OLD FRIENDS AND THE KITES THEY FLEW IN ON

[Shultzie]

OLD FRIENDS AND THE KITES THEY FLEW IN ON!!!

Just thought it might be interesting to hear a few words from my fellow addicted KITE-KRAZZEES just who you feel is responsible for sending your addiction for kiting into a life long habit....AND which kites help start this addiction?

That old saying..."OLD MEN DREAM DREAMS....well so do many of you youngin's out there in kite cyber-space land still dream dreams that just might stick you for the rest of your lives.

With that...Guess I will start this off.

Perhaps I have to blame KATHY GOODWIND...where I first bought my young son Ryan (who now is 29 years old. his first TRIBLY...gads when he was just this old

(see attached photo with Ryan) (about the same age as our Kite Life Johnny B. at the time?

I clearly remember taking our brand new TRILBY down to Gas Works Park...just down the street from Kathy's Shop, where within less than 30 minutes...JUMP STARTED a life long addiction with the wind.

Within weeks...

We bought a brand new kite from Kathy called "THE CHEETA!" that was manufactured in Calif. by Fred & Darlene Fredricks.

WOW! Then from there....we bought two more...

It wasn't long before my son Ryan and I were flying side by side..and bashing those old shiney yellow fiberglass rods like matchsticks and making constant trips to the kite shop for repairs...

Kathy Goodwind could hardly keep us supplied in new rods and kite lines fast enough. (Not really as Kathy always had an very ample stock of just about any thing that a kite junkie could ever want or kuvit fer'

Then we made A HUGE MISTAKE....

I TOOK MY ENTIRE FAMILY ON A VACATION TO LONGBEACH WA. (as a suggestion by Kathy Goodwind)

AND THE REST IS HISTORY!!!

(Attached a few kite memories...WHO'S NEXT?

[John Barresi]

Cheetah, by Sky Toys (Fredericks family)... My first sport kite ever.

In 1991, I would have been 15/16 years old.

Thanks for sharing mate!

[Hedgewarden]

Yeah, Shultzie, Long Beach WA. WSIKF, addiction, probably would have become illegal under Ashcroft.

This WSIKF marks one year since our (wife and I) introduction. Our first kite was a NewTech Igniter. Simple, inexpensive, but quite enjoyable. "Ignite" it did. Now, over one dozen kites later, I'm just starting to learn tricks with the Silver Fox 2.5 series. No decent winds in our area, so flying is pretty much limited to beach trips.

The Igniter, barely above Walmart toy price, is still enough kite to teach basics and spark the addiction. Congrats Dodd!

Of the other near dozen kites - most are enjoyable. Several teach precision skills very well. A few fly willingly in light winds. Some like to truck around in heavy winds. All are enjoyable to watch.

I'll be around Ocean Park and Long beach this WSIKF. Lots of watching, and hopefully some good air time. If you see an awkward gray-beard pretending to dance with an SF, it may be me. I'll have two bags of kites, plus, and be willing to share some with another noob.

I'm not an old-timer in terms of years of kite flying. But I think I qualify by age. My goal is to become somewhat proficient while I can still move around.

-Howard

[TheKatKiter]

June of last year, I decided to get back into making kites because of grand kids. So I googled kite plans, wound up on KiteLife's website, found a plan and ordered it. I thought a subscription to KiteLife would be in order to help the future research I would surely do.

Then in July I rec'd this odd e-mail from a guy named John Barresi, congratulating me on winning KiteLife's monthly drawing, a Flying Wings Acrobatx!

I immediately googled Flying Wings Acrobatx. I had no idea what an Acrobatx was. Maybe it is a kite.

A year later, my bag has 3 Silver Foxes, an ITW Whisper, a French Connection 2, and of course my first, the Acrobatx.

Charlie

[John Barresi]

Rock on Charlie, I'm glad you're here.