Look!!! Up In The Sky!!!

And on the ground!!  Kites galore at the Kite Festival in Long Beach Washington.  It's one of the best.  If you haven't seen this, you should head this direction next year.  Many of the kite festival volunteers actually come from the East Coast and some even fly all the way from Spain and France, just to fly kites at this beach.

Here's a bol ... one taller than my rig.  Tied to an anchor, if there is enough wind, it will spin just above the ground.

I think I showed you this image yesterday, but I just LOVE the bright colors in these handmade kites.

Eventually the wind came up and the static line kites began to rise into the air.  

It's just amazing to see hundreds of these undulating in the breeze.  

It was another 5 mile day as I walked around and around the big kites, getting all the pictures I could without falling over.  It's hard to look straight up and take a picture.  My shoulders and back will tell you so!!

More jewels in the cloudy sky, the sun finally did come out in the afternoon, but I was too tired to go back out.  I actually spent much of the afternoon giving out registration bands and answering questions about lost keys, knitting needles and dogs.

The kites above are held to the ground by bags of sand like this one.  The biggest kites have to be anchored to huge bolts buried along the beach.  If there is too much wind, these will slide across the sand as the kite takes off.  I'm hoping to get a lesson in anchoring before I leave.

More beauties languishing on the breezes.  They are so graceful, I could watch them all day.

This is a small bol, perfect for you and the grandkids on the beach.  Amazing to watch when they spin.

The REV flyers were out in their groups, practicing their routines.  I've seen up to 25 kites flying together without ever getting tangled up.  That's because I was taking pictures and not flying!!

This was Island Quad, a West Coast kite flying group ... this particular gentleman from Vancouver. Many Canadian flyers come down to join in the fun.

Joanna will recognize this group, although I think there is a new guy or two.  The second the gentleman from France hit the field, he was conscripted into this group before the ink was dry on his registration.  This isn't just a hobby, it's a passion.

My all time favorite kite of the festival was this beauty.  The sun finally came out showing off the spectacular colors.  Grab a chair and a cold drink and have a seat.  There's nothing more relaxing than watching kites move with the wind.

Once I chased down the lost dog dragging his leash through the field and found his owner, I spent an hour looking for the knitting needles with no luck.  During a break in the action, I ate at the Hawaiian BBQ booth again.  Delicious noodles, chicken, pineapple, onions and tomatoes with a yummy sauce. Go early ... the line is LONG!!

Next up ... handmade kite and sport kite competitions ... but that's for tomorrow.   It's time for another big day of kite watching!!