Go Fly a Kite

I slept very late yesterday, squandering much of my Saturday. So when I woke up at a more reasonable hour this morning, I felt like getting out and doing something. After several hours of coffee drinking and Internet surfing, I called up my friend Kent around noon to see if we couldn't find some way to take advantage of this beautiful, if windy, spring Sunday.

I admit that I never really think of flying kites when I think of an exciting way to spend an afternoon out of doors, but after today, I recognize my ignorance. Today was my first time flying a 'sport' kite, which is highly maneuverable and basically fun as hell to fly. Couple that fact with the high winds today, and you get some fun times. I am officially in the market for a kite.

We enjoyed the kite flying for an hour or so, until one to many nose dives into the ground (mostly on my watch) shredded one of the composite rods that make up the kite frame. I did OK with the kite, but Kent is the reigning master.


Nice day, nice clouds.


Finding ourselves sans kite, but with abundant forest, we took to the woods for a little exploring. This path wound it's way through a cedar grove until it plunged into a bordering bamboo forest.

Bamboo forests are officially my new favorite place to hang out. The sound of these forests is something to behold, when the wind rushes through and the bamboo shoots clank against each other. It's quite an eerie sound actually, and you half expect zombies to come walking out towards you. But besides the threat of the undead, bamboo forests are both sonically and visually very pleasing places to be.

It's only natural to channel one's inner monkey and try to climb up the shoots.

Bamboo shoots are a staple of the Japanese diet, and this is the time of year to go out and dig them as they begin to break through all the leaves and stuff on the forest floor. Left unharvested though, and the shoots grow fast and tall. The one I'm posing with here has yet to shed its' outer husk. People harvest the bamboo shoots when they are only a few inches tall, so I don't think anyone will be dining on this one.

Here are a few more shots from the bamboo jungle.

It was a great Sunday today, and I intend to get myself back up to these forests as often as permits. I can't help thinking whenever I'm up there how sweet it would be to cruise through on a snowboard during the winter; bamboo glades sound nice.

Before I sign off here, I have to send out a big Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mom, who I just recently got off the phone with. I wish I could say this in person, but alas, love you mom! Have a wonderful day! Everyone else, enjoy your Sunday too.