12 April 2012

K is for Kite

is for Kite.

I have some wonderful memories involving windy days and handmade kites - you know, the ones with knotted rags for a tail. It was the best when we could make it to the beach and fly them over the water.

What a thrill it is for a child to finally see their kite off the ground, especially if they've had to do lots of running to get it done. I remember wanting to fly my kites on days without wind; I would run and run, trying to find the least bit of a gust - and it would lift off the ground for a moment, only to fall when I stopped sprinting.

Those days made the windy ones even better. A kite that flies almost immediately, as though it has a mind of its own and it wants just as badly to be soaring over your head, is thrilling to watch.

The one time I remember flying store-bought kites was at the beach with some family; we had some kites that were made to fight each other to the ground. The strong wind made each battle intense to my ten-year-old mind - it obviously stuck with me.


I was captured anew when I found this picture online, and I can't decide if it would be better to buy a kite like this one, or make one.

No, I have decided. Our boys will make their kites, at least their first fliers. There's something about rags tied with boy-knots, old shirts flapping in the wind that strikes pride in the maker.

Then, when these first kites begin to fall apart, maybe we'll save up for a ship-kite. First stop, Never Never Land...

***

Read more about my theme this April in my intro to the A-Z Blogging Challenge. Or visit the home page here.


*Picture credits: Mishes

5 comments:

Amanda Trought said...

This really brought back some happy memories of childhood, we used to go up to Parliament Hill Fields in London. Looking forward to reading more of your posts. Blessings, Amanda


Amanda - Realityarts-Creativity
Art Blog

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

I'd have to buy one. If I made it, the kite would never leave the ground.

Denise Covey said...

Not surprisingly this is the second K is for Kite for today. Kite flying is a great thrill. I loved reading about the kite flyers in Kabul recently. Here it is practically a blood sport.

Denise

Alex said...

Kites have a wonderful romanticism about them. And I applaud your decision to go homemade with your kids' first kites.

Anonymous said...

You MUST put the book, Kite Runner
on your summer reading list. Great blog!!

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