Flying Free

This past weekend I had the fabulous opportunity to go to Ocean Shores with a group of girlfriends. The weather was phenomenal, and we were lucky enough to have been there during a kite festival.  Seeing all of the different kites soaring, fluttering, and floating all around me made me feel like I was in an undersea wonderland. It's not difficult to experience joy when looking at these bright jewels floating in midair.

An extra special treat was getting to see Ray Bethell, a multiple time World Champion in Kite flying.  Ray's signature style is flying three kites simultaneously in formation (and he also holds the world record for flying 39 at once).  I had never heard of Ray, or seen anyone fly multiple kites before.  I was mesmerized, not just by the kites, but by the man's movements and his concentration.  After Ray finished a session, I went over to talk with him. What a delightful person! Through that conversation, and then after checking out his website, I learned that Ray, now somewhere in his 80's, didn't start flying kites until 1981.  I also learned that he has experienced several hardships in his life, and hasn't let them overtake his spirit. When he was in his 60's, Ray was struck by a rare virus that left him deaf overnight.  Later, his wife developed alzheimer's disease, which slowly took her life.  Ray says, "How does a person deal with the unfairness of life?  The only way you can do it is to face it head on... it's unchangeable, you have to learn to deal with it."  These are wise words that I'm starting to learn.

Here is a photo that I took of Ray with his three kites in action.  You can learn more about Ray and see video clips of him in action on his website. I highly recommend this video interview, if you have 8 minutes to spare.

 

Down Time

Yesterday it was a full moon, which was always a special event that Bronwyn and I shared together.  I was especially missing her, and was about to hunker into my sorrow when my husband suggested that we take a drive to the Ocean.  There was a razor clam opening, and, he said, even if we don't get clams, we can enjoy the wind and the surf!  "Okay," I sluggishly agreed. 

I'm so glad we went.  It was very stormy, but we didn't get rained on while we were on the beach.  The cold wind, the clam diggers, and the surf did me good.  I still missed my girl, of course, but I breathed my sorrow in and out instead of holding it so tightly.  I slept all night, and today has dawned sunny. 

Beachy Keen

It feels like the summer is coming to a close already and there's still so much to pack in!

Bronwyn and I have been planning a trip to the beach for a long time, and finally we took our chance last week.  We spent two lovely days there with friends and I'm already itching to return.  The weather was lovely, the water was cold and fresh, and the sand was warm.

While we were lounging, we saw a little boy and his father flying a butterfly kite. The kite escaped the boy's grip and had several minutes of freedom before the father finally chased it down. I took this photo of it flying free and it gave me a smile.

In two weeks, Bronwyn goes back to school.  The return of regular routine will be lovely, and I do look forward to accomplishing some tasks that have been on the back burner, getting back to my business, and having some time to spend all to myself. But for now, I will enjoy the moments that I have with the tangled rush of time that is called, "Summer."