Last week I told you I was planning to stay home a few weekends in June. And of course, right after I wrote that, the phone rang. The folks up in Ocean Shores Washington wanted me on their beach and made me an offer I couldn't refuse.... a room, free lunch, and a limited edition event pin! The Ocean Shores International Kite Challenge was a great show this year! It is amazing how much fabric a couple of dozen fliers can put in the sky. There were line art displays, bols, Peter Lynn giants, circoflexes, huge foils and inflatables, roks, arches, birds, and noodles. One guy came out and put up all the kites he owned - about 30 airplane and ship kites. And Dale Ray showed me how he is stacking mini octopus and trilobites on a common line. Cool! Sunday afternoon was the best day of flying I've enjoyed in a long time. Fliers from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, the Westport Windriders, Pierce County Kitefliers, and WKA braved a windy and overcast Saturday and a sunny and beautiful Sunday. Each day had a different set of kites up, so the backdrop kept changing.

I also took time to unveil the new Midnight Blue Peter Lynn Teddy Bear. Launching a new kite for the first time is always an exhilarating experience -- especially when it is the size of a school bus. "Big Blue" didn't disappoint. With a Pilot Foil to guide him, he went right up and was 40 feet off the ground before we realized that we hadn't even closed the deflation zippers in his feet! Later in the day, I slid a mid-sized Cat up the same line.

Thanks again to Jim, Monica, Mary, and all the folks at Cutting Edge Kites for making this event possible. Festivals are good for kiting, but organizing them, while rewarding, is never much fun. Next week I really am staying home..... ;)

Weekly Special: Cats from GKPI If you have been checking our other pages, you know that we finally have our Peter Lynn Mini Cats in production. They are going for $400. So here's the deal: If you want to receive one of the very first Kitties, give us a shout before June 20. We'll take off your 10% AKA discount and throw in a free three foot inflatable mouse -- a $30 value. And if you aren't an AKA member, well you'll pay full price but we'll *give* you a membership! And you still get the mouse!

Here's something else special. We have just received a limited edition run of super-size bags from MLD. These are the heavy-duty long bags, 62 inches long and a foot in diameter, that will hold an enormous number of sticked kites. They include compression straps and four outside pockets. We use this bag for air travel and have put hundreds of thousands of miles on ours. The biggest worry I have is cramming on too much stuff and exceeding airline weight limits. We only have a few but you can have one for $99. You get your choice of black or black...

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