Go Fly a Kite: 2021!

It was cancelled last year, but Kites on the Green was back for 2021! Before this event, I had no idea how cool kite flying can be. The No Knots kite team put on a demonstration, and I think its amazing that they can get their strings to wrap around eachother's and then get them free again. Here's a short video:

We didn't have a kite, but the city provides kits so you can build your own.

It was almost too windy for kite flying, but Char did her best.

Daphne and I didn't wear masks because the event is outside. It felt liberating to walk around people without a face covering. 

Keeping Busy 🎢

Flowers and Dutch Letters are not my thing, so on Friday night I stayed home while Charlotte and Daphne went to the Tulip Time parade at Pella.

When I have the house to myself, I like to make my favorite meal - grilled steak with onions.

On Saturday morning we went to opening of the Downtown Farmers' Market. It seems like I take this same picture every year.

Daphne and I shared a BLT pita from Breakfast Delights. The greens might make up for my Friday night dinner.

Char kept the Dutch theme going with an order of poffertjes. 

US. Senator and presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was there, too. I don't know what he ate.

After the market, we walked down to the Johnston library for Kites on the Green. We started in the barn where they give you a kit to make your own kite.

Getting some help from Mom.

Finished!

The only problem with Saturday's weather was a lack of wind. That made flying a kite tough, but we tried anyway. The kite did get off the ground.

Char's last level 3 swim lesson was on Sunday, and we squeezed in a trip to Adventureland between church and the pool.

We have been trying to get Charlotte on a rollercoaser for the past four years. Char didn't enjoy her first ride on the Tornado back in 2015, and she has refused to get back on the horse. Until Sunday, that is. Not only did Char willingly ride the Outlaw, she admitted it was fun. She even rode it again, and began discussing the merits of the other coasters in the park. 

Yea! Now we don't have to ride coasters alone while someone waits with Char on the sidelines.

Later, Charlotte received her swim lesson report card.

She passed level 3! Good job, Charlotte Manson!

Her's a link to Char's first rollercoaster ride ---> link

Same Stuff, Different Year

Last year we spent the first Saturday in May at the first Downtown Farmers' Market. We flew our kite at Kites on the Green in Johnston, and then Charlotte and Daphne went to Pella for the Tulip Festival.   I stayed home to work on the Criterium '75 pinball machine.

This year we all did the exact same things. 

Obligatory crowded crowd shot of the Market. I'd have to say this was one of the busiest markets I have been to downtown. 

We call this Ding! We toast things like donuts, cookies, and tarts from Tami's Tarts. If we have two of it, it usually gets Dinged.

I have probably taken 50 pictures of Charlotte posing with poffertjes. Make that 51. 

For awhile there wasn't much wind for the Kites on the Green event.  A representative noticed Charlotte trying to get her kite off the ground. He said, "I can't give you wind, but I can give you a t-shirt!" In order to claim it, she had to shoot the shirt out of his cannon. That was cool.

Exciting kite action!

I couldn't get a picture that effectively shows how many kites there were. This is one of those "you had to be there" things.

Flying kites is tough work. Looks like it is time to reel it in.

There were professional kites there, too.

Kites on the Green is located behind the Johnston Public Library. We went inside the library, and I was standing next to a window watching what I thought was a kite with four parts. Then the four parts went in opposite directions, and I realized that I was watching four professionals flying four separate kites.

The video is kind of weird because there is no sound, and I filmed the kites through the window, but you can see how cool this is. I'm not much of a kite guy, but I can appreciate this. If I was outside, I would have clapped.

As I said, the girls went to the Tulip Festival. Daphne took this picture last year.

One year later...

Dang, she looks so grown up. While Daphne and Charlotte were enjoying the flowers. I was in the basement with my soldering iron and the Criterium 75 pinball machine.

Whew! That was Quite a Weekend

(I could have broken this large post into smaller portions, but I wanted this to be as long as the weekend felt.)

Last weekend's weather made it feel like we had already reached summer, and we sure took advantage of it. Charlotte was outside for most of the daylight.

Saturday started off with the opening of the Downtown Farmers' Market.  We got down there early, but it was still crowded.

Our first stop was at the Breakfast Delights stand. Charlotte and Maggie could hardly wait to start a new season of eating poffertjes. 

The adults passed a sausage breakfast sandwich back and forth.

Daphne and I shared a poutine on last year's closing day, and we both thought adding a fried egg to the poutine would be unhealthy, but it would probably help warm up the cheese curds. 

Six months later, we found out we were right. We went for the morel mushroom poutine. So good.

One of Charlotte's favorite treats is a snow cone. I think she likes the "special effects" tounge that it leaves behind.

We left the market around 11, and by noon we were at the 3rd annual "Kites on the Green" event at the common area near the Johnston Public Library. This was the first time we attend the event, and I have to say it was pretty impressive. The kites on display were more like hot air balloons. 

We told Charlotte that this was the only way we ever wanted to see her in a police car.

I also told her this is the only way I wanted her to her have a tattoo. Nice hats, by the way.

Fire Truck!

Ummm. I'm not sure what is going on here. The Police Force Awakens?

We brought Charlotte's Lady Bug kite. It was swag from a birthday party last year.

After a half hour of flying her kite, Char got tired, but she wasn't ready ready to bring the kite back to earth. Mom made for a good backrest.

We left the Green around 2:30, and at 3:00 we parted ways. Daphne and her mom enjoyed going to Pella for the Tulip Festival, and Daphne has started that tradition with Charlotte. I opted out, so I could work in the garage.

I bought a project pinball machine last December, but it was too cold in garage to work on it. There isn't that excuse now. The previous owner purchased the Criterium 75 in the late 70s, but he hadn't actually played it because it never worked. So, I have no idea what I'm up against. Might as well find out.

I cleaned the switches and stepper units in the back box and repaired obvious solder problems.

I pulled the bottom board out of the lower cabinet, and I tackled the switches there. 

I bought a replacement coil for a burned one, and once that arrives (eBay predicts Saturday), I'll install the coil and put the bottom board back in here.

Then I'll work on the bottom side of the playfield. 

All of this work might be for naught, but I hope to get this machine working before the end of May. We'll see. I haven't shown you the playfield because that's a different can of worms.

I do like the bicycle theme.

I asked Charlotte to take some pictures of the Tulip Festival with her camera, and she came home with 140 pictures. Holy cow. Here are my favorites in no particular order.

We headed over to Adventureland on Sunday after church. The park was supposed to open last weekend, but it was too rainy.

I have a feeling that this is the last year I'll take pictures of Charlotte on these rides. She barely fits.

Look at those two girls on the right.

Daphne and I took turns riding with Charlotte on Der Flinger. Man, I hate that ride. I get nauseous just looking at this picture.

Can we go back in time to when Charlotte only wanted to ride the Ladybugs, and we stood on the sidelines and waved? No, we can not.

We left the park at 3:30, picked up some groceries for the week, and I went to bed at 9:45. I haven't gone to bed that early since I was sick. If this is what summer is going to be like, then I'm in trouble.