Dad

Yesterday was Father's Day. I was thinking about my dad and of some of the memories I have of him growing up. The longer I thought, the more I remembered. Here are some of my favorite things I remember about my father:

1. Going to visit him at Clatsop Community College in the basement that he transformed into the Art Department. I remember he had an office with a bed in it so he could take naps while the kiln was burning. I vividly remember one time that I was sick and my mom had to be somewhere and she took me to his office so I could sleep on his bed while he worked. I can even recall the smell of that basement...cement and art supplies mingled together. I loved that smell.

2. Whenever I would be with my dad driving he would point to various things in nature and ask me what colors I would mix to make the colors. Payne's Gray, Cadmium Yellow, Burnt Umber and it goes on and on. I still remember the names of paint colors. We would then talk about techniques to use to paint the objects.

3. Eating ice cream late at night with my dad while we watched a movie. Many times everyone would go to bed and my dad and I would stay up late watching an old movie on TV. The last few times I have been out to Astoria to visit, I was surprised to see my dad still does this. However, I did not resist when offered a bowl.

4. His laugh. My dad has the best belly laugh ever. It starts way down low and just rumbles to the top. I love laughing with my dad. I have seen him laugh so hard that he cries.

5. His knowledge. I am constantly amazed by the amount of historical knowledge he has. He was told as a young man to never even try to go to college because he would fail. Not only did he go to college, but he graduated with a Master's Degree. He can tell you anything about any time period. He also is very knowledgeable about the scriptures. He has a way of taking you back to the time period and setting the stage. He was the Gospel Doctrine teacher in his ward for almost 20 years...isn't that crazy?

6. He can tell a great story. The last few visits we have had I have realized what a great story teller he is. He really has a gift for making you visualize the entire situation.

I know my father is not perfect, but hey...neither am I. I know that he loves me and I love him too. Very much. Happy Father's Day dad. Here is to many more to come.