Perfect Kite Day

Today was the best kite day in the history of kite days.  It was like one of those rare astronomical phenomena that come along every thousand years or so, the perfect blend of everything you can throw in together, the end result being the best kite day ever.  There was this blend of wind, mixed perfectly by God Himself, the Great Barista of Breezes sitting up there in that Great Barometric Bar in the Heavens.  He took our order, and without much effort, concocted this magnificent Kite Grande, made up of a shot of steady western breezes just constant enough to keep your kite up and yet not so rough as to make kite flying a struggle.  Years ago when I was in China, a marveled at the Chinese people there flying their kites high in the sky, just sitting there and meditatively watching their kites soar airborne, slicing into the sky without any effort, and staying there as if the entire world was suddenly in zero gravity.  Until today, my efforts at that kite zen have fallen fairly short, with lots of frustrated dashes forward, limbs and kites flailing and with shortened celebrations as when I turn each time, the kite's marvelous upward trajectory begins to fade.  In a last ditch effort, I run more, pull more, and use every ounce of that untapped mind power I can to will that kite upwards.  But it is not to be.  Perhaps it is the kite.  Perhaps it is the wind, or the geography or some hidden secret that those who fly kites often are only familiar with.  Whatever those things are that make a kite fly upwards, I've not seen too many of those.  Madison has flown a kite early in life, and I watched on in wonder and pure joy as she was able to do something at such an early age that I simply could not do.  Perhaps it is a genetic thing.  Kites are from China, are they not?  Recently, we had a beach day, and after a bit of effort, we did in fact get our kites to go up - and stay up.  And these moments on the beach are unforgettable, looking upward at that great accomplishment fluttering through the skies high above.  But today was a day that makes those unfamiliar with kites think they can do all things.  Today was one of those days where you sang every word of Mr. Banks' song, "Let's Go Fly a Kite," and mean every single lyric.  Today was a thing of beauty!

We got a premonition about this marvelous day early on, looking out the balcony and seeing three and then four kites already flying high on the beach.  Indeed, it was like that scene from Mary Poppins, kites already populating the atmosphere, up where the air is clear.  Immediately, we got on our swim suits and went out for a try.  If those kites could stay up, then perhaps we could do the same with our kites.  Little did we know how easy it would be.  We never ran one step, never using our arms to thrust the kites upward, and never even strained our brain muscles to intensely wish that kite upward.  No, Madison and I merely let go of the kite, and upward it shot like a rocket, up to the highest height.  We sent it soaring, and soon enough, it too was joining the others at the tremendous altitude above, as Mommy and the grandparents looked on from the balcony.  Our kite was up higher than even they were, fluttering through the clouds.

It was so easy flying that kite that we even walked with it, the kite still tethered and soaring so far above us.  We walked into the ocean itself, and up to our knees into the water.  We were walking around looking for shells, splashing each other, and just having a marvelous day.  Afterwards, we even returned back to the outdoor swimming pool - but we did not draw in that kite just yet.  No, we tethered it to a lawn chair, and several of the seniors here also marveled at the beauty of a flying kite. There's just something about a kite, isn't there?  Perhaps it's the idea of this delicate thing flying so high up, gently holding there in place, looking down upon us like a colorful angel with a rainbow of strings serving for its tail.

I don't think Mommy got any pictures of it, and I don't think it matters really.  We saw it, and won't forget the majesty of this wonderful aerial performance so high above.  It will stay with me, because I have always really liked kites.  I have just never approached that moment of kite zen that I witnessed in China so many years ago.  But we did today.

Anyway, today we were swimming and walking along the shore.  We watched the Braves lose a close game in New York, the opening game of the season.  It was a pitcher's duel, and it featured some pretty amazing plays.  But ultimately, the Braves fell to one home run late in the game, and just couldn't produce and points, even with a runner on third at one point.

We spend a good deal of time reading on the balcony.  Ba-Ba is now reading the book about Sam Houston.  But I'm reading a different sort of history book now, one about Black Widow.  Yeah, it's a Marvel book.

Madison and I went to Cowlick's today, and we got ourselves three ice creams.  It was all "to go" because of the recent pandemic.  That's a bummer.  But the ice cream is still good.  We got it, and went back to the condo to enjoy that while watching the Braves play.

After dinner - and ice cream - we took a walk with Ba-Ba along the shoreline.  Our first objective was pretty much checking on that turtle clutch that's about to open up with baby turtles.

No progress yet, but we'll check again tomorrow.  The sun was setting, and it was again a perfect temperature and wind and hardly anyone out there - it made for a really nice walk along the shoreline with Ba-Ba.

As you can see here, we pretty much had the shoreline to ourselves.  It was a nice night, the pelicans were soaring overhead presumably looking for a late night snack, but otherwise, the beach was fairly empty.  Oh, except for this little guy we saw in a footprint.

But otherwise, the beach was largely ours as we walked along the water's edge.  And it was nice again, just this tranquil walk together, so completely at peace with the world around us, this despite the fact that things going on for us right now might suggest otherwise.

Madison was snapping photos along the way, and doing some writing in the sand of course.  She's written various names in the sand, or sometimes just a small greeting, like "Hi!"

But she was taking pictures of the scenery too, the towering clouds off the shoreline, illuminated by the setting sun.  It was a beautiful night tonight.  There was this one planet to the southeast, a bright star shining that sort of guided our way back to the condo afterwards.

And along the way, of course, Madison was doing her civic duty to help the sea turtles by filling in the big holes that were dug by pesky humans this afternoon.  Occasionally they'll leave these big lakes dug into the sand, often part of castles or otherwise, but nevertheless a big hindrance to sea turtles wanting to get to a good spot along the shoreline.

Here she is, filling up a hole.  Mommy and I were helping her out, of course.  She's using the light of the phone to make sure the hole is entirely flattened, and any wandering sea turtle can make it's way safely to a good spot.  The sea water, of course will help out too, should the tide come up this far.

We made our way back to the condo, and as you can see here, things were getting dark.  We got back just in time.  But it was a very nice little walk together.  We'll be sure to do it again tomorrow.

It was nice walk, again.  Here are a few more pictures, some taken by Madison and others taken by me along our little stroll.

We got back to the condo afterwards, settling down for a nice evening.  We watched the second Percy Jackson movie tonight, one that was pretty decent.  Actually, both of these movies were good, and we might try reading a few of the books soon.  And speaking of books, of course we read a few chapters from the book "Wings."  They're not far from us, the nomes.  They're down by Cape Canaveral, and yes, they're nearby the location of the shuttle launches.

It was a nice day, a pleasant day on the shoreline.  We got some rest after that, or at least the girls did.  I've had an itchy throat, and the lungs have been a little off lately.  Reluctantly, I may have to get that seen to when I get back home.  Needless to say, we were praying for healing tonight, for the whole family, and of course for our nation.