MovieChat Forums > General Discussion > Have You Ever Flown A Kite?

Have You Ever Flown A Kite?


Yes, for me. When I was a kid. I even learned to make one from scratch in elementary school.

I just wondered if it's something children stopped doing a long time ago.

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I used to like flying the Gayla brand Baby Bat kite.

I remember my dad telling me that when he grew up they would custom build their own kites and on the tails they would glue crushed glass so they can have kite fights.

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That sounds dangerous. Glass falling from the sky.

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I did but I was as good at doing it as Charlie Brown.

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I did my share of kite flying when I was a youngster.
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/child-flying-kite-tropical-beach-happy-laughing-little-girl-colorful-running-jumping-sand-beautiful-active-91733591.jpg

Nowadays, there's this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xz_yeWgIFqI&t=7s

I think we should start calling them "air toys."

https://cbsnews3.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2016/04/19/ccf15a0e-f3c1-42f6-a6fe-9d0e4f1297bb/resize/1240x930/85bd61d10be12248ab5773262e38c16f/gettyimages-166476149.jpg

Kite festivals happen in winter, too. This is on Lake Harriet in Minneapolis.
https://thriftyminnesota.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/Kites-on-ice.jpg

Stunt kites:
https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e8/82/6e/e8826ea8e5723a80d25960aee764a931--stunt-kite-stunts.jpg
https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uFk4V49frsE/T0Vdc8HZNQI/AAAAAAAACr0/vJT1OaPJlEM/s1600/DSC04061_edited-1.jpg

The best places to fly appear to be on the beach, open field (of course) and a frozen lake.

Extreme kites:
https://wordlesstech.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Giant-Octopus-Kite-flying-1.jpg
https://cbsnews1.cbsistatic.com/hub/i/r/2016/04/19/48a261f5-7ae9-4168-84bf-28029bfbc94a/thumbnail/1240x852/81eb38277ad56523d2a0de637b109a57/gettyimages-470443778.jpg
https://a.scpr.org/i/d6263feae569756caf7e7581acfa72aa/198050-full.jpg
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/_grro4nMRyg/maxresdefault.jpg

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Wow, I’ve flown simple kites but nothing that elaborate!
The YouTube video was awesome.

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My jerk brother started his own business back in the 90s, beginning with a small kiosk in a local shopping mall. He called it the Kite Site, and he sold - naturally - kites. It was so successful that he moved on to opening an actual store in the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN. It's called Air Traffic and in addition to kites, he sold disc golf (frisbees), juggling equipment, yo-yos, batons, boomerangs, planes, toys, games and any number of "fad" items. The store now sells drones, too. Eventually, he opened stores in four more shopping malls around the Cities.

He sold the business about a decade ago. Apparently, he made a small fortune by getting in on the Beanie Babies fad. Somehow, he found a source for them even though demand outstripped supply at times.

Anyway, Jerk also did his own stunt kiting and attended a number of kite festivals, including traveling to Europe. He also used to own a hot-air balloon and a hang-glider (he nearly killed my dad on that thing).

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Your brother sounds like an interesting guy with lots of wild ideas and some success. I’m sorry to sense that you don’t get along, we all probably have one person like that in the family. I do…you recognize the accomplishments but they just put you off. I get it.

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He's had some interesting hobbies, but he always likes to flaunt his money and being able to afford these expensive hobbies. He's a selfish jerk. My siblings, my dad, and I used to be his chase crew (for free) at a number of hot-air balloon events. That task is not always easy, but it was fun to see so many balloons. But do you think he'd give us even one free ride as thanks? Nope. Not even a short 10-minute one.

The only times we heard from him were when he wanted help with something - such as help him move, or laying sod at his new house. Of course, he was never available to help anyone else in the family. He expected my mom to drive to his house to babysit his two kids a few times. He lives an hour's drive away! He never even offered to pay for her gas.

Yep, he's a jerk - which is why I haven't seen or talked to him in well over a decade. Many families have someone like him.

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I have a few like him in my family, good luck to them but it is best to avoid them for sure.

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I did when I was a kid. For a period, it was my absolute favorite thing to do

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