The three men who drove by when my grandson and I were launching a kite in a dykeland field must have seen something humorous. Their actions weren't surprising.
Most people associate kite flying with kids and look on the kite as a toy.
However, people with this mindset and the bumpkins who found me amusing would change their minds about kites if they were familiar with the experiments of Alexander Graham Bell. Or if they happened to be in Japan or Korea when the centuries-old kite fighting competitions are taking place. People have been flying kites for over 2,000 years. Beginning with the Chinese, who are believed to have flown kites as early as 400 BC, kites spread through the Pacific region, reaching Europe just before the Middle Ages. Over the centuries the kite has been used in warfare, in religious ceremonies and in scientific experiments, which included investigation of the kite's potential for transportation on land and sea.