| From: | Dennis Ische
|
| Date: | 27 April 2003 |
Dear Dave,
Just a little story while you are preparing things...
I got that Skymaster kite from my friend and was flying it for the first time. I was out in the back yard with a very light NW wind blowing. It was pretty hot and I guess there must have been thermals coming off the asphalt shingled roofs of my neighbours and my houses.
The wind had died off and I was just gliding the kite in for a landing when it must have caught on one of these thermals. It started to circle directly overhead about 30 feet up and went around my head about three or four times. Of course knowing that it was a South African kite I sort of felt like a dead dead carcass with a buzzard circling above. It was a real zen moment. Anyway the kite must have seen me twitch because it then proceeded to fly behind me and perched itself dead centre on the neighbours' chimney. The two keels straddled the chimney cap and it lighted down just like a bird to a perch. I stood there staring in amazement The whole event was surreal and all I could do was stare.
Well... A bit of breeze tilted the wing and I scrambled to get an extension ladder and crawl up it and onto the neighbours' roof and un-perch this wayward kite. Right then and there I knew you built more than just a kite and somehow you had added that bit of African free spirit that made this quite an adorable kite to fly.
I do feel sad that it got away from me a few weeks ago but I should have expected no less. This was one kite that didn't want to be restrained in any way shape or form! Amazing!
Dennis