Hi, this is Brian J. Your regular scribe, d., was off
hob-nobbing with the social elite on the ski slopes and lodges in
Colorado.I got down to Golden Gardens Early and grabbed a fire pit for the club to base activities around. Chuck Lund showed next and we soon had a fire going without using any matches. Apparently the park had been the base for a number of millenium parties, and there were still a few coals left over in the firepits. We soon found a few more traditional activities happening at the other nearby pits. People kept bringing more and more used X-mas trees to burn - which cranked out the most noxious fumes and needle ash concievable, much of which kept drifting through our base. We had to go out and fly kites instead of sit around the fire. Gee.
Art Smith got there next and we set out to do a bit of flying in the
very light breeze we had from the north. The wind was up
and down most of the day and frequently, the fighters were the only
kites in the air.
While we were taking a break between points, Art noticed a couple of
fighters flying up in the field north of us where the main kite bunch
was running around trying to get their kites in the air for a few
minutes. Tom Humphrey and Ed & Matt Alden had missed the
fire and gone past us to where the normal kiters were parked.
They stayed up there a while demonstrating that *real*
kites are capable of flying in such light winds.
Up on the field, A Harold Writer kite display was being assembled.
Harold has been making box kites of various configurations
for years. His workmanship is well known and people who
have kites he's made wanted to display them in his honor.
Dan and Janine Shwenk, David Jam and Jeanette Mandanas and many others
helped get them together for a photo opportunity.
All in all the first day of the 'New Millenium' was fine for flying
fighter kites. We can only hope that the new year will
continue to favor us.
We managed to make it through 2000 without having our fun rained upon
once throughout the year!