YIKES! KITES!

For a few hours on Sunday afternoon, kids and grown-ups slipped the surly bonds of Earth and trod the footless halls of air.

My apologies to poet John Gillespie Magee, but his words convey some of the exhilaration of players and observers today.

In a large treeless field at Chippewa Park, Thunder Bay, kites rose, dipped,  and soared. The occasional player who chose to frolic near trees may have come to grief.

Sister Sue and I chose an ideal spot and set up our folding chairs. No one else had bothered to bring seats but we like our comfort. Cars had lined up on the road for half a kilometre, but we elected to get closer, and found a space just a few strides from the field.

The sky was overcast but a good stiff breeze compensated. Even the littlest kids tried launching by tugging their creations, getting up speed, and releasing. More often than not, the craft took a nose dive. But each landing was soft. No damage done.

Some adults exhibited true aerial skill. One marvelous craft trailed several tails and drew our admiration as it hovered so high that we could not determine who the pilot was. When heading to the food kiosks, I encountered the magician next door to us. She was grinning ear to ear.

There might have been a dozen tent canopies/kiosks. Some were devoted to fast food and others to promotions. Apparently some philanthropist had donated 200 kites.  I stood in line for twenty minutes to get ice cream, only to discover I was standing in the wrong line. I moved over a few metres and found hot dogs. Yum.

Around 3:00 p.m., the party wound down. One gentleman, reeling in his kite with an ingenious device, allowed me to snap his pic.

Apparently there was something for everybody at this festival. I photographed some kids engaged in an impromptu tug of war.

The sun came out. What a great way to spend a Sunday, becoming for a short time, lords of the air.