Tag: kite fly

Squeezing In Some Flying Days

The usual Sunday morning kite fly was a good one. The sun shone, the temperature was mild and the winds were off the ocean in the mid-teens. It was a warmer day sandwiched between the colder days. It brought out several flyers and many varied kites.

Because the winds were higher, I got out some of the delta kites that hadn’t seen the blue skies in quite some time. And, of course, the new delta I got for Christmas. The two older kites were the Premier Mesh delta and the Skydog Illusion delta. Both make a good show with their long tails.

Along with these two, I also put up the new-to-me Premier Stratadelta. Flew it with some ribbon tails but I think it will have more of a presence with some longer, wider tails. A project I will have to work on.

What those who are my friends know that I am a fanatic football fan. I try never to miss a televised game of the Green Bay Packers. The regular season is now over and we are approaching the playoffs. To show support for my team, I made a Green Bay Packer kite and flew it this past Sunday.

The next couple of days were cold, cold, cold. At least cold for this area of North Carolina. So we stay at home and watched the weather forecast. There was supposed to be a warmup in the middle of the week. And it did get twenty degrees warmer than the preceding days. So off to the beach we go to make the most of what pretty days there are. We only stayed an hour or so and the winds were on the light side. However, we did manage to put up a few of our light wind kites. Specifically those made by Flying Wings Kites. One was the Laima, the second was the Wala with the travel frame, and the third was the Emong.

These were just right for this day. No pull on the lines at all. Just hanging in the sky with little attention needed. Perfect for sitting on an empty beach soaking up some sunshine.

We did have one visitor while we were there. A lone sandpiper came walking up to us, closer than I’ve ever seen one come. He/she walked around us several times. Not afraid to come between the chair and the truck or walk from one to the other and stop to look at both of us. At times this bird was so close you could almost reach out and touch it. After several minutes, it flew off down the beach. Whether it was lost, lonely or just curious, we will never know.

As the afternoon wore on, the temperature began to drop and the wind picked up a bit. Not too much for these kites to handle but enough that it felt like it was time to go home. So until next time –

Fair Winds All

It’s A New Year For Flying

Now that the holiday chaos is over, we all can get back to the more important things in life – flying kites. The weather did not cooperate too much for us this past December.

Before Christmas, the usual kite flying day was wet and windy. We were so desperate to go to the beach, we got our morning biscuits and drove out on the sand to watch the waves through the windshield. It was actually a pretty relaxing way to spend some time. And we weren’t the only ones on the wet sand. Christmas Day was a total bust. The winds were so strong that the foam blowing off the waves looked like snow across the beach. The windshield of the truck was soon frosted over with salt spray and the waves were the highest we’d seen in a long time. I stuck my wind gauge out the window just to try to measure the wind. It was 27 mph with gusts near 40 mph. It was shaking the truck. We didn’t stay on the beach long.

The day after Christmas was the weekly kite flying day. And the change in the weather was amazing. The waves were still large and crashing on the shore. But the sun shone and the temperature was agreeable. And the winds were just right for kites. We got out the kites we received as Christmas presents. I got a Stratadelta in my favorite colors – red,white,black,gray. John got the new Manta delta. They flew great.

We were unable to attend the New Year’s Day kite fly. From what I’ve been told, it was great. Several of our flyer friends came from out-of-town and filled the sky with their kites. Hated missing it but grandchildren come first and we had a good weekend with a second Christmas and time with the family.

So on to a new year. Already there are plans for some new kite builds and a couple of new kite gatherings. Hopefully, this year will be smoother and our kiting adventures will continue.

Fair Winds All.

Let’s Go Back In Time

On this past Labor Day the Mile High Kite Festival was held on Beech Mountain, NC.  This is a festival we never miss.  First, because we get to see some kite friends that we don’t see more than once or twice a year and, second, because we get to the mountains for the long weekend.  (And get away from the mad tourist surge at the beach.)  This year was a very unusual kite fly.  There was wind.  At times, too much wind.  The sun shone the whole weekend and the temperature was perfect.  However, the wind was gusting into the twenties.  Because we fly on the side of a steep hill at the top of the mountain, kites are seldom anchored and left to fly on their own.  This was a good thing as no kites were lost to the extreme gusts.  The banners that were put out to decorate the flying field took a beating.  And some of the vendors tents as well.

This year I flew more kites and took less pictures.  Probably a result of having wind.  I got my two latest kite builds in the air; the 3do and the Stretch Tucker parafoil.  Both of these were online workshops as the in-person workshops were canceled this year.  The parafoil flew like a champ.  The 3do needs some extra tweeking.  Not unusual for a new build.  I didn’t realize it until just now that both of my latest applique designs were Oriental themed.  Other kites made it out of the bag off and on all weekend.  That’s a lot for me to fly on the mountain.  Unfortunately, there was no kite builders competition this year.  Maybe because I was the only kite builder to bring something.  So, by default, I awarded myself “Best In Show”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After sitting home for a year because of the pandemic, walking up and down the hill was quite strenuous.  You never realize the effect of inactivity until you’re inactive for a period of time and then try to pick up where you left off.  We stay an extra day after the festival to sight see a little, maybe fly our kites a little and avoid the holiday traffic.  This year we mostly napped.  We did find a new coffee shop which also had great pastries.  I can only hope they stay open and are there next year.

That’s about it for now.  Stay tuned for more updates and latest kite flying news.

Fair Winds All.

The Dragons Among Us

Another beautiful day on the beach with good winds and good temperatures.  I pulled out a kite bag containing kites that hadn’t been flown in quite a while.  For a couple of them, it had been years.  It was a show of square-head dragon kites.

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I find this style of dragon makes a great show in the sky and, at the same time, is very easy to handle.  The head is framed with two spars crossed and it has a three-point bridle.  Essentially it’s a della-porta kite with a large attached tail which has a slight taper down its length.  Each kite is about twenty-five feet long.  It takes a while to wind everything up at the end of the day but it’s worth it.

Two of these kites, the Green Dragon and the Dog, were made by Skydog Kites.  The Dog is the logo of Skydog Kites and is still in production.  In place of the green dragon, Skydog Kites now makes a pirate motif on a square-head dragon kite.

The other three dragon kites were made by Go Fly A Kite.  A company that is no longer in existence.  I guess that makes these kites collector items.  After some research, I found the lion and tiger motifs were also used on smaller round-head dragon kites.  They were advertised as the Wildcat Dragon kites.  The Joker kite reminds me of my father.  He liked to play cards with friends and, every now and then, would vacation at a casino.

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It was a wonderful, relaxing afternoon; sitting in the sun, watching our kites dance in the wind.  The walkers on the beach seemed to like watching the kites, too.  Quite often, a cell phone would come out for a picture or two.  As the sun went down, the temperature cooled a little and it was time to pack everything away for the day.

Luckily, the Sunday community kite fly at Fort Macon State Park has started up again.  So there was an excuse for flying more than once.  This week the winds went up a notch and made flying somewhat of a challenge.  I only put up one kite, the Illustion Delta kite by Skydog Kites.  It had a hard time with the rising winds and after a couple of crashes, I figured it was time to pack it away and return home.

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Now to figure out the theme for our next trek to the beach.

Fair Winds All.