It was the day of our weekly kite fly with the kite club. And it was the day we slept late. Every other day this past week we’ve up bright and early. But not the day we need to be. So, once again we are late to the kite beach. No wonder we are known as the “Second Shift”. We come later and stay later. What made this day more interesting was a) the lack of wind, b) the new kite brought to the field and c) the civil war reenactment going on at the fort. We were lucky to get a parking space close to the beach end. Otherwise, it would have been a long, long trek with kite bags.
When we arrived, the other kite fliers were reduced to flying fighter kites. The lower the wind the better for kite battles with fighter kites. Most are made from bamboo and tissue paper or mylar wrapping paper. Although there are some made with ripstop nylon and thin graphite spars. Those last kind are usually made for looks and not battles. With our crew, fighter kites can be very entertaining. No one is serious about fighting. They’re just happy to keep them in the air. There were two casualties that had to go to the kite hospital that afternoon. And the flier who caused the casualties is still claiming it wasn’t his fault.
We were in no hurry to try to put anything up in such a low wind. However, the owner of the kite shop just received a new kite which I had seen online and thought immediately that my husband would like it. It was a fifteen foot delta with long flowing tails. Now my husband has several large deltas and the thought had crossed my mind that he didn’t really need another one. Not to mention that these just barely fit in my car. But the colors of this one are so beautiful and the tails so flowing, I could easily let this one into the house along with the rest. But would it go up in such light wind? Amazingly, it did. We put on extremely light line and it went up. It was glorious. The look on my husband’s face let me know it would be his. And on a day with proper wind and some added altitude, it would put on a show all by itself.
As for me, the wind began coming up a bit and we decided to tryout the bridle modification on my new-ish “lizard” kite. The Buka-Dako-Esche. Last time it was a dive bomber that was a hazard to all around it. This time it went right up and hung in the sky. The modification was a success. One last little tweak and it will fly like a champ every time. I also got up my gecko totem. It is a companion kite to the “lizard”. Both decorated in the same style with the same colors. They looked pretty good together.
Now, about those guns. We fly at Fort Macon State Park. Fort Macon was built before the civil war and was occupied by Confederate troops. It was taken over in 1862 by Union forces who held it until the end of the Civil War. Several times a year, there is a re-enactment of events in the history of the fort. Today, the Union forces attacked the Confederates that were in the fort. There was a lot of musket fire from both sides. And some cannon fire from the fort. It was pretty exciting and a lot of people came to see it. The re-enactors did a magnificent job. At other times, re-enactors come to show visitors how daily life was in the fort. Fort Macon is really an amazing place and I enjoy visiting it again and again.
So, after a stop at the kite shop and a stop for a mid-afternoon lunch, it was time to go home. And then it was a quiet evening in the backyard, watching the fireflies and sipping wine slushies. Nothing finer on a summer evening. Oh, and spring, too.
Fair Winds All.
Freedom In The Sky - A Kiter's Blog 