Apologies for the shaky jumbly recording; a videographer I ain’t.
Today, on this sunny but cold winter day most stayed home. Some didn’t, like me. After library curbside pickup, I drove out to Lake MI in hopes the dunesand hadn’t blocked the road to the state park’s parking lot. It hadn’t. Eric Clapton’s Journeyman bluesing on the CD player, I pulled into a slot between two cars of a dozen side by side, grills towards the water.
Wind rippled the sun on the water. What caught my eye though was the fool out there flying a kite. Not a Zephyr style with two sticks crossed, wrapped in paper, with a tied rag tail, it was one that looked like a mini-parasail, made of nylon, with pretty colors. Flying the kite in the bitter wind was a challenge for the man as it kept dipping and crashing into the sand – but it didn’t stop him. His passion was evident and he almost seemed to enjoy the challenge.
His undaunted spirit inspired others. A young couple got out of their car down near where he was. The young woman jumped on her boyfriend’s back and he started doing knee bends. The rest of us in our cars, voyeurs of living, watched them with awe and delight.
From winter’s chill springs
life and its wannabes –
maybe tomorrow?
Brendan is today’s host of earthweal’s Open Link Weekend.
I honestly can say I never thought of flying a kite in the cold…but it does look fun. I haven’t done it in years… it looks like he got everyone thinking.
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Me neither on the kite flying. When you live in a place that only gets 120 sunny days on average a year, the sun makes you do happy things 🙂
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After reading your post it made me want to fly a kite! It’s been such a long time…but I’ll wait til the sunshines!
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Ha, I love your post….wind, the sea, people living joyously. Made me think i would be better off watching less news. Though i cant seem to stop. Here it is mild, feels like early spring when the sun shines. We dont really get winter, but we do get big rainstorms.
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I limit myself to a max of 10 minutes a day for news if even that. And the news is in the form of Stephen Colbert’s show. The 6th was an exception. I don’t mind rain generally but in winter here the rain freezes and becomes dangerous.
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What a splendid little slice of life! Love the music, of course 🙂
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Thanks Chris! I’ve been listening to Slowhand all week, with Cream and without.
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An atmospheric haibun, Lisa. I don’t blame you for staying in your car though: think I’d have done the same!
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🙂 Thanks, Ingrid.
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A lovely snapshot of your visit to the lake, Lisa, and I enjoyed the video – it’s not shaky or jumbly, but true to life. We too have a sunny but frosty morning, filled with the sounds of geese overhead, and I want to get out in it! No wind though, and no kite to fly.
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Thanks, Kim. It’s sunny again today, which is almost unheard of in January. It inspired me to go for a short walk. I hope you get out in that sun, Kim!
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These little slices of life are what keeps us going. (K)
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YES
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❤ ❤ ❤
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That cold wind would have finished me. You have a good storytelling style. Have you tried writing prose? If you haven’t you ought to give it a go. I bet you’d do it well.
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Thank you very much, Jane.
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🙂
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I enjoyed your haibun. I used to fly kites. I think I would have gotten out of my car to be part of the magic. It’s just me, I take a walk everyday rain, snow, wind or shine. Thanks for sharing.
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Neat on the kite flying, Truedessa. Your walks keep you connected with nature in all of its majesty. My pleasure 🙂
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