Fly kites, of course!
Years ago, before I traveled with greyhounds, I spent a lot of time on beaches flying sport kites. I got pretty good; I could put a kite up in almost any wind condition; I could do several tricks; I got pretty confident.
That was a LONG time ago!
Pulling out several kites, I wonder if I'll even remember how to assemble them!
Luckily, the jumble of strings and supports give way to some kind of muscle-memory and I get a couple different kites assembled.
What follows is not pretty!
Set up a kite; walk back 80 feet to the staked handles; launch the kite . . .
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| Bad idea to try this one - it's small and difficult to manage in the best of times! |
A moment of hope as the kite springs into the air (kites love to fly!)
Then, the wind gusts, the kite lurches, I overcorrect . . . SPLAT!!
The walk of shame . . .
One of the first things I learned with kites is to re-launch them no matter what position they end up in on the ground - but that is not happening today. The wind smashes the kites onto the hard desert shingle - loosening struts. And the lines are getting snagged on cactus.
So, the 'walk of shame' is when you have to have to walk back to your kite, straightening out the lines and resetting your kite.
This process repeats, and repeats, and repeats. RVSue drives by on her way into town - yup, the desert is a hard place to fly a kite. Bill and Anne, and then some quad OHV riders come by . . . nope - still don't have one in the air.
"Take pictures" calls Anne as she and Bill take off on Refuge business.
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| My most reliable kite - I couldn't even help this one get into the air! |
I'll be spending time on the beach in Oregon this summer
Clearly, I have some work to do in reclaiming my kite flying skill!
So discouraged I had to have pizza and beer
I decided to get some errands done in town and treet myself to lunch at Silly Al's. Everyone at the Quartzite gathering had raved about the place.
My first surprise was that there were actually a couple of good beers on tap ( in the pacific northwest, we tend to get very particular about a) coffee, b) small run craft beers, c) Oregon grown Pinot Noir). I started my lunch with a Kilt Lifter Scottish style ale - excellent!
I ordered a mini Hawaiian pizza - after almost two months of my own cooking - it was delicious!
Lunch almost took away the sting of my failed attempts with the kites!
Another great sunset
I took pics of this one about a week ago.
When I saw the title, I KNEW the post was going to be about kites!
ReplyDeleteI haven't flown one since grade school. I had forgotten how much fun they are.
The great beer and Hawaiian pizza sounds like a superb balm for kamikaze kiting. :)
I've been carrying a half dozen kites around now for years. I never flew kites as a kid. In my 40's a friend took me to the beach and I flew a single string kite for the first time.
DeleteFor my 50th birthday, I took a bunch of friends to the beach for a weekend - and got a co-worker's husband to teach me to fly a sport kite (he has a special place in my heart to this day for that gift!). Get a kite, Girl! They're way fun - when you can get them into the air ;-)
I love the Oregon coast and camp there often. Beer and pizza; the perfect combination.
ReplyDeleteOregon beaches have it all - sand and the forest, tide pools, isolation on the south coast, or cute little beach towns with great restaurants and bookstores on the north coast. The only thing they don't have is water warm enough to swim in without a wet suit!!
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