Kites

I was watching my nephew flying a kite this afternoon. It was a spider man kite - a vinyl contraption requiring some inflation before going airborne.

And I got to thinking about how kites have evolved.

My first kites were diamond shaped piece of colorful paper. Unrolling the kite required hands as sure as a surgeon's lest the paper tear. A pale colored piece of wood was glued vertically at the center of the paper diamond. Installing the cross brace was a challenge. Flex the stick too far and it would splinter. Should the cross brace slip from my grip, the stick would pierce the paper and the kite was history before its first flight.

Once the kite was successfully assembled, the next step was a visit to Mom's bag of rags in search of material suitable for a tail.

As fragile as those paper kites were, it's a wonder they withstood the blustery days of spring and fall.