by a container ship coming within 26 feet of your Norwegian house, on the other hand, I just can’t fathom.

Johan Helberg, who lives in Byneset, on the Trondheim Fjord, was woken by his neighbor on Thursday morning asking if he had noticed a boat outside, TV2 Norway reported.

Listen, Jostein Jørgensen, please don’t ask Johan Helberg about any boats before he’s had his coffee.

Don’t miss the picture from photographer Jan Langhaug, which is simply fantastic:

“Se, der ligger problemet ditt.☝️”

If I get one or two more of these posts, I’ll have to make a proper category for “Vehicles Where They Ain’t Supposed to Be” (VWTASTB).

If you live on Cape Cod and recently found your package delivery delayed, there may be a very good reason.

[Photo credit: Wellfleet Fire Department]

On Saturday, a FedEx driver had to be rescued after his truck was partially submerged due to a rapidly rising tide.

The driver was traveling on Lieutenant Island Road when the tide began to rapidly rise and submerge the vehicle, the department said. Wellfleet Fire called on residents to be cautious during high tide on that road, which travels along Loagy Bay to Lieutenant Island in Wellfleet.

Oh yeah, that definitely ain’t right.

Previously in Vehicles Where They Ain’t Supposed To Be: The Hot New Show, “VWTASTB”