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August 2007: At The International Kite Festival in Long Beach, Washington |
The weather wasn't quite ideal on this day of the International Kite Festival, but the wind was blowing and the rain held-off... at least for a while. Here, participants in a Mass Ascension wait to be judged - everyone with a certain style of kite can participate, and the judges pick their 10 favorites. |
A long string of stars trail up toward the sky. You can't see the ripples and waves created as the string travels through the wind in this still image... |
This guy was a one-man, 3-kite precision "team". The aerobatic stunts he was able to pull-off with a kite in each hand, and a third hooked-up to his torso, were quite impressive. |
A scene like this takes the phrase "go fly a kite" to the extreme. It's amazing how much joy something so elementally simple can bring. |
Some of these kits were giantic - the size of semi-trucks (though, probably much lighter). They flew steadily in the wind, tugging strongly on stationary anchors. The line of giant kites stretched from one end to the other of this very long beach. |
These guys were pretty impressive - though, it's hard to see in a still photo. Basically, they were a six-person precision kite team, and I do mean "precise". They had a long routine set to music, and basically made the kites dance through the wind. You can see more on their web site here. |
These massive airfoils needed to be anchored to cars and trucks. With a little determination, they managed to get about 6 up together at one point. |
How wonderful to spend a day simply admiring a splash of color against a flat white sky... |
Where is it? The Washington State International Kite Festival is week-long series of events held in Long Beach, Washington in August each year. |
Before you go... Check the weather forecast. |