Flying Kites

One summer day in 1964 my brother Pat and I, accompanied by a bunch of kids on the block, decided to trek over to Irwin's Grocery on Holgate to buy some fifteen-cent paper kites. The paper kites cost fifteen cents, and the plastic kites which were sturdier, cost twenty-five cents. I only had enough money for a paper kite and a ball of string.

I reached down into my dust-covered jeans and pulled out a dime, a nickel and five pennies to plunk down onto Irwin's wooden counter. The kites came rolled up on their sticks. It was fun to unravel them, spread 'em out, and hook the threaded loops onto the grooves of the kite sticks. Once that was done, I was ready for action.

It was a marvelous feeling to be out on that huge expanse of field behind Barlow Elementary School for a great day of kite flying. There were perhaps ten, or more of us kids out there, and I felt like I belonged to some sort of army or other magnificent installation as we launched a massive aerial strike upon the sky with our kites. How magnificent it was to run with the wind, and feel the tug of resistance as the kite finally took to the air. I used to get a bit dizzy staring at my kite once it was far up into the sky. That blue ceiling with white popcorn clouds and occasional contrails from jets and planes seemed like it was too large to focus on a singular object without losing touch with the ground.

It felt fantastic being a part of something as utterly magnificent as the sky. I was tethered to the earth by a thin piece of string and balanced by my kite. I had control of something that seemed to be dangling just at the outer edges of space. By the time we were finished, and it was time to reel our kites back in, it was a great feeling to see my kite coming closer and closer to me. Dancing, spinning, and twisting, the kite almost spoke tales of having touched the fringes of the great beyond. By the time my kite reached a distance of the nearby telephone poles, it was more manageable.

All said and done, there was nothing like flying a kite, especially with such a large group of kids. That day in 1964 was a magnificent time spent. It was an excursion of unbridled youth, and an expression of passion and joy being one with the day, and spending time with friends. For twenty cents I had an excellent time, and invested in a lifetime of memories of better days.