Dear Dolores Park 'Kite Guy' - you rule!

San Francisco is a small town. People stick to their neighborhoods. Faces are seen over and over again. I see people running into each other on the street, in shops, and on the bus more often than I can remember in any place I've ever lived before. And it's weird, but I do find myself liking the idea of neighbors and shopkeepers exchanging friendly smiles, serendipitous rendezvous, and a strong, tight knit community. And while I too have accidentally run into the few people I do know here, it's one guy who really, REALLY, makes me happy that San Francisco is so dang tiny.

Meet Kite Guy - Dolores Park's gem of a person that's constantly tinkering and evolving homemade kites. I first noticed Kite Guy on a much too windy day for picnics in the park wearing a 49ers jacket, brown bagging it, and attempting to fly what I like to call his "recycle kite" - a simple, classic diamond shaped kite made of sticks and a blue recycling bag. From this first spotting, I was impressed and intrigued - not because of his kite making skills, but rather by his attitude - he was creating...not just reading, daydreaming, or eating in the park.

After Kite Guy decided it was time to head home, I never expected I'd see him again. But about a week later, I spotted Kite Guy - this time with the 49ers jacket thrown to the side (it was much warmer) and outfitted with some cheap work gloves - something I'm sure really increased his kite-flying pleasure since he appeared to be using some thread on what looked like an empty toilet paper roll. The fact that this guy had gone home, contemplated his kite flying, and improved upon the design impressed me. But it gets better. Kite #2 seemed to fly better - the shape was the same, but the material used around the wooden rods appeared to be cloth. This kite had a nice tail, too, helping it take to the wind and climb high into the sky. But beyond functional design, kite #2 had a face - two blue circle eyes and a blue smile. It was amazing. As the Smiling Kite danced around people in the park - flying over soccer players, frisbee throwers, and hipster drinkers - I couldn't stop smiling right back it.

A few weeks passed before I was able to picnic in the park, but Alex reported back to me that Kite Guy was out in full force, with a new kite each day, in his same spot.

And just this past week, on a pleasantly warm day, we headed to the park for some afternoon reading, only to discover Kite Guy (and when Kite Guy is around I can't read, enthralled by the kite experience). On this day, he had TWO kites - one was blue, made with some fancy holographic wrapping paper and the other red. The Blue Kite was the first to take to the air with a tail made of sparkly decorative garland, which looked great in the sky - a genius design move. Eventually the blue kite got so high, you could hardly see it, and it stayed there for a good hour, tied to a backpack as Kite Guy savored a sandwich and sipped on a juice box, enjoying the company of his dancing blue kite.

I was left wondering what Kite Guy was like beyond the park, when he knew to call it quits on a day of kiting, and what he'd think of my dream kite design - an earthworm shaped kite flown with a fishing pole. Perhaps one day I'll talk to Kite Guy, but I worry if I do he might not live up to the kind of guy I've imagined he is...

pictured: Kite Guy and the Blue Kite // the Blue Kite really high up //
the Red Kite // the Smiling KiteI really wish these pictures had come out better, but they didn't
...so to see more, click the image to zoom in