GRACIAS, DAD!!!

DAD ~ one of my FAVE pictures

My D-A-D...

... never looked like a little kid! he was probably a kindergartner in this picture! one of the few pictures from his childhood.

DAD & MOM ~ 1948

... fell in love with this "cutie" ~ Mom is wearing his letterman jacket. they married a year later...

DAD - front row, far right

... taught us to love baseball! DAD played baseball in high school & after he married... he coached Little League teams... he taught me to keep the baseball scorebook (at a time when girls did not have the opportunity to play on extra-curricular teams)... he followed baseball games for 60+ years (his kids, grandkids & great-grandkids)... you can tell he LOVED baseball ~ look at that dazzling smile!

DAD ~ on the JOB

... taught us the value of working! he was a trained BRICK MASON... his brick work was precise, clean-looking & represented a superior level of skill. Dad worked weekend jobs (building fireplaces, block walls & room additions) to support our family! 

... shared his home repair skills with his family. Dad showed me how to use power tools, gave me tips on painting & gave me tools of my own. My fondest memory ~ several "DATE NIGHTS" spent at Home Depot... buying door hinges, sandpaper and furniture refinishing supplies. I'm certain that my DIY philosophy was prompted by his, "You can do this, babe!" attitude.

DAD ~ his other HOBBY

... begin playing golf in his later years... he shared his love of golf by taking us to shoot a bucket of balls! giving us set(s) of refurbished golf clubs!
... marshaled golf tournaments! he would share stories of the famous golfers he met (Jack Nicholas! Tiger Woods!)... all his kids & grandkids have one of his golf shirts or tournament jackets from his years of participating as a volunteer marshal.

DAD ~ loved dressing up!!

... loved clothes!! YEP! small in stature, his pants had to be shortened... perhaps that is one of the reasons he bought my mom her first sewing machine? (early in their marriage) ... we will remember him as being clean-shaven, smelling fresh (his granddaughters loved his Irish Spring soap smell) & tidily dressed whenever he wasn't working or puttering.

 GRACIAS, DAD... 
for everything you shared with us!

:: HaPpY FaThEr'S DaY ::