Bobby Fischer

Bobby Fischer has passed away. Growing up during the Cold War era, I regarded him as one of my heroes. His epic chess battles against Soviet Boris Spassky was an integral part of that experience. But his amazing success at such an early age was also one my first experiences seeing a superlative mind in action.

That said, he did not remain one of my heroes.

It's not that I "grew up", which is a rationalization too many use to give up on their values. It's the fact that Fischer turned about to be as nutty as he was brilliant at chess. Check out the Globe article referenced above.

In effect, he was my first exposure to a common phenomenon—a compartmentalized mind, one which applies reason to a very narrow range of human activity but not nearly enough to practical matters, including and especially simple justice to other human beings.

Speaking of justice, that's why I took some time to write about his passing here—to take a moment to remember the best within him. His best was simply amazing and a pleasure to behold.

Hammonasset Kite Festival

This year's kite festival at Hammonasset was dampened by rain on Saturday. Fortunately, Sunday cleared up and allowed some fun under a chilly sun. Some pics follow.

This guy wasn't flying a kite as much as a parachute. He fought mightily to stay on the ground!

My fav shot of the day—Kermit the frog in flight.

3 kites being flown by one guy! He had some kind of gear around his waist managing the kite strings along with his hands. I was impressed!

Another shot of the 3 kites managed by 1 guy. It wasn't enough that he got them into the air; he got them to do cool synchronized acrobatics.

Back at ground level, spectators look on.

This year's festival was not as dramatic as it has been in the past when truck sized kites dominated the skyline. I don't know what accounts for that. Perhaps it was the threat of rain. Still, it was a good enough for a nice day in the sun, even though it was unusually chilly for late May.

Later, Mary and I walk along the Hammonasset boardwalk. Good thing we brought our jackets! We were pleasantly surprised to find that the boardwalk has been completely rebuilt with some kind of spongey material as firm as wood but not as susceptible to decay. Lower maintenance is good!