My Daddieo

This afternoon I had some serious writers block when it came to my dad, so I did what I always do when I need to think, I run.  This turned out to be a great metaphor for the substance I was looking for and as I was trudging along I came across a thought that sparked a million tangents of conversation with one unifying theme, I am my fathers daughter (my mothers too, but for sake of argument I’m going to stick with the theme…).

Some of my earliest memories of my dad were of me on a stage playing while he played in a city league basketball league.  I would climb all over the stage, no doubt getting myself into lots of trouble (Believe or not I was a trouble maker, I know…shocking!).   After the games he would show me how to dribble.  One poininent memory I have is of him bouncing the ball really close to the ground while dribbling and then resurrecting the dribble to a more resounding bounce, I was awe inspired.  It was my dad who also signed me up for my first sport (t-ball) at the age of 7.  I asked him, when he told me he signed me up, what sports were!  Little did I know that it would change my life. 

I have always identified with my dad and his level of activity and often as a kid tried to keep up with him.  He rarely sat down, unless it was for lunch before his mid-day nap, and doing whatever necessary to keep our farm, home and lives running at full speed.  I always think about him when I bemoan getting up in the morning, when I know he is already up, despite the three-hour time difference.  I reminding myself he already has breakfast up and cooking. 

My dad is a family man, man of God, and in my eyes The Man!  He is visiting his father (and mother) this weekend in the hills above the Snake River where they are buried.  I know it is cliché to say MY dad is the greatest, because isn’t that what this day is all about!?  He is for me a role model, pride, family, intelligent, worldly, hard headed, and to me he is love.  My dad is without a doubt, one of my most favorite people!

In my dads honor I did two things, made his famous eggs, hash browns, salsa and toast breakfast and more deliciously, made elk burgers on the grill from the meat he let me bring home on my last trip west.  I added to the burger your normal condiments, but included a spread of dill goat cheese, the dill from our garden at work.  It was delicious!