Growing up I enjoyed kiting a lot, so much so that I fantasized of setting a new world’s record for highest kite. Minimal research made it clear the difficulty and expense of an attempt, so I lowered my expectations and stuck with the store-bought, plastic kites that were easy to get aloft and easy to destroy when the wind unexpectedly gusted. Even so, I would still attempt to get my kite as high as possible, using all the kite string I had, usually ending with long recovery efforts over trees and power lines when the kite inevitably crashed.
One Christmas in my early teens, Mom got me one of her most thoughtful gifts: a high-quality kite made from nylon, sturdy and robust and substantial. Larger than any previous kite of mine, it required two controllers to fly, similar to what you see in kiteboarding. Definitely a step up, definitely excited to get to early spring when I could try it out.
Unfortunately, I never got it off the ground. The kite required higher line strength than what could be purchased in local stores and we didn’t figure out how to mail-order it. I attempted to fly the kite with some nylon rope we had, but it was too heavy and I never succeeded in getting it actually flying (mostly just dragging it along the ground).
I am still sad forty-five years later that I wasn’t able to make it work, as she really made an attempt to get me something special – which it was, and I was genuinely excited about it – and in the end it was no better than gifts that were broken on Christmas Day. I have no idea what happened to it, but I do think about it every once in a while.
Image Credit
“Explore #469 ‘You will find truth more quickly through delight than gravity. Let out a little more string on your kite.’” by HydrogenPops is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
