23). Fly a Kite

Knowing that flying a kite was on my Thirty Before 30 list, the Mister bought me a "cow" kite for my 29th birthday!  

When we woke up on Sunday morning the sky was clear and there was a nice breeze so we decided it was the perfect day to fly my cow kite, aka MonaMoo.  I was so excited when we arrived at Sandy Beach, a place popular with kite flyers, because it was perfect kite-flying weather: the wind was blowing and the sun was shining!

{kite flying at Sandy Beach}

Unfortunately kite-flying wasn't quite as easy as expected.  Despite all of the wind, I couldn't get my kite off of the ground.  I tried running with the kite and I tried tossing it up when a strong breeze blew, but each time the kite would fall harder and more deliberately than the time before, all while the Mister and I laughed harder and harder!  We were even laughing when one of the poles snapped, even before the kite made it off the ground.  But thanks, to a new friend, Sam, MonaMoo found new life!

{sick MonaMoo and the broken pole}

Sam, a regular kite-flyer, said he had been watching us as I tried to fly the kite, and admitted laughing "with" us.  He took a look at MonaMoo, and began to help us make repairs: the string had to be re-tied (it was tied incorrectly), then Sam used some plastic tape to repair the broken pole and then proceeded to help balance the kite.  

{Sam was laughing as MonaMoo crashed}

After the repairs, a little advice from Sam, and a little persistence MonaMoo took off!!! 

And she flew higher and higher and higher yet!  

After a rough start I was more than excited to see my kite up in the air!  

I had a wonderful day flying my kite...

 and I hope to fly MonaMoo again sometime soon!