LONG BEACH, Wash - Once a year, the world's longest beach also becomes the most colorful. Hundreds of kites jockey for airspace at the Washington State International Kite Festival.
But only one flyer gets his very own field.
Ray Bethell, a national and international kite flying champion, doesn't use just one kite. He makes three of them soar, simultaneously.
"It's a ballet. I fly to music in my head," he said.
He holds two kites in his hands and the third is attached to his waist. All of them gracefully dance with gravity, and are choreographed to music only Bethell can hear.
"The jukebox in my head takes over, and the tune, I'm flying to music in my head," he said.
They are love songs he heard long ago. Before a rare virus invaded his body and stole his sense of hearing.
"September 19 years ago, I went to bed hearing and woke up completely deaf," he said. "I was devastated, until I went to the hospital… and there was children running around, I was quite mad because I can't hear and they're having so much fun. And they told me afterwards that they had terminal cancer. So I said to myself, 'Ray smarten up. You only lost your ears.' I accepted it."
Flying kites became Bethell's refuge. He's surrounded by friends and fans, in a place where what he lost didn't matter.
"When I fly, I'm at peace with myself and the whole world," he said. "'How can you fly for 12 hours a day,' they ask me. Because I'm at peace for the 12 hours."
Bethell will appear at the 35th Annual International Kite Festival later this week. The festival starts Monday, Aug 17th and runs through Sunday, Aug 23rd 2015.
