Happy Father's Day Dearest Bob

Adding wire to hang a quilt

In about a month, I will have been married to my best friend for 39 years. Friday was his birthday and today is his Father's Day.

Although he can sew, he doesn't quilt. In college, he would mark the hem of dresses and shorten the hems so the gals would look great when they went out with their boyfriends. He has always said the "bachelor" sewing class that his mom taught has served him well! For Christmas one year, he made his grandmother a blouse which she loved. We know she loved the blouse because she wore it often and not just on the days she knew he was coming to visit!

He does support my quilting journey. He has cut dowels and added wire so that my quilts could hang in an art hanging system at the library. When pushed for an opinion, he says what he thinks not what I would like to hear! His color sense and prospective is so much better than mine!

Shoveling the four cubic yards of compost one wheelbarrow at a time

Since 2009 when a car accident cut gardening out of my life, he took over maintaining the flower beds as well as continuing to maintain the two acres around our home.  When I snapped the photo of him shoveling compost this spring, his smile is telling me to leave him alone. . .he has a task to finish!!!! It took him three days to spread that compost. Had he not had a couple school runs for the grands, he would have finished in less than two days!

The last few years, we've gone to the local nursery on Mother's Day. I pick the plants; he plants and maintains them. It doesn't matter if it is a hanging basket type plant, a flower border plant or a vegetable plant. He keeps it going until the frost! (He even brings the potted geraniums in to the garage in the fall and over winters them!)

At the ballgame with daughter Amanda

He likes to cook and to try new recipes. His smoked ribs, brisket, chicken on the traegar are terrific every time. He bakes delicious cinnamon rolls and his chicken pot pie is out of this world. His Asian shrimp/pea pod stir fry is almost as good as his Kung Pao chicken. We line up for "Dad's burgers" and grilled steaks. Most every item he cooks is great. Mealtime is always an experience!

Demonstrating how the parts attach

He also shops for all the groceries. I didn't mind buying the groceries; but, after several decades the task had lost its luster! As a numbers guy, he calculates his savings and his expenditures before he gets to the cash register. He is great about getting the best bargain. Should I be the one purchasing the groceries, he has the list/ the app to get the discounts/the location of the item ready for me. He can remember some of the most trivial bits of information. I use to think my memory was good; but, his memory is better!

Fun for him is a workout at the gym almost every day of the week . . .unless he is planning to go on a bicycle ride or help a friend with a wood cutting project.  Sometimes, his friends come here to help with a wood cutting project. Sometimes, he goes fishing.  In the fall, you would find him attending an Oregon State

Tree removal project with his buddies

 University football game.

Family is important to him. When our daughters were in high school, he attended swim meets and water polo matches. He often timed events and he took an active interest in activities that interested his daughters.

Salmon for a dinner in Hawaii

For the last seven years, he has provided shuttle service to the grands. . .whether that was driving from our house to their mama's school at the end of the day or picking them up from their house at the beginning of the day. He even did the various routines: get breakfast, get kids dressed,  walk elementary school kid to school, pick up elementary kid after school and drive both kids to mama's school in the afternoon. In between, he read stories and played games. . .even if it meant he was playing a part in a make believe princess game or it was a chase game!!

Bob is a gamer. . .pinochle and cribbage are a couple games he enjoys playing with family members.

He's been retired for the last nine years. Yes, he retired early as a project manager in a road construction company.  During his working years, although we didn't do without, we also didn't live extravagantly either. The savings we built are serving us well now. In a couple of years, he will "mature" into social security eligibility.

Yes, Bob vacuums, washes windows, mops and does laundry.  He preserves pickles, jams, peaches, peppers. . .in short, he has a myriad of talents. His mom was a good teacher; but, his dad was a terrific role model. His dad also had all of those talents too!

Choosing oysters on the half shell at a market in London

Bob would prefer to not travel. Although, he did enjoy a trip to Normandy France a few years ago. Daughter Nicole, navigated as he  drove around Scotland. She captured a photo of him as we began our driving trip around a portion of Scotland. He indicated a couple weeks ago that he thinks Ireland would be a good place to visit. (I'll start planning a trip!!!)

He has a wicked sense of humor and is so quick with a comeback. The only way one can beat him at his game is when he decides to let you!

Driving in Scotland

So dear Bob. . .Happy Father's Day. You are truly one in a million. I am so thankful you are the biggest and best part of my life. I love you more than I did the day before!