Let's Go Fly a Kite

While in the Astoria area we stopped by the World Kite Museum in Long Beach, WA. This is one-of-a-kind museum and the home of the annual International Kite Festival that will be in its 43rd year in August of 2023.

The museum traces the history of kite flying and has many interesting kites on display, as well as kites for sale.

A display at the  museum reads:

"Developed more than 2000 years ago the kite was mankind's first invention that could actually fly. For centuries people all over the world used kites to pursue the dream of flying themselves.

During Medieval times, the first human pilots rose into the air using giant kites for wings. Beautiful kites used in rituals and ceremonies kept the idea of flying alive in people's minds. Eventually, pioneering scientists discovered the secrets of aerodynamics, often by performing experiments using kites.

Since earliest days, kites have provided both the technology and the inspiration that has made flying possible." 

According to the Museum, the Japanese had the first word for kite, which meant "Paper Hawk".

This Chinese dragon kite is 50' in length. The orange and white "body" sections are suspended from the ceiling and wind throughout the museum. 

In China birds were considered to be a symbol of happiness...

This quite was huge...and beautiful

Insect kites signify good fortune

The Yunnan province in China makes kites in this unusual shape.

They have a sturdy frame and fly well in strong winds.

Alexander Graham Bell discovered that he could use tetrahedral shapes in different combinations to make a variety of kites. These kites had maximum lift and minimum weight. 

This kite is almost like a quilt!

A leaf quilt sewn with grasses or vines

This is a WWII kite that was used for different purposes during the war.

The kite could collect and send weather data on aircraft carriers to help determine when it was safe to fly or land. This kite also could lift equipment so enemy planes could be detected by radar when they were further away.

Kites were used for target practice. They were far less expensive than shooting at planes!

Many experimented with using kites to fly,

some successfully, others not!

One of the museum visitors commented that this kite should have been modeled after Pegasus, and have wings. It's hard to believe this particular kite could actually fly. 

The museum had a display telling more about kites. 

One display explained the basic types of kites.

One was about kite fighting. When I read "Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini I was intrigued by the kite fighting described in the novel. The museum had several fighting kites, including some for sale.

In 1846 Engineers held a contest to see if anyone could fly a kite across Niagara Falls. A boy managed to get his kite snagged on a tree on the Canadian side of the falls. That string was then used to help pull heavier strings and cables across the water, enabling Engineers to finally get a cable across the water in order to begin constructing a bridge.

There was a display of the posters created for advertising the annual kite festival. I really enjoyed seeing many of the posters. The artists captured the fun of flying kites. Here are a few of my favorites:

Swamp Cabbage Festival

We attended the 52nd annual Swamp Cabbage Festival in LaBelle, FL this winter. It is a big deal around here. It is such a big deal that even the Budweiser Clydesdales come for the parade!  Sadly, we missed that part of the festival... maybe next year!

However, we did not miss the armadillo races! This was the highlight of the festival, in my opinion! The Rotary manages the races. Each race is sponsored by a local business and the armadillos are assigned interesting, appropriate names. For example, the race sponsored by the local pharmacy had armadillos named Viagra, Ativan and Pain Killer, to name a few.

Although armadillos can move very quickly (when Tucker is barking at them), they didn't seem to have their hearts in it during the races I watched. Bets are taken and the proceeds go to the local club.  

So, are you asking, "What is swamp cabbage?"  I did! It turns out that it is the heart of the swamp cabbage palm. 

There were a number of booths that sold various swamp cabbage delicacies....

.... as well as alligator tail. 

This fellow is cutting alligator tail for preparation at his booth.

 Our area is surrounded by several Indian reservations for the Seminole and the Miccosukee tribes. It is interesting to see how their culture is evident in local activities. 

We visited the festival on two different days. It was very hot and very crowded. The heat sapped my energy, so I enjoyed taking a few moments to watch local talent on the stage. People watching was enjoyable as well. I fell in love with this little guy. I didn't stick around long enough to see what percent of the ice-cream ended up on him, instead of in him!

MIssing Mother's Day Prequel

The Saturday before Mother's Day has always been the day of the Bluffton Festival. Well, at least for the past 34 years. The festival was "the" thing to do. Everyone went. The Festival provided the opportunity to catch up with friends one hadn't seen since the previous year's festival!

It was a chance to buy treasured art pieces from vendors who you hadn't seen since the past year. If you got there early enough, you could even snag a loaf of yummy "Ulmer" bread at the booth in front of the Methodist Church. Again, if you were prompt, you could buy one of Madeline's orchids. She'd hold it for you while you enjoyed the rest of the festival! You could get a shrimp salad sandwich from the ladies at the Church of the Cross. You could appreciate the music by local bands, whether you parked yourself in a chair in front of them, or just listened as you browsed the booths lining the street. There were games for the kids, too. And of course, the toy seller, with squirt guns and marshmallow pop guns was always set up at the far end of the street, under the oak (which sadly met its demise a few years ago.) And, there was the Ugly Dog Contest sponsored by a local realtor, where dogs could win the highly coveted trophy made by a local potter. Our dog won 2nd place one year. He was too cute to win first place, and there wasn't much competition that year. It was too darned hot. Most people left their dogs home in the air conditioning!

This is our Zebrador, Monty.

Don't you think he was too cute to be ugly?!

Monty passed away four years ago

and I still miss his gentle ways.

This is Monty's trophy:

The boys would take their crumpled dollar bills and scour the festival for the perfect Mother's Day gift. One year it was a pair of earrings. Another year, a carved wooden rose. Perfume bottles were a favorite. And, a Bottle Brush plant. It hurt me to move from South Carolina and leave that gift behind. Every Mother's Day since we have moved, I realize how much I miss this part of our lowcountry life. 

Our neighbors gave us this limited edition print by a local artist, Lynda Potter. Dr. Mik is the fellow in the khaki shorts and green shirt! Our neighbors figured this was a great going-away gift. They were right. It brings me right back to Bluffton on a hot, spring day! (Those memories are especially nice today, as frozen rain is falling, and an accumulation of snow is expected! What crazy weather!)

Just one look at the picture brings back a plethora of memories!

Happy Mother's Day y'all!

Where In The World Has Dreaming Been Hiding?

Not hiding... just busy.

First my brother and sister came to celebrate my dad's 90th birthday and his giving a commitment ring to his 'girlfriend'!

Then, I dropped my sister off at the airport and picked up a friend of old. Marjie has come to visit for a week. Marjie and I met when our oldest boys were three and attended the same preschool. Our children were practically raised at each other's houses. On any given weekend either Marjie's kids or my kids would wake up at the "other mother's" house.

So what has kept us so busy?

Marjie on a not-so-fiery steed!

 At the Brats, Beer and Bands festival.

 A mountain view from horseback.

 The garage gets organized.

We have also:

• gone to a friend's house to dig up daisies, day lilies, lavender, grape hyacinth, blue delphinium, roses and bee balm from her garden. Then we found places to plant them at my house. I'm so hopeful that we have enough nice weather for the plants to acclimate and then make it through the winter. But... if not, my friend has invited me back to get more in the spring!
• been letter boxing! It took some doing, but I found my stamp and journal. I found clues to two boxes to show Marjie how it works.
• found Denver Fabrics - a discounted fabric warehouse. We took home some samples and returned to purchase yardage for my dining room chairs and an upholstered bench the next day. I also bought some sheer fabric that will find a home in the living room. 
• eaten! We have gone out to dinner and we've eaten lunches out. We have indulged in some of comfort foods that we both love. We visited Ikea for Swedish Meatballs and returned home with goodies for breakfast and dessert. 
• driven through the mountains with a few other leaf-lookers. The aspens are turning and the leaves look like gold medallions.  
• visited a Beer, Brats and Bands festival. We enjoyed a brat and some beer while listening to a delightful duo sing songs from my younger days.
• had hay delivered. It was so much fun to see the men hauling and stacking the hay instead of wrestling with it myself!
• caught up on all of the essential, and some of the non-essential, details of the lives of our children, their friends, our friends and family.

We have a few more days...oh, what more shall we do?!