In response to a U2U from BigE, my NPW builder,

Helloooooo Ian, good tidings back to you and your family!
Hope your enjoying your new house and have settled in and comfy.

The wind spirits have been at work and somehow I knew that you would be calling soon.
You see, I haven't been flying since my accident last May at JIBE. So now that I believe I've recovered and I was gettin antsy to get some rip stop in the air starting off the new year right.
Well, it has been wet or dead or 20-30 and wet or too cold and wet, you get the picture. Most of our wind happens in the Am and till 4pm in the afternoon and those are my working hours. Even though I am self employed and retired, I still work 12-14 hr. a day, 6 days a week and I don't dare leave during hours or wifey will get p#ssed, so my time has been limited to the week ends.

Soooo, I said if I put some kites in the SUV and am ready that I might be able to get out faster and catch some breeze. A small Beamer, 2 single line exhibition kites a stunter and then I heard a small voice coming from my kite trunk say... "how about me how about me???" What did I hear? It was the 'Wind Wrestler" calling to me. (was it you Ian?) "Take me take me"... so I re-opened my trunk and grabbed the "Wind Wrestler" and into the car it went. First time taken out since my super man flying demonstration that injured me at JIBB.
So now I was ready!

Last Sunday was a beautiful day and I tried to leave early but I had a few "Honey Doos" before I could leave.
Kept watching the trees and they were bending and leafs were flying and I was glad that at least they were having fun.
I finally got loose and because I was already loaded I headed to my flying fields. Soccer fields in 3 different wind paths so if there's wind I always have a field unless the footballers are in it.
There was a good downwind field that was empty and I started to work. Out came my large Pyro Delta, my wind compass.
Then I stretched out lines for a large Delta stunter and then grabbed the "Wind Warrior" and walked out to set it up and ZOOMMMMM, got hit by a gust that about knocked me off my feet!
Out came my wind meter. I knew it was 10-14 when I left home but this location was 12 gusting 33! My Pyro was all over the place and at it's wind range. This was not 4 line foil or NPW wind for me. Not for a recovering old man not in a buggy.
I had to catch my stunter as it scooted across the field and caught the lines and launched it to a fight to keep it slowed down, buzzz left, buzz right, one 360 turned into several before I could stop them, and I grounded it. Whoa. rubber arms. As I started to gather it up the Pyro was lufting all unsupported surfaces making loud flapping noise. It was about 100 foot up. What was the high wind speed up there?

Now, it was getting close to 4pm an the wind should have started to calm down but it didn't! I started pulling the Pyro down and it was a fight! Just prayed that my line was stout enough to take the strain. Finally got it down and still had to fight it to break it down and pull in 25' tails.
As I put it in the SUV I looked straight away at the "Wind Wrestler" and said to my self, another day good buddy, another day. Another day Ian.

Life is good and spring wind here in South Carolina are good.

Our big buggy field, OOBE Field, is about to get assaulted by the local power kite crowd, all 6 of us. 3 polo fields to have fun in.
If conditions present them selves I just might take an afternoon off for a fly. I WILL fly the "Wind Wrestler" NPW soon, can't wait --------------------------------------------------------------------

Any body else got "Cabin Fever"? Any first fly in the new year stories?
___________________________________________

PS. "Big E" Ian, built a 6m NPW for me I named "Wind Wrestler". Got it before JIBE and never got to fly it because of the strong tropical storm winds that were working it's way up from Florida. Couldn't fly it after I got jerked out of my buggy.

Good to hear that you're mostly mended! Take it slow as we want you ready to rock the first week in May.
I think the Amanda, Fiona, and Holly have started the countdown to JIBE.
Our season started in the Fall and while it has it's ups and downs, we get out fairly regular. Winter has started again so we only
need wind and a frozen stretch of water to have a session. As we all know, the confluence of tide, wind direction and time make the
buggy an irregular experience
Stay well!.

Good to see you're finally mended enough to get those rubber arms back to rods of steel! Take it easy building back up to kite fitness, we had our first little snow flurry today hopefully the fields will turn from something resembling a quagmire to a harder kite friendly surface.

Glad to hear you have mended up Davis! I have flown maybe 3 times since JIBE. I have bad cabin fever too.
The Ladys are all hyped up about this coming JIBE. The green jacket Jekyll luncheon was a huge hit. Can't wait to see you in May buddy!

Thanks Big E and Jason,
Today the weather was GREAT, 5-8 steady, probably good for my 6m NPW that you built Ian.
BUT... had signs to hang. Dang it.
Tomorrow it's rain and 0 wind.
Monday, during working hours, of course, cold, 45, 8-13.
Just might have to take a loooooong lunch on Monday.