I would love to see every house decorated.

I would love to see every house decorated with windsocks, wind_mobiles, and yard_toys. These outdoor decorations make the home so personalized. When I go past a home without any decorations, the home looks so cold and dispassionate. However, when I see a home with windsocks, spinners, and mobiles, I see fun! I see a home that is given loving care and a vivacious personality. To me it looks as if the home is dancing with the wind and I love it!

Ruth Hackman

Aerial Stunt Kites®

http://www.askites.com

Aerial Stunt Kites flying for the president.

Well, I did it! I tested those pesky big kites...big winds(30mph), big kites this morning. While I was testing, I remembered a few years ago when President Bush was coming to town. Our Mayor wanted a big showing along the streets, encouraging shops to close just to help line the streets.

Okay, there were a couple of protestors which brought the Secret Service to the parade route. I had no political ambitions, so I closed the doors and went down on the beach to fly kites two blocks away from parade route. I bet you've already guessed.....I had ear buds on flying with music. All of a sudden, people were waving by the fence about fifty feet away. I waved back, best as a person can with both hands busy. They waved back again bigger...I waved back ...BIGGER. They waved back and pointed at the sky behind me. I looked. There was a huge orange helicopter with two sharp shooters behind BIG guns mounted on tripods in the helicopter pointed at me. What do I know...so I waved. Then the crowd behind the fence pointed at the sky on the other side. Humph, what do you know, another orange helicopter with mounted guns pointed at me. So again I waved. With loud music in my ears, I did not hear their order to "Put down the kites, NOW!!" This whole process took about 15 minutes and I just kept flying my kites. The President must have gone on past, because all of a sudden the copters swung around and left. All the people by the fence collectively let out a breath and started laughing. I had unwittingly thwarted the Secret Service. In retrospect it is funny!

Ruth Hackman from Aerial Stunt Kites® at 121 Wrigley Dr, Lake Geneva, WI.
This winter you will get a 10% discount if you tell me you saw and read this Google Blog.
Good through March 15, 2013.

Official Google Blog: Simplicity and power

Official Google Blog: Simplicity and power

Quotes by Ruth Hackman

"Music is Mother Nature's heartbeat."

"Your birthday is Father Time keeping track of Mother Nature."

"Weather is Mother Nature's kids playing."

"A smile.....eye candy!"

"When I was younger.....ahhhh."

"A test....is just asking for it!"

"Heaven....higher education."

"Sunset..Mother Nature's painting class."

My Favorite Charity

I have investigated many charities. Some actually use 90% of their donations as "administrative costs".

Doctors Without Borders uses 92% of their donations directly to the doctors, supplies and pharmaceuticals in countries around the world.If anyone reads this article, could you please go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/causes and vote for "Doctors without Borders". Your vote (not your money) can get Doctors without Borders a million dollar donation.

Thank you ever so much

Ruth Hackman

Aerial Stunt Kites, LLC

Did you know $35 provides 200 children two high-energy meals a day.

Circus Wagons Come to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Twenty of the more than 210 restored magnificent circus wagons from Baraboo, WI. will be in Lake Geneva from September 19 through September 22. Circus World personnel will be on hand to talk about and operate some of the treasures on Saturday and Sunday. The circus wagons will be on display along Wrigley Dr. This is truly a site to see.
We hope all of our friends and families will take the time to come and see this special event. While you are here stop by and say hello at Aerial Stunt Kites, 121 Wrigley Dr here in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Good Winds to you always! Ruth Hackman

http://www.askites.com/shop

Kite Inspiration

Kite Inspiration by Ruth HackmanThe exact origin of kites has been disputed for centuries. After lengthy research with limited resources (as there are no exacting authorities on this subject) I remember reading a favorite story about an ancient Mongolian tribal leader defending their village from an invading army. He held the invaders at bay by vaulting rocks onto the enemy in the valley as he and his men held firm their position on the western hill. The enemy had chosen their attack from a northeasterly direction in early morning hours.The great Mongolian leader told his men to hold their position and defend until mid-day. He knew the winds at that time of day would be good strong winds coming from the southwesterly direction.He had all the women he could muster make huge kites stained with an evil eye on the front side of each kite. When the high winds came at midday, he was overjoyed and had the men rig the kites to crest the hillside on his command all at the same time knowing the winds would carry these kites at just the right angle over the enemy. When the enemy saw all of these evil eyes spying on them, they ran for their lives. I love that story and pass it on to my children.However, more recently dual control kites (stunt kites) have been attributed to Paul Garber, U.S. Navy Recognizance Officer WWII in 1941, and, more recently, Peter Powell, British advertisement agent in 1972 while rigging ropes on a CocaCola advertisement realized he could do this with a kite. He won 1976 British Toy of the Year Award. Some of the new kites were created on computers and flown in Langley Air Force Base wind tunnels as prototypes for the Stealth Bomber.Until 1994 our kites shared materials from marine spinnakers, spars from Beaman ArcheryTM, lines from packaging material, and various other parts from fishing equipment manufacturers. After attending our world cup championships and seeing the attendance increase from 600 people in 1990 to 40,000 in 1994, companies started making material just for kites. After 18 years of competition, attendance has exceeded 100,000.Today’s kites are the lightest rip-stop nylon, CarringtonTM and NouveauTM material, spars of carbon and fiberglass for beginner kites and frames of graphite, titanium and niobium lightweight metals for the experienced kite flier.Flying lines are made of cotton, Dacron, nylon, Kevlar (bullet proof vests share this material), or the ultimate flying line ‘Spectra’ flight line. This ‘Spectra’ fiber was created as tether lines for our astronauts’ walks in space.Our competitions consisted of 10 mandatory and 12 compulsory movements. The compulsories may be displayed in a 2 to 3 minute freestyle performance. The higher the difficulty factor the higher the point value. The final phase incorporates the beauty and grace of ballet kite flying set to music in a 3 to 5 minute performance. This was our “league style” competitions. They have evolved since then to a higher level. Please visit:http://worldsportkite.com/irbc.htm for updated kite rules.How did I get started? Being an orphan raised on a ‘work-farm’, I believed the only point to life was work. After marriage, a son and daughter, and a lot of hard work, my children gave me my first triple set of stunt kites. Being an orphan I had never had a kite and can not remember any present other than hand-me-down work shirts and lined corduroy pants and greatly appreciated them, too.I took my kites out in the mowed hay field and practiced when I could. People saw these beautiful kites for miles and would come to see what they were. Eventually, I acquired more kites for others. We started a club and started competing in 1981. I guess from what I can find I was the first woman who competed in stunt kite competitions. Well, I am sure someone will let me know if this is not the case.In recent years, I have been fortunate to see competition in it’s infancy to its status of today’s great competitors. While giving praise where praise is due, I have seen many competitors go on to become great leaders and corporate moguls.Some of the great kite fliers who were an inspiration to me are:David and Susan Gomberg, who have been the instrument in forging our Kite Trade Association International and American Kitefliers Association. They have traveled the world as missionaries with a kite in their hands and love in their hearts. Please visit their site and ‘about us’ page at http://www.gombergkites.com/about.htmlDon Tabor who organized some of the first formal competitions in the late 1980’s well into the 1990’s and is an inductee to the Kite Museum Hall of Fame . Please visit: http://www.kitefestival.com/halloffame.html Ron Reich an oceanographer for NASA has assembled and flown a kite under water. And he wrote and published one of the first how-to-fly stunt kites books. Please visit: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE1D6133FF931A35754C0A966958260&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Subjects/K/KitesDan Buxton went on to head a company producing kite flight line.Kathy Goodwind founded her own company producing unusual great kites.Please visit http://www.goodwindskites.com/aboutus.shtmlKen McNeil Blue Moon Kite Production and produces some of the most unique kites made in today’s market many of which are one of a kind. Please visit http://www.bluemoonfabrications.com/about.htmThere is so much more history on single line kites, deltas, box kites, diamonds, and parafoil kites at: http:/www.aka.kite.org/ and http://www.kitefestival.org/rules.htm , and there are so many companies to visit at: http://www.kitetrade.org/ for each kite shop there is another kite story like mine. And there are so many kite events to attend all over the world. There are several magazines dedicated to kiting which can be found by typing in ‘kite magazine’ in all search engines. So get involved “Go Fly a Kite”.We have so many people visit our shop and tell us they spend their vacations visiting kite shops in each state getting to know the owners. They told me it’s a piece of Americana to see original shops not owned by corporations. And each shop is as diversified as the owners. So until we meet signing off Ruth Hackman at Aerial Stunt Kites http://www.askites.com/ saying “Good winds to you always!”You have been so kind to read this blog. I now have a treat for you. Another hero of mine in our kiting industry Ray Bethell. Here he is without further ado:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E69flRylQRo enjoy!