Thursday, November 09, 2006

Election Over: Go Fly A Kite

Way back in the spring, or early summer, when we still had money, we went to the coast to camp on the beach for three blissful days. Preface that with late winter when my family presented me with a new suit for my birthday. I returned the suit for a refund, and instead ordered a bunch of kites online after a short period of waiting to see if this was just a passing fancy.
I don't know what happened to me. I was at the playground with my granddaughter, and the notion seized me to purchase a kite at the local dollar store. We flew it with little success, until I loaded her into the truck and drove to the nearest big box store, where we bought a three-dimensional kite that resembles a fish. It flew much better than the two-dollar model from the one-dollar store.
As we stood on the edge of the field that borders the playground (it might not be there much longer as it is for sale as a huge commercial lot), I met a chaplain who was seriously into kite flying, and he broke out some heavy duty equipment.
Back to the kite order. One of the kites that arrived in the mail shortly after I sneaked my wife's credit card out of her purse was this stained glass box kite.
Alas, it won't fly in less than 10 mph or so wind, or at least not in my hometown which lies about 140 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.
Of course it stays up for hours - and did - on the beach, but the wind here is slim to none where we only have two seasons.
I tried to launch it the other day when the Weather Channel said we had 12 mph winds, but there are apparently too many inland factors that prevent this beautiful kite from soaring as it should, such as trees, houses and other obstacles to a good wind.
There are other kites in my possession, including a 45-foot long rainbow dragon kite that I am afraid to launch for fear of failure.
But I'm not giving up. Weather forecast for this region says wind will be about 10-15 mph on Veterans Day. And the following Monday has more promise, with wind speed forecasts of 10 to 15 mph.
Overall, however, I've concluded that the weather here really sucks for kite flying. We have summer, and we have about two days of winter, then more summer. I admit that I had some success at the playground during the summertime, with a couple of different kites, but that box kite in the above photo won't give you the time of day unless there's a good wind.
My wife thinks I'm crazy, or obsessed, but I counter that she is equally hooked on the Cable News Network, 24 hours a day - she watches nothing else on TV unless I change the channel.
There is a difference between us. I see no end to her tendency to lock the tv remote onto CNN, but I'm going to seek help for my addiction.
I plan to join a kite fliers club.

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