Huntington Beach Kite Party

First things first, I would really like to extend a very warm welcome to Joanna (from the US) and Susy (all the way from Italy - benvenuto!).  I'm so glad to have you join me and I really hope you'll enjoy following along!

I am soooo very behind in getting this posted!  The Huntington Beach Kite Party was held Saturday, March 12th (the same day I went to see Wicked, which I blogged about in my last post) and also on Sunday, March 13th. 

I went on Saturday morning, which started out overcast and gray.  I was uncertain if they would still be holding the kite party because of the tsunami dangers from the horrible and devastating earthquake in Japan the day before.  But, I decided to go ahead and head on down to check it out anyway.  I was a little nervous about being on the beach, but I think the warnings had already expired, so I thought it should be safe.  And as it turns out, it was, but I did keep a wary eye on the surf throughout my stay!

When I got to the beach, I found a spot on the sand to plant my towel and then started snapping some pics.  Some of those kites are huge!  In the photo above you can see a man standing next to the kites as they are trying to get them in the air so you can see just how large they are!  You certainly cannot always tell how big they are in the other photos when they are flying high, as you have nothing with which to compare them!

Some were just colorful . . .

And others were just whimsical . . .

I really liked this caterpillar, but I had to work to get him.  He had a bit of a difficult time getting air!

There were a couple of these intricate looking white kites.  They kind of looked a little like snowflakes to me.

This cute little rainbow was actually 7 kites locked together, moving in tandem.

Here was another with several kites joined together with their tails looking like confetti dancing in the sky.

Tinkerbell and her new pet dragon were flying high!

A bleeding heart contrasted nicely with the pretty blue sky!

Kite dancing!  Who knew?  They played music on the loud speakers and the kite handlers manipulated their charges to the beat.  It was fun to watch.  Sometimes they had several kites all dancing together.  I tried to film some of it, but my camera doesn't do great video and I was too far away to get great images, and you can't really hear the music very well (you can almost hear a bit of it here and there - Stairway to Heaven) . . . but, here is a little taste of what they were doing so you can get a little idea of what they can do with kites these days!

Something about watching kites takes me back to long, lazy summers, lying on my back in carpets of soft, fragrant, green grass, watching kites and clouds in the bright, blue sky.  Back to the days when I had nothing more to worry about than which combination of sodas to order at the local hangout.  Makes me want to go fly a kite myself!  

I will be anxious for the next Seal Beach Kite festival in October.  It is billed as the largest kite festival on the west coast.  If I get a chance to go, I'll be sure to share!


Well,  I guess that is just about it for now!  I hope you enjoyed this little excursion! Until next time!  Baci per i miei amici!