Go Fly A Kite...

They say that when life gives you lemons, it's time to make lemonade, right? That's why, instead of sitting in my apartment all weekend feeling sorry for myself and smarting over my breakup and subsequently canceled weekend getaway, I decided to go home, where there would be company and more food than I had in the refrigerator at the condo. Since my decision was somewhat of a impulsive affair, Mom and I decided to take an equally spur of the moment trip to the Chicago Botanic Gardens (located near our house, and not, as one might think, in Chicago) for their annual Kite Festival.

I only wish I could say that we had a better time there. I truly think it would have been a pleasant way to pass the day, if we'd planned more in advance before we left the house. As one might expect, the day's activities were held in a treeless field located in the prairie restoration portion of the Botanic Garden, which afforded very little shade. We had no floppy hats, no sunscreen, and no bottled water. We also neglected to bring our own collapsible chairs, as many of the other attendees had done. There was little to do but stand in the sun and snap a few photos. Then, my camera battery died after about fifteen minutes. Good going me.

The kites themselves were lovely, however, and it was a perfect day for flying, with just enough wind.

The Kite Festival offers a combination of stunt kite performances by local kite societies, as well as an opportunity for children and amateur adult kite enthusiasts to practice their flying skills. There is also, of course, a stand where you can buy a new kite if you feel motivated to give it a try yourself. For my part, I didn't feel compelled to give flying a go (in fact, I only have a very dim childhood memory of ever doing it, and no idea which parent I was with at the time), but I was impressed with the precision and control of the stunt kite performers. One was able to steer his so accurately as to knock the hat off of one of the Festival's announcers.

That said, we didn't stay very long after my camera battery died. It was simply too hot and sunny to be outside unprotected. I was glad that we went though, if only to get an some usage out of Mom's Botanic Garden membership, and to get out of the house a bit. It was definitely good to see Mom out and about and finally feeling better after her surgery, and that alone would have been enough to merit the trip home.