The art of flight
One can learn many things from books. But, to be fair, some things are easier if someone shows you how. Many years ago a man came to our door and sold us some books. Dozens of books. So many they had to be delivered by railway train although that was a rule for many things. In our case although I was the only one apt to ever open them we bought a whole double set of encyclopedias. The person who came to our door explained that we could teach ourselves just about anything if we would only take the time to do some research . And so, in a couple of weeks, the curtains of books arrived. We had no plan. I decided to try and learn something based on the TV program that I had seen. Building a kite. I found some large pieces of wood which I tied together to make the requisite cross. Then I found a spool of thread and this used window blind. Do you follow me so far? I fabricated a kite that in proper conditions could probably have lifted a small car. It flew like a rock. Not my fault. I had followed the plan in the book. I had even constructed one of those tails that you see in pictures. Neither of my parents had any interest or background knowledge to help me so I put it down to experience. We needed better wind. I am glad that wind never came because I could have become a tourist in another province. This kite was well constructed even if it never had any chance of taking flight. And what I really learned is that even the best of instructions go better when you have someone to demonstrate where you had gone wrong. It took me many years to discover the errors of my ways. By that time you could get a kite at the local gas station and it actually worked. Plastics. And since that time I have tried other designs in other places and I have managed to fly a kite as the saying goes but the first time is a memory that will stay with me because I was so close and yet so far. Those books stayed around the house for many years mainly to hold windows open. Too much knowledge for the time and place.
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