Let's Go Fly a Kite

When Josh and I went to Oregon with our parents, my mom and dad bought a really cool trick kite from the coolest kite shop I’ve ever been in. My dad has wanted to play with it ever since, so yesterday, because there was wind, we figured we’d try it out. It was SOOO cold! And it made SUUUCH a mess of the kite string. But oh man did we have fun.

We tried to get it up, but I think the wind was too strong so it was hard to control the thing – hopefully next time they’ll have more luck. In the process we created the mother of all knots.

(The main focus of the picture is Dallin - he didn't bring a coat, so he wore my dad's sweatshirt - it was a little too big. In the background you can see Dad walking in the door carrying the string - in a knot)

I remember reading a book when I was a kid about a really big knot. There was some impossible knot at the school and nobody could ever undo it. Then the mysterious stranger moved into the area the knot magically came undone a little at a time. To be honest I’m not sure I remember the point of the story – in fact I bet there was deeper meaning to the knot, but I don’t have a clue what it was.

I just remember the mental image in my head (possibly an illustration from the book) of a boy with a round face and small nose, laying on his back on a school desk, with a BIG knot hanging by 1 string from something above (assumed ceiling). At that point I also decided that conditioner and no-tears no-tangle was a hoax because if it really worked the kids in the book would have just sprayed some on the knot and run a comb through it.

I wonder what book that is – maybe it’s not real and I’m just making the whole thing up, but I’m really not that creative, so I bet it exists somewhere. I almost want to link it with Maniac Magee, but I think that Maniac Magee is more about a kid who runs fast….

ANYWAY this was a big knot of kite string and took pretty much the rest of the night to undo. Next time we fly the kite, we’ll hope for warmer weather and less wind – but still enough to keep the thing in the air. I can’t wait till we learn how to do tricks with it!