Something different.

It was the end-of-summer long weekend and, with Anna at her parents', it was time for a change. Juliette and I decided to try gliding. Here she looks underwhelmed by the prospect.



To be fair, she had just come off a night shift.



Her glider was a new a shiny job.

There's a lot of pushing aircraft around involved in gliding, that and running alongside holding the wing up while the craft gains speed.

Eventually though you do get towed into the air.

My ride was less new and shiny, there was even a small hole in the floor that later offered an alarming view of the ground rushing up to meet me.

This is the view as we took off. The structure below is a bull fighting ring, not something one expects to see in rural Ontario.

This is a passing hang glider. Due to the lack of mountains hereabouts hang gliders are towed to 2000' by an aeroplane. I'm told that, in order to launch, the hang gliderist is pulled along on a skateboard.

Since they launch from grass I think it's probably a contraption in the manner of a skateboard rather than an actual one but who knows? People who soar thousands of feet while hanging on to a kite may be capable of any sort of lunacy.

Hang glider pilots can't see up while glider pilots can't see down, there are lots of tow planes buzzing around. A collision would be ill advised so gliding is not quite the chilled cerebral activity one might think. It's more like sailing in the Toronto Harbour or driving on the M25 than an afternoon of quiet contemplation.