Let's go fly a kite

I haven't flown a kite since I was about 6 years old. I have some really hazy memories of the experience. I remember running myself ragged trying to get liftoff on a still afternoon, hoping it would get high enough to reach upper air currently and stay aloft.

I think I mentioned before that I'm planning on flying kites this summer. Friday was warm and sunny, clear and breezy, so I tried making a kite and flying it. I used wire from a hangar from the dry cleaners. I used a plastic garbage bag. I used some thread and some ribbon. I used a hot glue gun to attach things. It almost worked. I tested from my balcony, but it had stability problems. It almost took off. It ended up tangled in the balcony railing and dying.

Dawn tried her hand too, but hers might not have had enough lift. It wasn't stable either, and would swirl in the air and crash into the ground. They both ended up a shredded mess. We saved the metal parts for later, or perhaps never.

Impatiently, I bought a kite at the hobby store. Overpriced, it was. It was an impulse buy. Dawn pressures me on those things. "Just get it". She sighs exasperatedly when I hem and haw about the price of things.

The rest of the weekend was rain. Then I went to the library and checked out a book on kites. I probably should have started there rather than the internets and a store. Good old library.

So step one has been painfully realized. While I read on kites, I at least have one ready to assemble. Now all I need is a clear and sunny, warm and breezy afternoon. That will probably come next week: April showers bring May flowers.