Not Bob Umbowers. Not Charmayne Umbowers. It's us, Bob and Charmayne. Eleven years ago we were given a rainbow diamond kite for Christmas as we were going to Monterey's aquarium. A friend thought we might need a kite to fly at the beach. While waiting for the aquarium to open, we wandered into Windborne Kites. Wow! We were stunned. Bob is an avid reader so while I was admiring the kites, he looked at the books. We actually left without buying anything. Back home when we discovered that the book he wanted was not available at Gig Harbor we found Great Winds Kite Shop in Seattle. Not only did Ken Conrad sell us "The Penguin Book of Kites" but signed us up for the Ft. Worden Kitemakers Conference, too. We made the little delta in David Pelham's book, but it was nearly the end of a marriage that hadn't even happened yet! We discovered that I have to touch to understand and Bob makes miniatures as a first step in nearly all of our kite projects. We have also learned that I must work in metric, too, not just Bob!

During our first two years we bought more books; build a Tri-D box; flares; a hex roller; subscribed to kite magazines; joined several kite organizations. We built a "Chinese" butterfly from carbon and ripstop, flew it all summer and then entered it at WSIKF and came in dead last. We made 27 Hip Pocket hybrids for a class of first graders for Christmas. We built my polka dotted Eddy Wonder Bread kite; a small Cody War kite; a marconi jib; and Bob learned to split bamboo for tissue paper fighters and we discovered the beauty of Chinese kites in the air. The kite bug had bitten us badly!

We soon started traveling with our kite hobby. Our trips have given us terrific friends and ideas. So little time, so many kites needed. Beware: have tape measure and camera, will copy! Our 1996 Fanoe trip with Sam and Anne Huston was wonderful; incredible kites plus new friends. And it showed us another aspect of kiting, line laundry or is it line garbage? We came home with a little elephant and a T-Rex and a few slides of a duck. We talked to Bernd Knupfer, got sketches and measurements for his corkscrew. With European ideas and the soon to follow infamous Dolphin/Gomberg blue parachute cloth, I started sewing line laundry and have not stopped.

Left: A pair of Wildcats ('99) Right: An original design by Bob, named the "X Kite" ('98) Top: Bob & Charmayne in Uchinada, Japan ('99) Middle: Star Woman, round kite. Bottom: School Bus Line Laundry

We have come a long way since our first two little kites. We make bigger kites and historical replicas in modern materials. I actually win an occasional competition, we are privileged to teach now at Ft. Worden. We help children make, repair and fly their kites, and we share our passion with anyone who stops by. All this came about due to kite people like David Gomberg, Jose Sainz, Tom Sisson, Ken and Suzanne and Scott Skinner, naming a few Americans on a long international list, plus of course the beach walkers who stop by and say "oh, I like your kite."

Our favorite kiting times are those when we go to the ocean to simply fly. We put up our big kites and line laundry. Play with the little cat kites, experiment with the newly built stuff, fly fighters. We enjoy the sun and breeze, each other and other kiters who may be there also, and the beautiful colors we put in the sky. Some of the first kites we made back in 1989 still fly. Faded old ladies but most beloved. That little diamond kite and our blue ripstop nylon delta? They hang in the kite room, reminding us of our start in kiting. To us, kiting means friends and pleasure.


[Reprinted with Permission - AKA Kiting May 2000]
Editing & Layout by Ellen Smith, NyteStar WebDesign