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I thought it might be interesting to share a story about our Fathers or as I always called mine, Daddy. Here is mine.
I remember one summer our garden had a big crop of beets. My Daddy was in the process of cooking the beets before they were added to the canning jars. We three kids were in the backyard playing and for some reason started a yelling fight. I can't remember what it was about but while Daddy was out 'calming us down' with a few smacks on appropriate bottoms, his beets boiled over and down inside the stove. You can imagine what a mess that was and also how fast we scattered!

My dad taught me to drive when I was 14. He had an old stick shift Ford truck and I was sooo excited when he told me it was time for my first driving lesson! I ran outside and got in the truck all ready to take on the world. He came out, told me to get out of the truck and proceeded to show me where the jack and spare tire was. That was my first lesson, changing all four tires on that old truck!! But I have to admit, he was the best teacher! He taught me how to dig out when he took me out on the mesa and purposefully got me stuck in the sand, took me up in the mountains and taught me how to get going on a hill with a stick shift w/o rolling back more than 3 inchs. He stood outside the truck with a measuring stick and made me do it until I got it right. How to come down that same mountain safely if my brakes went out and taught me to drive as if everyone out there was out to run me down. If for nothing else, I'll always be grateful for those driving lessons that have stayed with me my whole life.

Cool thread!! Thanks for thinking of it.

Two Dad-isms that have stuck with me always:

"All knobs come off" (knowing that little tidbit has come in handy over the years), and

"Speak with love in your voice."

Until about the month before he died, Dad walked 5 miles or cycled 10 miles each and every day.
Heated his entire place with wood he chopped and split himself.

Miss ya, Dad.

..

Sharon, I can see where all your knowledge of maintaining RVs etc came from.

As my Dad passed when I was just 11, I only have a handful of memories, mostly good ones. Like the time we were walking among his beloved Hereford cows and there was one that hated me. I was holding his hand so tight but she still managed to come up behind and boot me. He just laughed. I was scared to death! Or when we were taking hay to the cows and he jumped off the slow moving tractor and told me to drive while he threw hay off the hayrack. I was so scared I didn't move, but covered it up by saying "the tractor was driving itself ok and didn't need me". I also remember how he'd cut switches from the trees and use them on the backs of our legs when we needed it, which thankfully wasn't very often. I posted another memory in the Morning section.
Yep, love and miss my Dad.

Dad worked regular but long days at P&G for all his life. But...he was always the one who would find time to drive me to the evening meeting or go out of is way to pick up a GF and drive us to a basketball game in those years before any of us got our license to drive. The best was after I did get my license, there were times when my gf's and I would ask him to drive us anyway.....he would go sit with the parents and we woud go sit in the student section. My step mother never did "get" any of that. She would comment and complain that so and so lived so far out of the way and why did Dad need to pick them up. Dad would just smile and do what he wanted to do. He was busy but he always managed to help make us feel important, capable and listened to....when he was around.

My Dad has been gone for many years but the one lesson that he taught me when I was VERY small....probably 9 or 10 yrs old was....As he took out a silver dollar out of his pocket, he put it in the palm of his hand and pointed to it....He said....see that silver dollar ???? Never, ever think that that dollar is more important than people.... To preface his words, we were very, very poor, my Mother very ill & almost blind most of my life, we lived in the city so there were no gardens for vegetable growing or trees that bore edible fruit. Though I knew hunger, we certainly didn't starve...and my Dad worked every day doing the best he could to take care of us...no welfare for us and no family that came in and eased the struggle...those were hard years. However, I'll never forget his words & I try to practice them in my life...to honor him if nothing else...

Good thread ladies, thanks for sharing. Way back before I even started school I must have asked my dad how a toilet worked and he drew me a diagram of the basics. He was so proud later on when I could reproduce it for my mom or someone. Apparently the lesson didn't stick tho, cause don't have a clue now. I miss him much more than I ever thought I would.

I went to see my Dad today, he'll be 80 in December and is still very active. He always taught us how to do things for ourselves, like Sharon we had to rotate the tires before we could learn to drive. Every year when my parents took their rv trip to Colorado they would stop in Santa Rosa NM and buy apples. One year he stepped off the back of the truck and broke his ankle. My Mom was afraid to drive the truck pulling the 5er so he drove home with his left foot because his right was in a cast. While he was recuperating one morning my sister and I were headed to school and had a flat on our Chevy Nova, being so proud of ourselves for knowing exactly what to do, we jacked up the car, took off the flat tire and put the spare on, only to find it flat too. Here comes Daddy to save the day, not only did he pick up the tire and go get it fixed, he hobbled around on the shoulder of the highway and put it on for us!

Today we all went out on my brother's boat and had a cookout on Big Island at the Power Squadron's MN headquarters (my brother is a member). It was an absolutely perfect day! It was 80 degrees, sunny, slight breeze and low humidity. We took a long cruise all around the lake afterward. It was really crowded with boats today since it was the first really nice day all month so far (and Father's Day). My only regret is not bringing my camera along! I could kick myself for that! Can't believe I forgot!

Unfortunately, I don't really have any good memories of my dad during my childhood, other than him taking me and my two girlfriends on Halloween to the mansions in Wayzata so we could see what they looked like inside. That was fun and interesting! Afterward, he would take us to regular neighborhoods with lots of houses so we could get tons of candy (the mansions didn't have much candy to offer since they didn't get many trick n' treaters but we usually got a little tour of the house anyways!).
However, now that my dad has quit drinking, he is a lot more fun (and dependable) to be around. I can count on him for anything and he helps me out a lot. He worries a lot and can be very over-protective, but I guess that is normal for dad's with their only daughters, even tho it drives me nuts sometimes (alot!).

I was a little girl who LOVED LOVED LOVE horses. We had a mobile home in a little vacation complex (Maroni's Frontier!) outside Big Bear Lake, CA, and there was a riding stable nearby. My dad made friends with Ernie, who ran the place, and my brother and I were allowed to help with the rental string. My dad rode this big, spooky mare and my brother and I developed good seats on progressively better horses.

He'd get us up and out at 6 a.m., and we would ride out to the meadow and bring the horses in for feeding & their days' work. Even today I remember the smell my horse, the creak of the leather and the dampness of the early morning woods. Then there was the day he let us bring the string in alone. Such glory for a little girl.

I miss my Daddy big time, he passed away in Dec 2007. The biggest thing that I enjoyed was going to church with Daddy, did not get to do that till later in the years because we had been seperated when I was 4 yrs old and quickly adopted by my 2nd dad. To make a long story short I found my daddy when I grew up and had kids of my own and the greatest day we had besides sitting in church together was the day he walked me down the aisle to marry Dan. Because I had been taken away from him 40 yrs ago he never thought he would ever get the honor . I loved him dearly!!! Happy Father's Day Daddy . I also took Daddy's last name and put it BACK into my name to respect Daddy as my middle name.

He loved (and I enjoyed him) taking my sisters and I fishing, camping and horseback riding. Those were memorable days.

Memories these are hard to come by I saw my father when I was 8, I was removed from my mother's care and taken to my father's father and his wife to live... I did not see him for 18 years... he was older and maybe tried to make up some... he made a table and 4 stools for my children... that was a very kind thing he did...
Kathleen

my dad and sister were in killed in a accident in 1973 which was so long ago and unfortunately my memory never has been good! I hear people tell of memories that they have at the age of 3 and wonder how?? But I did remember something today a long forgotten memory that comes out every once in awhile...When I was a teen LBJ's dd married in the white house first that the nation had seen for years and it was as I remember at the time a very expensive wedding like 50.000 and I remember being shocked by the amount of money being spent on a wedding!!! and said something to that affect...Dad said if I had it I'd spend it ...........still brings the weepy eyes why???? he didn't very often express love but that did if he could he would! Funny thing is now that is peanuts compared to some weddings and I still don't understand the reason behind it all...
Dads are special I've often wished that mine had lived longer (for many reasons of course) one being so that I would have been closer to him...I was in my twenty's when he died and still hadn't come to know the man as opposed to the dad! Looking forward to being reunited with him as well as my sister
sheila