As a friend quoted Yogi Berra, “It’s like deja vu all over again”.
If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably noticed that sport kites are back at Blue Moon! This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while, and once I made the decision, it took some time to get things in place, to make the switch (back). I’m still gathering materials, finding that some stuff I’d used for years is no longer available. I’m also re-learning things that just a short while ago, I could practically do in my sleep, but it’s coming back to me!
As you may know, this isn’t my first trip down this road, and back. This time around, the U-turn is shaking out to make a little more sense, at least to me. I made the decision a few weeks ago and started asking friends across the country to send me kites I’d made, to have a visual backup to my notes and memory. Fortunately, my patterns are still hanging on their nails, and most of my tools are in good shape.
I spent most of today trying to make sense of it all, especially to myself. Except for a regrettable four and a half year stretch, from ’97 to ’01, designing and making kites has been my sole job since 1992. During the Aerie Kiteworks years, the “kite economy” was booming. I was fortunate enough to create some solid designs, and even more so, to have, eventually, a small handful of wonderful people to help me build them. It was so nice to be able to chase the wind across the country, having Marion and Lisa to keep the sewing machines singing.
Let’s skip ahead, huh? Yes, I’ve drifted a bit rudderless at times over the years. Most recently, a couple of years ago, when I decided to drop sport kites in preference for single-liners. I put this U-turn in motion a few weeks ago, but it took until the last couple of days to really understand this circle game.
…to be edited, continued. or scrapped. 😊