New Additions To The Kite Bag

Wind was strong this past kite club fly day and the sun was out.  Woohoo!  However, it was chilly and the last day that the grandkids were down for a visit.  So there was no kite flying for us this weekend.

There was kiting activity of another sort in our house recently.  I have added two new Revolution kites to the kite bag.  The first is a kite I saw in a photograph from the KTAI (Kite Trade Association International) convention.  Only a small segment of it was visible but it was enough for me to want to see the whole thing and maybe see if I could get one like it.  As it turns out, our local kite shop owners came home with it and I got to see it close up.  Than only made me want one even more.  A quick phone call was all it took.  I am now the proud owner of the red geisha Revolution.  The kite skin was designed and printed by Los Hermanos Gonzalez in Spain.  Then it went to Revolution Kites in California to be bridled and framed.  And finally to me in NC.

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The second Revolution kite is really a piece of history.  The first Revolution kites were called the Neos Omega.  It was only after a law suit regarding the use of the name that Revolution Kites became as we know it today.  There weren’t too many kites made before the name change.  One of those originals is now mine.  Because of the size of a reinforcement in the center “V” of the kite, it has been identified as one of the first 80 kites made.  The first 20 kites had no reinforcement at all so that makes this kite one of only 60.  And it comes to me new and un-flown.

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I have been asked of I will fly the Neos Omega.  The answer is yes but only for special exhibition purposes.  I have plenty of others to fly day-to-day.

Fair Winds All.

 

 

Banners At Sunrise

Our last time on the beach wasn’t for flying kites.  It was for flying banners.  Several of the area churches have an outdoor sunrise service on Easter Sunday.  Our church in Atlantic Beach, NC is no exception.  However, this service is held at the public beach access on the sand.  For the past few years, we have erected white banners as a marker and a backdrop for that service.

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The skies were cloudy but the rain held off until after the service.  After having a potluck breakfast with friends at the church, we headed off to Fort Macon to fly kites on a holiday kite club fly.  However, the rain began and the fly was cancelled.  We returned home and took a nap.  Sunrise comes way too early.

Fair Winds All.

Playing Catch-Up III

The last two kite club meetings have been a little bit lonely.  The first began with a message on Facebook that it was raining at Fort Macon State Park and there would not be a fly.  Being ever hopeful, we got our breakfast and drove out to the park anyway.  At the very worse, we would eat there and visit the gift shop before returning home.

Rain?  What rain??  It was cloudy and the wind was light but there was no rain.  So we headed down to the beach.  We put up out light wind kites and enjoyed the fresh air, wishing there was some sunshine.  The newest light wind kite in our bag is the Laima by Flying Wings.  It looks like a bird soaring in the sky and flies in even less wind than the Skate.

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Laima by Flying Wings
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Skate by Into The Wind and Dunton-Taylor Box Delta

The following week was a complete wash-out.  There was rain, cold and almost too much wind.  We sat in the truck for an hour waiting to see if there were going to be some other “fools” with kites coming to the beach.  You never know.  Alas, we were the only ones.  We adjourned to the kite shop to see what was new and what our other kite flying friends were up to.

The days in between were beautiful.  The temperatures were warm, the sun shone and the winds varied from light to mid-range and perfect for flying.  We added two more kites to our vintage bag.  Both of them are Skywaves made by David Prentice.  The Skywave is an “old school” dual line stunt kite.  The day we took them out to fly the wind was on the light side and I wasn’t sure there was enough for this kite.  If not, we would have to be content with our low wind single-line kites.  Boy, was I wrong.  Both flew smooth with hardly any pull.  Beautifully responsive and not tricky, just the way I like to fly.  So another piece of history landed at our house and we are so pleased.

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Skywave by David Prentice

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Fair Winds All.

Playing Catch-Up II

It’s that time of year where it is not winter anymore but it is not quite spring.  The temperatures have started to moderate but you still need to wrap up and wear your hat.  Some need to wrap more than others.

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There was a good crowd of regulars at this fly and the wind was cooperating.  Not too strong, and not too weak.  It was a good day to test fly a couple of the new kites coming out this year.  So up went two new Kritter Kites and a new Travel Diamond.  All of them flew quite well and looked really good in the sky.  The most surprising was the Travel Diamond.  It hung above our heads all morning and handled gusts easily.  The Nemo Kritter Kite made us laugh as his little fins flapped in the wind, making him look like he was swimming.

Owl Kritter by Skydog
Owl Kritter Kite by Skydog
Nemo Kritter by Skydog
Nemo Kritter Kite by Skydog
Travel Diamond by Premier
Travel Diamond by Premier

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The rest of us dug older kites out of our bags,  kites that hadn’t seen the sky in months or even years.  Some of these kites are still available in kite shops and some are no longer being made.  As we stood and watched them, I realized that each one had a story to go along with it.  Each one was more than just a pretty thing that flies.  The kites hold our memories.  They may commemorate an event, honor someone no longer with us or just remind us of good times spent with friends and family.

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So grab a kite and head to the beach or the park or the nearest big field and make some memories.  I guarantee you’ll smile then and later on.

Fair Winds All.