Happy 77th Birthday Daddy!!!

Dad, Boulder Creek 1987, originally uploaded by OrgandyCupcakes.

My dad is a great man. He didn't run a large corporation or win an Olympic Medal. He wasn't the mayor of our small town or famous for anything but his easy laugh. To me, he has always been ten feet tall.

He taught me that upwardly-mobile often means downwardly-noble, that is is more important, to be a success as a human being than it is to succeed in your job. To always do an "honest day's work" and do it cheerfully.

When I was little, he used to take me swimming. I would watch while he swam the length of the pool and back, underwater, without coming up for air, and I wanted to be just like him.

He taught me that it is never too late to pursue a new interest. After retiring, from thirty-five years at his job, he learned to play a new instrument (he already played the trumpet). After a bout with cancer, he picked up another, the violin.

He began gardening a few years ago and has become an expert, sharing the fresh, healthy fruits of his labor with all of us.

I wish I had realized sooner what a great and understanding listener he is. I could have used that ear while I was in high school.

His hips bother him a little but he doesn't let that slow him down. This photo is 22 years old. It's hard to catch him with the camera - he moves too fast! But, he looks pretty much the same.

I love him so!