When Kay and Larry Day came across a kite shop while vacationing in Wisconsin nearly two decades ago, they decided to buy kites for their grandchildren. On a whim, Larry bought one for himself.
“He went out and flew it and decided he needed to go back and get a better one,” Kay recalled.
In this August 27, 2017 photo provided by P.V. Nguyen, Dylan Nguyen, left, and Cardin Nguyen are shown holding their kites and enjoy flying and competing at the Washington State International Kite Festival in Long Beach, Wash. (P.V. Nguyen via AP)Since then, the couple – particularly Larry – have been hooked on kite flying. They own dozens of kites, plan vacations around flying them and organize an annual winter kite-flying festival in their hometown of Clear Lake, Iowa.
“I’m at peace when I’m flying,” said Larry, 72. “It’s something unique that I do.”
While the hobby might be unusual, it has a long history as a pastime for adults and children. The practice of flying fabric on the end of a string began more than 2,000 years ago in China. Since then, kites have been used to conduct scientific experiments, power surfboards, take aerial photos and much more.