Deb's Journal Archive
11-9-03
Just returned from a great weekend in Minneapolis. Kathy, John, and I took off
on Friday and arrived in the cities in time to do a fantastic meal at JD Hoyts.
Second best pork chop I've ever eaten. YUM. The Gopher/Badger game on Saturday
was phenomenal especially with the last second Gopher win. The Axe is back where
it belongs. Yeah, Gophers. Did some socializing after the game with Dan and his
teammates and Kathy and I learned that we are not the best whist players in the
world. But it was a fun time. Dan, you make your auntie so very proud. Good luck
against Iowa.
10-18-03
The
winds were warm and sweet today and I just had to get out and enjoy it. I know
that the cold winter winds are headed this direction but until then, this Indian
Summer on the prairie is the best. Filled the sky with some color and left them
staked out as I walked the shoreline of
beautiful Lake Sakakawea. Tomorrow will be a trip to Prairie Knights with the
challenge of seeing how long it takes me to loose my money. Next week is a short
work week so the four day weekend will be spent working on my Lewis and Clark
kite.
10-11-03
Dayton is behind me and the Lewis and Clark kite awaits me. Hopefully the later
can be as successful as the former. The story of Dayton is available on my
Storyteller page but the short version would
be, good time, fun moments, successful competition, great
friends, a few great nights and a couple of lonely ones, and probably too much
eating and drinking. But heck, it was convention. Now to settle in for a few
months on the prairie, maybe take in a Gopher football game or two, perhaps
indulge myself in a trip to Deadwood and look forward to some Christmas break
sunshine in California.
9-15-03
Now that I have the software to update sky-dance again, I find that I don't have
the time to really work on it at all. Sigh. Less than two weeks to Dayton, a
couple of kite projects in the works, but nothing finished. I better get busy.
Congratulations Dan on the 3-0 start to the Minnesota Golden Gopher's football
season. Keep everything in that win column and I'll see you in Pasadena!!!!!!!!!
8-27-03
Almost a month has gone by since my wonderful days in California and Oregon. I
miss my friends and miss a world sans mosquitos and biting flies. But between
work and dedicated hours at the sewing table there hasn't been much time to
fight the outdoor wildlife. The sewing is going well but have so much more to do
before being ready for Nationals at Dayton. No progress will be made over these
next few days since I leave tomorrow for the Region 7 Kite Festival at Callaway,
Nebraska. Great festival but no access to electricity so no sewing machine or
laptop. :-(( Hope the rain stays away or I'm going to end up sleeping in
one very soggy tent. And as I decorate a prairie sky in the middle of nowhere in
central Nebraska, my California friends will be basking in the amazing ambiance
of the Golden Gate Challenge. Pretty sure my bridge is visible from that vantage
point. Sigh. "Brian, I know what a great festival you run so I have no doubt
that GGC #12 will be a great success. Good luck in your competitions...remember
my friend, YOU ARE THE BEST!!!"
8-1-03
Here I am back on the prairie wondering how the summer flew by so quickly. But I
guess flying played a large part in where the summer went.
Squaw Valley...Point
Arena...Lincoln City...Brookings...Berkeley
with sidelight fun with recessed lighting and a most troublesome 6' deck. I had
the best time of my life and can't wait until my next San Ramon visit. In the
meantime, the sewing table and work beckons.
7-22-03
The Oregon Coast was phenomenal. Even had a day that saw an entire "Deb" sky. It
was great. Seeing and spending time with David & Lucas, Cindy, Ken and Chris was
the best. From there I drove down the coast for the Southern
Oregon Kite Festival at Brookings, Oregon. It was another great time and
good weekend. I'm back at Brian's and spent the day washing windows for a client
of his. Kind of nice doing work for a change that actually has visible,
immediate results. Tomorrow he is going to let me help him build a deck.
He is a brave man to let me anywhere near a hammer. This weekend is the
Berkeley
Festival and then it will be time to head for home. Sigh. It has been an amazing
few weeks and the best summer ever. Thanks Brian and all my west coast friends
for making this lady feel so very, very welcome. Can't wait until next summer to
play with you again.
7-9-03
Finally getting a quick update on sky-dance.net. Photos are available from
Squaw
Valley and hopefully Point Arena will be up soon. My time in California has been
the best. The giggles have been numerous and the hospitality warm and friendly.
Tomorrow I take off for the Oregon Coast. Hello it everyone back home.
6-19-03
Gone for the weekend, home for a day, then gone for a month. I know, I have such
a rough life. :-) I will update here when I can and download kite festival
photos when possible. June 28th and 29th is the High Camp Fly at Squaw Valley.
July 4th - 7th is the publicity fly at the Point Arena Lighthouse in California.
July 11th - 17th is my usual retreat at the Sea Gypsy in Lincoln City, Oregon.
July 19th and 20th is the Southern Oregon Kite Festival at Brookings, Oregon.
Sounds a bit like "Deb's Endless Summer". When I'm not flying, I'll be making a
nuisance of myself at Chateau Champie. Brian does have a heart bigger than the
entire Pacific Ocean!! "Good luck Brian at the BASKL fly at Martinez this
Saturday. Remember...you are the best! (And just because I am biased doesn't
mean I am wrong.)"
6-14-03
Good progress was made this week on a variety of kite
projects and kite repairs. I hope to leave on the 25th for my westward
month-long trek so getting these things done is a major relief. I'm taking dad
to the casino tomorrow for what I hope will be a lucrative Father's Day
celebration. (It wasn't.)
6-10-03
The weekend in Jamestown for Kitefest #9 was a
blast. Now to get some kites made before I head west on the 25th. So much sewing
so little time.
5-31-03
All the hubbub of last weekend left little time for any update in my journal.
Skydance went great and special thanks goes out to Mike
for bringing his great kites, for his friendship and for making the long drive
from Denver, Jim for adding his grand banners to the festivities, Chris and Mike
for filling the sky with so much color, Tony and Ann for their wonderful kites
and aerial photography, and to Don and Alice for making Skydance an
international event. You all made such a difference. In the midst of my
festival, nephew David graduated from Lisbon High School. Congrats Dave, your
Auntie is very proud of you.
5-18-03
It it official. Nephew Dan is now an alumnus of the University of Minnesota. The
weekend was great, here are a few photos that share
some of the fun. Now it is a mad dash to Skydance.
5-16-03
Happy Birthday Brian!!!!
5-14-03
Must be kite festival planning time because there sure hasn't been any time to
do any updates on sky-dance. It was brought to my attention last night that I
have been negligent in keeping Deb's Kites page up to date...guess I have
finished a couple and should give them their moment in the spotlight. I'm headed
to Minneapolis this weekend for nephew Dan's graduation from the University of
Minnesota and will try to get to Bismarck in time on Sunday to add a couple
kites to their Kite Day festivities. Then it is just one more week until
Skydance. Oh my, so much to do, so little time. HAPPY PRE-BIRTHDAY BRIAN.
5-3-03
Spent the day at a high school track meet in Bismarck. Warm sunshine and time
with family...it doesn't get much better than that. Nephew David ran well in the
relays and took second place in the pole vault. It was so great to watch him
clear 13ft. How does he do that? That height qualifies him for state competition
in a few weeks. Good luck Dave. How about flying over 14ft.? Realizing how busy
these next weeks are going to be, it was nice to spend the day in relaxed mode.
Family gathering next weekend for Mother's Day, trip to Minneapolis, MN the
following weekend for Nephew Dan's graduation from the University of Minnesota,
Nephew Dave's high school graduation the weekend after that...oh yeah, and the
end of my school year and a little kite festival I am kind of associated
with...hope I survive it all
4-26-03
Gave
a feeble attempt at a NKM fly. Too much wind, a little
rain, and only a couple dozen people. Oh well, at least I did have a pyro over
the prairie all day and the hexes flew great. Now it is time to focus on
Skydance #11.
4/18-4/22, 2003
Easter Vacation in California
A time so grand it is worthy of its own page. Thanks Brian for everything. You
are THE BEST!!!!
4-17-03
It seems too good to be true, but it looks as if all flights are actually
accommodating my journey west for the Easter holiday. Yes, my smile is
stretching from ear to ear. And with an introduction to the Point Arena
lighthouse looming on the horizon the smile is not apt to disappear any time
soon. Like my tour guide said tonight, "dream
of light houses and coastal waters". I can do that. The photos
should be fantastic and I will update here when I can. I'll be back in North
Dakota on Tuesday the 23rd. Maybe! ;-)
4-13-03
What a great day. Springtime has finally arrived on the North Dakota prairie. 80
degrees and the sweetest wind imaginable. Decorated the Sakakawea sky from late
morning through the early evening and have a sunburned nose to show for it (I
did wear my GWTW hat all day but the sun found me anyway). But it was a
fanatastic day. Put in a couple of hours with the Gemini and even was able to
execute a couple of fairly accurate cascades. Gosh, but a smooth wind really
makes a difference. It felt wonderful. Might even be enough good karma to help
me survive the work week until I climb on a plane on Friday to fly west. It is
so nice to have a place to run away to...I'm so looking forward to the break.
Thank you Master Damsel Rescuer! :-)
4-12-03
Had the pleasure today of working with Mike Gee and Chris Dodson doing two
kitemaking classes for the Gateway to Science Center in Bismarck. The flight
part of the day was challenged by wind that had gusts of over 35mph but everyone
seemed to enjoy the experience. I even remembered to grab the camera to take a
photo or two. After a very difficult work week,
being around kite people again makes it difficult to keep my smiles in single
file. Hope my California friends had as much fun at the Lee Toy fly. See you in
just a few days.
3-24-03
"Happy
Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Kathy, Happy
Birthday to you." I am so lucky to have the best sister in the world. And
wishing her a happy birthday is second only to sending her a whole big bunch of
sisterly love. "Have a great year Sunshine!"
3-23-03
Yep,
I'm still on the prairie. United messed up my flight plans again and couldn't
get me into Oakland on Friday at all so I said, enough...book me for Easter
instead. So another month before I can bask in the friendship
and
sunshine of California. Sigh. To ease the loneliness, I did work on the photo
galleries from Berkeley and Squaw Valley. Those photos evoke great memories of good times and great
friends. Also was able to get outside to teach ZenII how to fly. Not what I had
dreamt of for my weekend. But I know better weekends await me. Ah, the
anticipation. Thanks B & B for hanging in there. Keep the LIGHT
shining.
3-19-03
I should be in California, sitting at Genghis Khans eating sushi, but here I am
on the prairie. Have I mentioned lately that I really hate snowstorms,
especially those that
make flying out of ND impossible. Sigh! Happy Pre-Birthday Kathy!!!!!!!
03-09-03
Spent
the weekend working on Zen2. Writing the tale of how
Zen was lost in Squaw Valley was good therapy making it much easier to just
move on with something new. So a new signature kite is born. The North Star is still
in the sky
as well as a little yin yang, east/west, prairie/ocean, amethyst/jade, good/bad.
A Camelot border (I needed to bring some green into my world that has been too
white and too cold for too long) was used again and the background is actually a light purple
(the black is scheduled to be cut away) but I'm kind of liking the black.
Decisions, decisions. The carnival mask had to be there. (Lots of fodder for a
therapist.) But it does remind me of the Rio in Vegas and how much
fun Vegas was, even if it took me 40+ years to get there. Reminds me that the
good things in life are out there and will find me if I am patient. Reminds me
also how lucky I am to have good friends in my life.
03-07-03
A box of sticks and fabric arrived from Kite Studio this week so it looks like a
miserably cold, snowy weekend will be survived at the sewing table. Now if I
could just decide on what project to start on first. So many kite ideas, so
little time. Hope my fellow
NCKC members have a great campout weekend. Brian, I hope the wind is
whackable! Remember, you have a National MIP title to defend this year!!!!
Practice, practice, practice. :-)
03-02-03
The weekend was fantastic. Lots of good family time and a great win for the
Lisbon Broncos high school basketball team. The team struggled quite a bit and
had those of us in the stands holding our breath and biting our nails. Luckily,
a few critical three points shots, one made by nephew Dave and another game
winning shot by Jason Switzer guaranteed that the Broncos would survive to play
another day. Too bad I live so far away and work has so many commitments for me
right now. It would have been nice to stay and watch them win a couple more. But
I'm confident they will continue to win whether I am there or not. Good luck
Broncos. Here are a few photos of the fun day.
02-27-03
I'm headed to Kathy's for the weekend. David's high school basketball team, the
Lisbon Broncos, start play in their district tournament on Saturday so I want to
be in the stands cheering him and the Broncos on to Victory. It is the least an
aunt can do. Family is very important to me and am lucky to have my only sibling
less than 250 miles away. She and her husband John, (Superintendent of
Ft.
Ransom State Park) and sons Dan (senior at the University of Minnesota and
starting defensive tackle for the Gophers) and David (senior at Lisbon High
School) are always my best supporters and strongest defenders. I am lucky to be
so blest. I'll return to Garrison Sunday.
02-23-03
The fighter kite is ready for framing and heard from Terry Lee today...I get to
represent Lewis and Clark on a kite for the Montana festivities. I think I have
my work cut out for me. Glad to hear the BASKL indoor fly was successful and a
fun time. Generous of someone to dq thus giving others a chance to win. lol
Back to work tomorrow. The Taurus is already plugged in hoping for the best in
the morning. (That means that the head bolt heater on the car will keep the oil
and engine warm enough to start.) Air temperature might be -30+. I can only hope
the weather guessers are exaggerating. If anyone hears of a school counselor
position open in a warm climate, please let me know. Have a good week all.
(Visit kitefart.com
for other photos of the indoor fly.)
02-21-03
The
weekend has arrived. Temperatures on the prairie will not climb above zero all
weekend long and I have no plans to travel anywhere. Sigh. Looks like a good
time to finish a fighter kite, work on the hex noodle project, write a story or
two, sip some wine, and think
warm Zen thoughts of friends near and far. Hope everyone is happy, safe and
experiencing a lot of "dreams coming true". Good luck to the participants in the
1st BASKL Indoor fly.
02-19-03
Winter has lasted too long. So I warm up my day by recalling fun, warm moments.
A trip to Las Vegas a couple months ago definitely qualifies as fun and warm.
02-17-03
Happy President's Day. So nice having a day off. Spent the day at the sewing
table. Here is my first attempt at a fighter kite. Still have lots to do but the
idea is there. It will be finished in time to fly with me to California later in
March. I traded it for the rainbow fabric. Pretty sure I got the better end of
that deal!!
02-16-03
No school tomorrow due to the President's Day holiday and no storm days taken
off from work so far this year. In celebration of the long weekend and several
birthdays being celebrated this month, a number of us from work are taking a
limo to a casino today. I think a photo or two might be in order.
(later) Too much fun and even made some money...hurray!!!!
02-14-03
sky-dance.net is published. Deb is finally on the web. After dreaming of
creating my own site for so many years, it feels grand to finally see this dream
come true. Seems to be alot of that happening for me lately. I'm a very lucky
lady. And thanks Brian, Al, and Gordon for helping me get here.