Anyone seen a kiteboard toy, yet?

[Randy]

I'm a believer in cellular transmission, that somehow our 'ride' genes are transmitted in DNA coding to our offspring. I know I spent hours and hours, video after video, and many instructional lessons to get a proper windsurfing stance. My boys did little of this, and yet, their stance is almost indistinguishable from mine. Perhaps I wasn't as aware of their observational skills as I now am for my grandchildren. While we got two new editions this spring, the 3 and 2 year old are fixated on boardsports. The 3 year old is forever working maneuvers on his skateboard and started snowboarding this year. Davin's 2 year old is fully taken with kiteboarding. I'm called De Da, and after seeing me kite last winter, his first words up and last words down were, "De Da kite. Kite go up. Go boom", "Kite", "Kiteboard". This weekend we kited from our place and he got to see Davin kite and Judd and Diane were over. Their antics totally captured him. The whole day he watched and pretended he was kiting. He has a shovel he holds in the air, claiming the scoop is a kite. He pretends his books are boards and practices different maneuvers. If he's ever upset and needs calming, just pull up a YouTube of kiting.

Saturday night I think he had the same complete satisfaction feeling Kevin and Barry alluded to after five hours at Father Hennepin. I got to give Declan his bottle, and he had a look of happiness carried from his day of watching the kiteboarding. "Daddy kiteboard. Board. Kite. Kite up. Kite go boom. Blue kite spin. Daddy red kite, (and on and on and on)." Davin checked on him a half hour later, thought he was asleep, and when Dec heard the door he raised his head and said, "Kite. Board. Go boom", and with complete peace fell back to sleep.

I think it was that kind of weekend for a lot of us. We had a great day on Cedar Lake with the Blains yesterday. So fun to see the ease and grace of kiting with Judd, even when some outrageously mad wind decides to blow through. Sitting around talking afterwards, I could pick up some of the similarities of Declan's facial peace from the night before. I think my wife heard me uttering, "Kite, board, Judd go up, spin, go boom". Anyway, what a wonderful thing these wind instruments are. Given the wind gene we obviously have in us, it's hard to say what we'd be doing now without them. I know when I was little I'd take sheets of plywood and jump off hills on windy days just to get my feet off the ground. Can you imagine what they'll have when Declan's my age?

Congrats to Dave and Chris for some spectacular speeds. I know you were giving the Declan smile of satisfaction at the end of the day. Thanks to Steve, Nancy, Ryan, Judd and Diane for all your smiles and hospitality.

Anyway, sorry to be so long on this, but if any of you have seen a kiteboard toy, can you make a post on where it is? Thanks.

[steveb]

Randy. I don't have a clue where I got it, some promotional thing. But I have a little man standing on a wake/kiteboard. He's about 8 inches tall, he's wearing boardshorts and a life jacket, all his joints ,neck shoulders,elbows,waist and knees move so he can be molded into position.His fingers hook so he can hold a bar.
He's Declans he just needs a kite.I'll drop the thing off on my travels this week.

[Chris Lock]

Randy,

My wife and I laughed while reading about da kid working on his kitespeak. "Aw, how cute" she says.
Dont tell anyone but I had to agree.

There must be a gene that causes someone to want to get airborne. I remember too when I was a kid making some kind of kite/wing/sail/flying thingy made out of bits of wood and window plastic that I took down to the local sledding hill to see what kind of damage I could do to myself.

I just remember some old guy saying "hey kid, wheres yer string for that kite? Huh, ohhh,
I see......... good luck with that."

[Randy]

Steve Blain to the rescue. I'm working on a youtube showing the delight Declan's having playing with the kiteboard toy you delivered. Definitely a hit.

[steveb]

It was a gas to hear the kite speak in person, I can't get Declans phrase of "kite go boom" out of my head.The kid talks about kiting more than Dennis....