( Sorry I didn't get pics of the meet.   I was too busy flying to get the camera out and start snapping. ;( - Brian )

Subject: Ode to King Charles

  Last month, kite flyers, I wrote to report that Chuck Lund (aka King Charles) smoked us all at Magnussen's Kite Hill.   Well, guess what?   Chuck Lund is up to his old tricks, in Portland this time.   Two months in a row, Chuck has beaten up on the AKA Masters Champion, Bruce Lambert.   Way to go, Chuck.   You are the man to beat.

  We met on a beautiful fall day in Portland's Delta Park.   The place was swarming with soccer brats.   NFKA commandeered a small plot of land, and claimed it for it's own.    The breeze was light, and blowing in a circular pattern.   At one point, this author was standing +/- ten feet from AKA Champion, Bruce Lambert, and his kite was straight East, and mine was straight West.   Ready, fight.   Ya sure, you betcha.

  If you will recall, from my last update, I was trying to start some controversy, by alluding to the fact that Chuck and I never actually tangled lines.   Chuck put it in perspective by telling me "Ah, I would 'ave kicked your ass too".   Well, in Portland I put his bravado to the test.   Damn, I hate it when he's right!

  Two newbe's showed up to fly with us in Portland. Peter Loop, and Rolf Zurcher.   Fresh fodder, and fresh ideas.   Peter brought some kites he had made out of a silver orcon.   Too cool.   Wanna see Bruce drool? Show him an orcon he has never seen before, silver and flashy, very light weight, and the kicker? They don't make it any more.   We had to assign body guards to Peter.   Rolf makes mylar kites, fairly good size (+/- eighteen inches) under 3.7 grams.   That's right, a mylar kite designed for indoor flight, ultra thin, ultra light mylar (should 'ave seen Ed Alden perk up), clear (can't fight with a "ghost" Rolf) and 3.7 grams, or less.   Rolf also makes ultra light model air planes.   He brought out a couple to amaze us with.   Two great new additions to the club.   Raise the bar.

  After lunch, we went to another field to fly.   No soccer brats, woo hoo, but weeds from hell.   Both Bruce and Dennis lost kites due to broken lines.   The wind just picked 'em up and blew 'em to the ocean, it looked like.   Now many of you have seen Dennis' Buka, and Bruce's latest generation fighter.   And you all know how much we covet both kites.   The gauntlet was thrown down; "If you can catch it, you can keep it".   Needless to say, none of us own Dennis', or Bruce's kites.   Okay, Chuck, show us how it's done.   Chuck broke his line, and chased it down, grabbed the very end of the line, and drug it back, retied it, and kept the kite air borne the entire time.   No wonder he wins.   We are not worthy.   We are not worthy.

  Okay, contest time.   Vancouver, that's right, Vancouver.   We explored so much real estate, and wound up back on the Washington side, at Fort Vancouver.   2:00, 200 miles form home, and these crazy buzzards decide they want to pick a fight.   Come on, come on.   Brian Johnsen took me out in the first round of single elimination.   Thanks Brian.   I got to fly one more time, as a ghost against Rolf.   I took him out.   Sorry Rolf.   What a lose/lose situation for him.   If he wins, so what? He didn't beat anyone, he beat a ghost.   If he loses? He loses to a ghost.   What a spoiler I am!

  Ooooops. Most humble servant just made a terrible error. I printed some erroneous information about the Portland/Vancouver fly. New, updated, correct standings;

1st place............Dennis Crowley

2nd place............Chuck Lund

3rd place.............Brian Johnsen

  Sorry for the faux pas. See you in Ocean Shores.

  Last, but not least, Bruce told me of a place he heard of from Kevin Mac Innis called Bamboo Hardwoods Inc.   What a great find.   Thanks Kevin and Bruce.   Check these folks out, at 3834 4th Ave So, Seattle, or online at www.bamboohardwoods.com

  Until next month, at which time I hope to pass on the 2000 flying schedule, I want to say, Jeff, where ever you are, we missed you.

  I had to leave early (luckily I can't fly worth beans) because Patty and I were attending the open house of the new Drachen Foundation building.   Well, the building is so new that it is not finished yet, or open for that matter.   So the open house was in the Queen Anne Community Center.   Brian Johnsen was among the illuminaries present.   This guy pops up every where.    We got to rub elbows with Scott Skinner, Dan Kurahashi, our local kite store owners, Ken and Suzanne with daughter Nina from Great Winds, and Kathy from Gas Works Kites, Dan Schwenk (sp? sorry Dan), and many other kite builders and/or flyers.   There were tables set up for kids and adults alike to build kites, Dan was building a 3 inch high Cody (too cool) there was food, gift bags, pins, displays of many kinds.    What a great night.   Thank you Drachen.

Fly lots and grin

ron

  Ken Kurahashi, Robert Trepanier and Nobuhiko Yoshizumi (among others) were helping kids and older kids building miniature washi paper and bamboo splinter kites all evening.

  Here, Charmayne is flying a koi kite she just made and Nobuhiko is flying a train of his koi.

  There were a couple of really huge (4 x 2.5 ft) Buka kites with hummers on the walls and Robert was making bees .

  The Drachen Foundation put on quite a production with extensive displays of historic and unusual kites all over the two upstairs rooms, free snacks and complimentary esspresso.

  I managed to scam a tour of the new building after hanging out with all the kite luminaries.   The building itself is three stories right across Queen Anne Ave. from the Thriftway store parking lot.

  The first floor will be rented out to a retail shop and the top floor will be rented out for a couple of doctors offices.    The Foundation will have the second floor for offices, display and conferences.   Drachen will be living off the rent from the other two floors so they won't have a lot of overhead to cope with.

  The new building has a very nice front.   On the left will be a stairwell surrounded by clear glass blocks that kites will be displayed in and the second and third floors have lanai balconies with room for plantings around the perimeter.

  Brian

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