About a month and a half ago, while my sister visited me, my parents took a trip out to the North Carolina coast, including a trip to Kill Devil Hills, where the Wright brothers originally flew their plane. These days, apparently, it’s a big kite-flying spot, thanks to the same wind that made it possible for the Wrights to fly there. My parents picked up kites for the whole family there, and, since I’m an aerospace engineer, they shipped me one that looks like the Wright flyer.

Today Joe and I went up to the Cornell Plantations and had fun getting it to fly. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the optimal conditions: although we had a decent wind, it was extremely unsteady and prone to changing directions. We did get a few good flights out of it, though, and it was a lot of fun. Quite a few people stopped to watch us fly–or try to. Incidentally, running backwards down a slope covered in knee-high grass and dandelions is harder than it sounds. Also, it leaves your pants and socks and shoes a great deal yellower than before.

We took a picnic lunch with us, too, and ate out by the ponds. I wore a hat this time so that I wouldn’t burn the top of my head like I did last week, so, instead, I ended up with a bizarrely shaped sunburn on the arm I was using to hold the line steady as I flew the kite. Guess it’s just time to accept the need for sunscreen.

I can’t wait for a chance to go flying again!