At the beginning of my life in kiting, I found myself drawn to designing and making kites. I was also torn between focusing on sport or single-line kites. Practical considerations, such as market size and nature, and the need to jump in the deep end to create a viable business quickly, led me to focus on sport kites. Don’t get me wrong, I was (and still am) a stunt kite nut! I loved flying them, but even more, I loved flying with other people who were passionate about kites. Kiting has taken me from coast to coast and brought me many of the dearest friends of my life.
When we lived in northern Illinois, I’d drive an hour and a half every weekend to a field in Schaumburg, IL, called Ned Brown Meadow. Ned Brown was the hot spot for all things kiting in the Chicago region. I was blessed to share that space with a large group of exceptional people, many of whom were also exceptional kiters. We had national sport kite champions, as well as a few single-line legends. In the early days, I was still working a real job, so I’d have to leave early for the drive back to Rockford for my shift.
One Saturday, as I was throwing the kites in my truck, a flyer who would become a dear friend over the years asked me, ” Why do you come all the way here to fly kites? Don’t you have places to fly closer to home?” Her question stopped me in my tracks. My answer was a simple and honest ‘I don’t come here to fly kites, I come here to fly kites with you guys.’ I’d learned early that kiting, for me, was as much, if not more, about the people as it was the kites.
Those days are far in the rearview, but there’s plenty of road ahead. Thank you for letting me be a small part of your world, and for being a major part of mine. I’ll miss some of the things we’ve left behind, but cherish and hold dear the things we carry forward. I’m at that point in my life and career as a kitemaker where I need to focus on what challenges me and brings me joy. I’ll see you out there. Leave a little corner of the sky for me and mine. Be well, be happy…
…K
[Yes, you may have read parts of this before, but it’s carrying a few small updates.]
An amazing journey, Ken. You have truly contributed to and influenced many in the kiting world, including me, with your kites, craftsmanship and vision. Most importantly by just being you.
Like you, I found that kites have been the vehicle to the people. From the earliest GWTW kitemaking weekend at Steve’s to the present day, these experiences have led kiters I have met to become some of my closest friends.
While I haven’t been very active online recently we’ve known each other for quite a while and shared some enjoyable times. Your influences continue to be present in my kitemaking and life. I thank you for all your sharing and caring (and great kites!) over the years.