Making kites took me to a big free space. To work in the field of discrepancy between physical and nature forces and fantasy is for me a wonderful challenge. The tension to realize the design I have in my mind and to make it fly is very stimulating. When you keep the mind open, you will be able to find solutions and alternatives. To place art pieces in the sky, with always-changing light combined with the movement caused by the wind, this is a very special performance. Even the “color white” gets another quality compared to the situation on the …

It was the year 1988. There were many firsts this year. It was the first time I experienced China. It was the first time I met Scott Skinner and the world famous actress Gloria Stuart. It was also the first time I met kitemaking enthusiasts from around the world, including the infamous David and Dorothea Checkley of Seattle, Washington. Let’s start with China.

I have to admit, over 30 years after my first American Kitefliers Association (AKA) Convention in 1983, I still get excited to attend this annual event. My schedule conspired to give me only three days at this year’s edition, held in Enid, Oklahoma. In fact, one of those three days was Monday, when the convention hadn’t actually officially started.

In taking stock of some of the obscure collectibles in my back room, I ran across this unexpected image: a model-worthy woman retrieving a kite from power lines (top image at left)! It led me to think about my friend, Jose Sainz, who for the last decade or so has worked for San Diego Gas and Electric (Sempra Energy) to put all of these wires underground. One of many reasons for doing so is to keep company personnel from having to do the very thing my German friend is shown doing in the bottom image at left.

In 2003, I was introduced to kite aerial photography (KAP) by Ali Fujino and the Drachen Foundation. It was a pivotal turning point in my life and my career, as it widened my perception and understanding of planet earth to a much broader and more objective perspective from above. By this time, I had been studying whales for a decade. As an oceanologist, I realized I could use KAP to document whale behavior and interaction around my boat from an external perspective that was clearly not subjective.

Introduction by Ali Fujino In 2005 Scott Skinner and I had the good fortune to be a part of a washi paper tour of Japan, organized by the handmade paper goddess Hiromi Katayama. We traveled from Osaka to Kochi visiting traditional handmade paper makers and meeting the families involved.

Part I: Making a Go of It My experience with kites began on Coney Island with two female friends of mine, Lee and Julia. We made a beach date – our bags packed with some of the vices of youth (beer, cigarettes) and a handful of kites from the dollar store. I watched as Julia and Lee tried to assemble the kites and then fly them. They came without instructions for assembly. We felt a little inadequate not knowing how to put together such common objects without referring to directions. We tried to figure it out ourselves.

In over 25 years of kiting, I have had many opportunities to write about kite personalities as part of my job for the Drachen Foundation. With each opportunity, I have been both charmed and bemused, as I have learned so much more about individuals I thought I already knew.

I grew up on a kite field. Several days, weeks, and even months of my childhood were spent with Eddys, edos, box kites, rokkakus, stunt kites, Chinese dragons, and sode-dakos (to name a few). Kites have taken me to locations across the United States and beyond; I’ve flown a kite above the Great Wall of China, among the hustle and bustle of London, and on a cow pasture in Thailand. These kite excursions with my father have given me a world of cultural knowledge, a lifetime of fun experiences and memories, and colorful acquaintances such as Dave Gomberg, Peter Lynn, …

One of the highlights of last year’s “Tako Kichi: Kites of Japan” exhibition at Santa Fe’s Museum of International Folk Art (MOIFA) was a beautiful display of miniature kites by Nobuhiko Yoshizumi. The exhibit, curated by Japanese kite collector and aficionado David Kahn, and featuring many of the kites from his massive collection, was a comprehensive survey of the kites of Japan and included several 100-plus-year-old kites, large paper koi no bori (fish kites), and many ukiyo-e (a genre of Japanese woodblock prints).