--Pete

It looks fine with the possible exception of the small diameter of the 'wire' that the chain links are made of (unless that is much bigger than it looks). I think 1/4 inch diameter wire at a minimum, to avoid putting the line under tension while bending it to such a tight radius. The response? Could be several things: I saw someone doing this (or a video) and wanted to try it. I wanted to see how my flying looks from the other side of the kite. I want to feel the wind in my face while I'm flying. I wanted to extend my flying skills. I want to be able to turn around when the sun is in my eyes.

G4T, How about four rings side-by-side lashed to a stick and lashed to each other (so they stay side-by-side). Then a bridle line from each end of the stick back to the stake. You could do the lashing with zip-ties (nylon cable ties). The tension from the handles and the kite will align the rig properly except for the weight of the rig. You might need something to prevent it from dropping completely to the ground, and getting dirt in the lines where they are riding over the ring.

As has been said, a "raw" dogstake can be hard on your lines. Get a ring or a carabiner with a very smooth inner surface to pass the lines through. Hook that to the dogstake (or any other stake, since you won't be using the loop/handle). If you get a ring, get it big enough to pass the handles through. (Easier than threading the lines through a smaller ring, and keeping track of which line is which.) Also consider polished stainless steel shackles. There is a West Marine store in Grand Haven that might carry these. If you get a carabiner, you might want to tape the joint and the hinge to prevent the lines from getting caught or cut.

Basically, the original dog stake is a helix with a triangular handle, intended to tie up a dog on turf. About one foot long. Screw it into the grass and hook a leash to the swiveling ring. The dog is unlikely to get the leash tangled up or wrapped on the stake. Kiters liked to use them to tether single line kites. At some point, someone put the lines from a stunt kite through the gap in the triangle and flew the kite facing the wind. Quad-liners soon followed. The downside is that the inside of that sharp bend can be a bit rough, and that makes for fast line wear. Also, when you get several wraps, it gets hard for the lines to slide past each other. The next phase was polished rings attached to stakes, and then pulleys, and then separate pulleys for each line. John Barresi now has a custom-made 4-pulley "dog stake" (it's never seen a dog, and isn't likely to) that is a wonder. If you want to try it, you will need a fairly long line set (100' or more; remember you are flying on less than half the line-length) and a stake and some kind of very smooth large ring or carabiner. Put the lines from your stunt kite or quad through the ring and set up the kite. You will probably want to switch hands so that your normal flying skills will still work. Be careful to stand just a tiny bit farther from the stake than the kite, or you are liable to hit yourself with the kite. Mark a line and don't step over it. If you are a flyer who likes to do a lot of moving up and down wind to increase and decrease wind pressure on the kite, you may find you don't like dog-staking all that much. edit: heh, Watty was posting while I was editing.

Nope! Can't draw early. Everyone is entitled to subscribe right up the the last minute.

I seem to recall a recent drawing that was posted on the actual morning (west coast time) of the stated date. I think the only requirement is that the drawing be based on actual active subscribership at the midnight beginning the date of the drawing. That is, whether the drawing takes place at 12:01 AM on the date-of, or a week later, the pool of possible winners is fixed as of that original time. Shipping is not instantaneous, and no one questions that, so why does the drawing have to be done exactly at a certain time? Now, here's a question: does the day of the drawing (and the subscribership freeze) start at midnight west coast time, or midnight wherever JB happens to be currently located? He is well-known to be a traveler, after all.

Very nice, G4T, I like boxes myself. Nothing against bags, but there is something about boxes. I made one for my train of Rainbow kites, and I am in the planning stages of a couple of large storage/transport boxes for other kites.

The cheeseburger was great, the Strohs were great, and the opera songs were great. (All were great, as usual.)

Ah, Exile; if I had to wait on my worthiness for anything, I'm afraid it would be a LONG wait. Bluster and pleading will have to do.

Thank you all for the good wishes. (I did note that no one offered to bribe the RNG.)

I'm off to get a great Cheeseburger (supposedly one of the country's best), down a few (or even several) Strohs* (from one of the few bars around here that sells enough of it in bottles that it is fresh), and hear some opera** (of both grand and light varieties). Can't think of a better way to spend a birthday, unless there was some way to fly a kite in the bar. ========= * Never forget: Strohs is "shorts" spelled backwards. ** Opera On Tap - Bringing you good music in a friendly environment (like your neighborhood bar.) It's Good For What Ales You.

It would certainly make a fine belated-birthday present, especially since this year's birthday is closely related to my subscriber number: #833 >> 8 3 3 >> 8 3+3 >> 86 >> 68

Ah, yes. 68. It is a Happy number. Also it is factorable (2 x 2 x 17) Which means it is peripherally related to one of my favorite numbers: 51. (3 x 17)

I am assuming that you all are talking about Saturday July the 2nd? Which was yesterday (or the day before, actually).

This is a universal truism: A bad day doing something you love is better than a good day doing anything else.

When I first started flying steerable kites (duals and then Revs), I was unaware for many years that it was possible to fly on less than 150'-200' of line. I thought of my set of 150s as my short lineset. It makes for VERY long walks, especially while learning. Flying on a lineset that long almost requires an assistant. On grass, there is no way that you will be able to launch without at least one line snagging on something. It requires someone at the other end to pull on the kite to lift all the lines free of the ground before trying to launch. I have managed by setting two flexible sticks into the ground and pulling the kite up against them. When the lines are pulled free of the snags in the grass, you give a bit of extra pull and the sticks lean towards you and launch the kite. Those of you fortunate enough to have learned flying on a beach will have no idea what I am talking about. My first set of lines under 150' was a 30' Kevlar™ quadset that I made on the beach at Grand Haven in 1990 so that Lee Sedgwick could teach me catch'n'toss.

In this thread, everyone notices!!!!! Ahhh, but WHAT did they notice? White B2's [color="#000000"] -[color="#ffffff"] Ha Ha[/color] [color="#ffffff"] Ha Ha, and while you are reading this, you need to get in the cellar and get your line write-up posted !!![/color] [/color] Well, I have taken a step in the right direction: I got a tape long enough to measure any likely length of lineset.

In this thread, everyone notices!!!!! Ahhh, but WHAT did they notice? B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2

Nope; it's nowhere to be found. Just one of the many mysteries of Kitelife. (I'm sure John will see this and let you know.)

Montana is in AKA Region 9 (Montana, Idaho, and Oregon). In a way, this is a little unfair to Idaho and Montana, since Oregon is such a strong kite-flying state that the "center" of activity is likely to be on the other side of the mountains. Still, you might try contacting Amy Doran <rd9 at aka.kite.org> who is the current Regional Director for AKA Region 9. She may have some ideas and suggestions about who is in the area.

(I think no one noticed!)

I was thinking about this: B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 Consider this thought experiment - there are always 100 possible winners. (why? who knows? it's just chance that one subscription lapses at exactly the same time as a new one is entered. It's a thought experiment for cryin' out loud!) Subscriptions cost $1. Prizes are worth $10. (Just to keep things simple.) B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 OK, so the value to any single subscription holder going into a drawing is $10/100 or 10 cents. If there are 10 drawings a year, the value (as opposed to the cost) of a yearly subscription is $1.00 which makes the actual bet an even bet. B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 Now, someone gets the great idea to get two subscriptions. Now, he is paying $2.00. His odds of winning are now 1 in 50. The value to this Player of the next drawing is now $10/50 or 20 cents, and with the same 10 drawings a year his yearly value is now $2.00 which is (surprise!) exactly what his subscription cost him. Another even bet. B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 Multiple subscriptions may improve your odds of winning oftener, but they don't actually improve your odds.

You are not allowed to win two drawings in a row, so if you win, your "luck meter" is set to zero for the next drawing. (If by some wild chance, your number did get drawn for the next prize, John would either run the RNG again or take the next number from the initial run - I forget which, but either way would be fair.)

Exile, check out KiteMap.org before you travel. It's new, so fields are getting added all the time. (Add your own favorite fields as well. You never know when someone will be traveling to Montana.)

I bought my first Rev I in the summer of 1989 in Traverse City, Michigan. (According to my kite inventory spreadsheet.) I paid the (then) princely sum of $300 for it. That was the most expensive kite (by far) that I had bought up to that time. Nearly twice what I had paid for a Hawaiian Team Kite. I know I had seen them flying before that.