Kites are not fun.

When I was a kid, we went camping a lot. That was our go-to mini-vacation, as well as most year's big vacations. Trips could be anything from a weekend to two weeks, depending on the time of year and how much time my dad could get off work. We did some "big" trips too, the requisite DisneyLand sojourn, ski vacations, and Switzerland once, but that was more to visit friends than anything else. But the camping trips are what I remember the most.

We weren't primitive campers, we had a trailer or an RV because my mom hated sleeping on the ground. When I was small, I just loved going anywhere and getting to go run through the woods with my Daddy, who was 100% workaholic during the week when we were at home, and was 100% mine when we left the confines of civilization. As I got older and busier with this responbility and that, the draw of camping became more about being forced to "unplug" for a few days and just relax. I wasn't allowed to bring my schoolwork. We didn't bring any phones or computers (for one thing, they didn't work all that well "off the grid" back then.) and I wasn't allowed to bring my schoolwork unless I had a big project deadline coming up. And even then, it usually got left at home. This might cause a few minutes of panic, but I always got it done and the break usually helped me focus better when I returned. I got more reading done in the woods that I ever had sitting on the couch.

But you know what was never fun? Kites. Kites are not fun.

We spent quite a bit of time on the Oregon coast and during the summer months there were always hundreds of kites out on the beach. Everything from the simple kites you buy at wal-mart to fancy fighter kites. We always had the simple kind, of course. And they never flew. Not once. I have attempted to fly kites a number of times, I don't think I have ever succeeded.

You might say that it's about the fun of trying, not about actually getting the kite airborne. And for a short time, you might be right. We'd have fun running around with the kite trailing behind us, laughing as we tripped. But after a while, seeing all of the other beautiful kites in the sky while yours flopped on the groudn like a lifeless bit of trash was either depressing or enfuriating.

However, my husband worked in a kite shop when we were in high school. He probably knows the deep secrets of the kite, but I doubt that I can learn them. I still can't get the DVD player to work, so I doubt there's much hope for me. Maybe in the future I'll learn to take enjoyment by just sitting and watching other people fly a kite. Or just sitting and reading on the beach. That's probably my best option. Books don't disapoint. Books are always there for you. And they don't come crashing out of the sky on top of your head. Often.