Well, I finally was able to put together my first few kite instructional videos. It was nearly 97 degrees here in Sunny Florida when I shot these, so I hope you like them:

Check out some of the other videos that I produced that show you:

• How to assemble a stunt kite
• How to attach kiteline to a stunt kite using a Larkshead knot

In case you didn’t receive our newsletter last week, here is your chance to check it out.

>> read the rest of this post.

Ok, this is pretty cool:

Over the weekend, some of you may have noticed that KiteStop.com was down for some time. Well, this was due to some stupidity on my part, and ended up working out for the best.

As some of you know, I’m a web developer by trade. While kites are my passion, web development is what I have to do during the day to make a living.

Well, this weekend, I came home excited because I was going to be spending some time updating the e-commerce software that runs KiteStop.com. This upgrade promised to have some needed fixes and some really cool new features. (yeah, I’m a geek)..

So, when I got home from work on Friday, I started the upgrade process, which (as the software warns) begins with backing up the existing site. Well, being the arrogant, “I know what I’m doing” type… I skipped that portion.

About 97% of the way through the upgrade process, my server crashes, and the upgrade was corrupted.

Now, if I would have backed up my files, I would have been ok. But this time, arrogance jumped up and bit me. My files did not match up with my database, so the shop became completely unusable.

This has already gotten to be a long story, so I’ll just end with the fact that I spent the major part of the weekend, re-installing the software, uploading products and throwing on a fresh new design.

I hope you like it. If you see anything out of the ordinary while you are taking a look around, please let me know.

Enjoy.

I’ve been doing some early spring cleaning on http://www.kitestop.com. As some of you may have known, I recently moved back home to Titusville, FL, and have slowly been trying to update all the information on our website and on the Internet to reflect my new location. Kite Stop is still online-only, but if you are in Central Florida (Orlando/Cocoa Beach) I’m able to deliver.

I do want to tell you about some of the changes I’ve been working on for awhile now.

First off, we’ve been bringing in a few more skill-toys. You may have noticed (and if you haven’t, then get to the shop and check it out) that we’ve brought in some Yo-Yos from YoYoFactory. These are really top-of-the-line yo-yos and we’ve picked out a fairly large range of yo-yos for all skill levels.

Second, we’ve cleared out the Kite Forum. This is one area that I’ve let languish for far too long. This is a great resource for people to come in and ask questions (or just shoot the breeze.) If you have any questions, or are in a position to offer advice, please get in there and do so.

Third, we’re starting to beef up our Kite School section. While we already had some great tutorials written by Eric Allen and Iain Drummond, we are working to get more tutorials up.

And Finally, I’m asking people to please (pretty please with sugar on top) tell your friends about Kite Stop.

I’ve been toying (heh.. toying) with the idea of stocking some throwing toys, like boomerangs, Aerobie rings, and X-zylo products. Well, today is the day. I just got a batch of throwing toys in, and they are ready for purchase. Check out our New Arrivals section for the items we just got.

Our friend Jim Martin from the WACKOS, shared some pictures from the recent Carolina Kite Fest sponsored by Kites Unlimited. Enjoy!

http://public.fotki.com/JMartJr/kite_fests/carolina-kite-fest-2009/

Well another AKA National Convention is in the books (ok, it was over a couple of weeks ago, but I just got around to posting about it). This time the convention was held in Rochester, MN… I wasn’t able to attend this year’s convention, but from the reports, I probably would have been miserable. I’m a thin-blooded Florida boy, so any weather that is colder than 75 just isn’t fun for me. Other’s who are used to cold weather seemed to have a great time. The flying fields were nice and big, and wind was better than expected.

This convention was the smallest to date. Nobody knows for sure the reason, but it could be anything from the economy to the location. Next year’s convention will be held in Ocean Shores Oregon, which is a much better site for kiteflying. I would encourage everyone that can to consider making plans to attend.

Without further ado, here is the new AKA board:

President – Barbara Meyer
1st VP – Gayle Woodul (Region 8 Director)
2nd VP – Linda Sanders (Region 13 Director)
Treasurer – Cliff Quinn
Secretary – James Patten
Director at Large – Russ Faulk (Sport Kite Committee Chair)
Director at Large – Sharon Champie (Fighter Kite Committee Chair)
Director at Large – Marla Miller (Annual Meeting Chair)
Director at Large – Andy Selzer (National Kite Month Chair)
Director at Large – Pete Ross (Kite Makers Committee Chair)