I dunno, maybe a new name?

For a number of years, we've enjoyed the Old Guys' Kite Camp, and before that, the Old Guys' Windsurfing Camp, together with my brother and his wife, good friends from medical school, and occasional other hangers-on.

These great trips take place on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, which are known for good wind, shallow water in the Pamlico Sound which they enclose, and a lot of natural beauty.

All of this began in 1991, some 28 years ago though there was a lull for a couple of years when we were in South America.  The core six of us have been consistent, but the group has grown and morphed through the years as friends have joined in and kids have grown up and come along also.

This year started a bit sketch, as I miscounted accommodations needed for the first Friday night, before the rented house was open to us.  Having done so, I got the floor.  Note the box of doughnuts, which made things better.

This year we were delighted to have four relative newcomers attend who wanted to pick up kiteboarding.  Like any other addiction, "the first one is always free," and the older hands gladly lent their boards, kites and knowledge, hoping to snare recruits to their vice.

One particularly adept young woman, an oyster farmer from Virginia, came for her second time.

She showed most of us up with the rapidity with which she was soon making long runs, and by her second day this trip, she worked her way about 3/4 of a mile upwind, a real accomplishment and credit to her determination.  

While another newbie was being pulled around by the jet ski to get acquainted with the kiteboard itself, the towline was sucked in and wrapped itself tightly around the propeller shaft.  Once the craft was walked in a half mile (the Sound is shallow for miles), the young lady mentioned above quickly took over from the guys.

Not afraid to get down in the muck, 

she was soon yanking out pieces of lime-green tow rope.  The guys were pretty good at making grunting noises and lifting the jet ski, but she got the job done.

There were some Young Guys (and Girls) there also,

who enjoyed rides on Uncle Mark's jet ski, once all the rope was cleared.  

The wind was sufficient the whole week, and everyone had a good time kiting.

The more expert of the group really whooped it up,

often until the lights were going out,

and everyone progressed in one way or another, the women no less than anyone.

In addition to the good wind, there was a full moon, adding to the beauty of the place.

The name of the event will most likely continue, along with the cool costumes,

if for no other reason than tradition, and because "The Old and Young and In-Between Guys' and Girls' and Kids' Kite and Other Stuff Camp" won't fit on a t-shirt.

We hope that your trips and traditions are as fun and your associations as rich and satisfying.

And remember, the first one's free, so if you're around next year...

Dave and Paula (who had to stay in Raleigh because of the still-ongoing Great Kitchen Re-Do)

A pretty cool birthday!

Yeah, that whole "65" thing finally got here.  However, it wasn't all that bad.
First, I got to go to Turks and Caicos with Paula, my brother and his wife, one of 'our' missionaries, and a nephew and his wife.

Second, I got my Medicare card.  OK, that's generally kind of downer of a mile post, but hey, it beats what we were paying before.

Third, I got THIS in the mail today!!

That's right!  A brand new, 133cm Cabrihna Ace kiteboard, from my generous brother!

So, the Medicare card says, "Uh, oh, better get out the walker," while the new board says, "Dude!! Let's go catch some sweet air!!"

We hope that your big birthdays are as cool!

Dave

Guilty as charged....but repentant

Paula and I and a handful of friends and relatives traveled to Turks and Caicos recently, and had a great time kiteboarding (including in the moonlight) as well as swimming in the ocean and being lazy on the days when the wind didn't cooperate.  We stayed at a very nice Air BnB guest house at the home of a really cool British couple.

Their two dogs, Daisy and Hunter quickly got to know us and always greeted us when we got back to the house.

On the last day, my brother's wife couldn't find one of her sandals, despite looking everywhere and asking everyone.

She wondered if one of our canine buddies might have carried it off, and asked them, showing them the other sandal.  Daisy seemed especially reluctant to discuss the matter.

Amy had pretty much given up on the missing footwear, commenting, "Well, they were about five years old anyway."
An hour or so later, while continuing to pack up, my brother found a sandal on the front porch, and figuring it was the one that hadn't been lost off, brought it in.  Lo and behold,

So, all was OK that ended OK, and Amy thanked Daisy for the return of the flip flop.

We hope that your shoes likewise show up, and that repentance is an active principle in your life also.

Dave & Paula

A Lesson In Etymology

One of Paula's Master Gardener friends once told her that winter in North Carolina was much akin to running naked through a freezer - it may be cold, but it's brief.  Even then, it's nice to go to some place warmer.  Put that together with a place where I could learn to kitesurf better, invite some friends and family (and especially if they qualify as both), and it can be a lot of fun.  So it was when we recently visited a warm place in the Caribbean.
Paula found a nice Air BnB that had a view of the ocean, and before you knew it, you could hardly find a place to sit for kites, boards and associated junk.

Ever try to stuff six kites, four boards, harnesses, and four people, including a former Peru missionary in a Dodge Attitude?  Ever HEAR of a Dodge Attitude?

We had several days of lots of wind, but then the Caribbean Wind Machine got unplugged somehow.  It finally got plugged back in - one evening around sunset,

which luckily also had a full moon and clear skies.  So what do you do?  Night Kite by Moonlight!!™ 

Quick!  Do the Clown Car thing and head for the beach!

It was a gorgeous evening!

There were already several people out kiting.  On later questioning, all finally admitted to alcohol intake.  

So, now the lesson in etymology, or the origins of words.  Those guys might have been tipsy, but our guys were clearly lunatics, or persons affected by the moon, which in olden times was thought to be the cause of much deranged mental function.  In this case, I'd buy it.

They quickly got the kites pumped up and ready,

and headed out on the bay, whooping and hollering and jumping.

I admitted to my lack of the expert skill needed for such an adventure and served as ground crew and the guy who would distract the police if they happened by.  Which they luckily didn't.

The participant lunatics admitted that this had been a once-in-a-lifetime kiting session, and even though it was midnight by now, they couldn't settle down or quit grinning for a long time.

 

 

I'm hoping for some more wind, though at a more reasonable hour.  Like daylight. 
Here's hoping that lunacy doesn't affect your friends and family, or that if it does, they have this much fun with it.
Dave & Paula

Progress!...#2

The Washington DC National Cathedral was authorized by Congress in 1893, and construction was begun in 1907.

However, sculpture of fine details continues, as does repair work from the earthquake in 2011.  In 2018 that work was said to be half completed, with $17 million worth of work still to go.

The Cathedral of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain was begun in 1882, and maybe, probably, perhaps is going to be done in 2026.

It might have gone more smoothly if the principal architect, Antoni Gaudi hadn't been squished by a tram while crossing a street in 1926 at age 73.

The first structure identifiable as part of the Sistine Chapel went up around AD 599, and the whole thing was proclaimed finished in 1913.  Michaelangelo's magnificent frescoes were accomplished in four years, between 1508 and 1512, and he actually didn't do them lying on his back, rather standing on the scaffolding and looking up, which was said to be pretty hard on his neck.  He didn't really want to do the work, but was ordered to do so by the Pope.  Lucky for posterity.

So, you know, in the grand scheme of things, and considering other important structures of the past, we should keep our perspective about the length of time that the kitchen renovation is taking.  As you'll recall, there was water damage, which just screamed, "NEW KITCHEN! NEW KITCHEN!" It began with destruction,

including pretty much all of the sheet rock.

That was necessary in order to figure out the old wiring and replace it.

After that, the plumbing, framing, etc., it was time for The Revenge of The Bureaucracy, also known as Seeking Passage of Inspections.

We flunked three times, and each time there were new little things pointed out that needed done.

I was reminded of a particular scene in a particularly important  movie from the past:

Anyway, the inspections were finally finished, and the sheet rock was put back up.

The guy who did the spackling work was an artist, and I learned the Spanish word for "stilts" - it's "zancos."

Add some paint, and it started looking like a room again!

The appliances were delivered today and stored in the garage.  True to form for the project, the guy driving the van also took out the mailbox.  Hey, any time you get a new kitchen, you should also replace the mailbox, right?  Duh.

Though we are not predicting anything like the time it takes to build a cathedral, I look both ways for trams every time I cross the street.

We hope your kitchen never leaks.

Dave & Paula