Kites And Mangos

Like I have been doing, I spent much of yesterday working on the new issue of the Gypsy Journal, and by the time I knocked off a little after 4 PM I had ten pages done. But like they say, all work and no play makes Nick a dull boy. And the last thing I ever want to do is be dull!

So we picked up cousin Rocky and drove to the beach at Pere Marquette Park so we could introduce him to kite flying. It’s a hobby we really love, and knowing Rocky’s interest in aviation, sailing, and things like that, I thought it would be a good fit for him.

We have had pretty strong winds for the last three or four days, but yesterday afternoon it turned flaky. One minute the flag would be snapping on the flagpole at the beach, and a moment later the wind would die off and the flag would begin to sag. Far from ideal conditions, but we decided to give it a try anyway.

I started Rocky out with my dual line Prism Snapshot 1.9 speed foil. It took him a while to get the hang of it, and the wind didn’t help much. But after some practice he was able to get it in the air and keep it up there for a while.

I wish there would have been more wind so he could experience the pull this kite is capable of. Some of you may remember that this was the same kite that pulled me off my feet and drug me down the beach face first in Florence, Oregon last summer in 35 mile-per-hour winds.

Meanwhile, Miss Terry was trying to fly one of her quad-line Revolution kites, which are our true love. She started out with a mid-vent kite, but quickly switched to a full sail to try to take advantage of as much of the wind as there was.

I packed the speed foil away and Terry turned the handles of her Revolution kite over to Rocky and gave him a quick lesson. It takes a while to get the feel of the lines, and unfortunately the wind was dying by the moment, so while he got it in the air a couple of times it didn’t stay up for very long. Hopefully we’ll get another chance while we’re here.

About the time we were putting the Revolution kites away Bernie and her brother Gary showed up and we headed out to a restaurant called Mangoes for dinner. I was tempted to try one of their Hangover burgers, which are topped with ham, bacon, an egg, and cheese. But I decided since we’re here in the Great Lakes I should try something local instead, and opted for the perch basket. It was okay, but I kind of wish I’d gone for the burger after all.

Back at Rocky and Berni’s house, we played yet another game of Mexican Train. I had not won a game yet this visit, much to Berni’s delight, but this time around the domino gods were smiling on me. I got off to a slow start, but managed to pull it out and score a win with the last round. Yes, victory is indeed sweet!

Have you entered our latest Free Drawing yet? This week’s prize is an audiobook of Blood Honor, the debut novel in my friend Russell Blake’s The Day After Never post-apocalyptic trilogy. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.

Thought For The Day – The nice thing about egotists is that they don’t talk about other people.

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