Picture this scene: Dad and my brother Greg are walking along the beach. The sun is out, ocean waves are breaking on the shoreline, and individuals of all ages are taking a pleasant morning stroll. Everyone is minding his or her own business and innocently enjoying ‘private time’ in a public place.  But to Dad, […]

On one of our Sunday visits, my sister and I noticed there was a growth on Dad’s left temple that seemed to getting bigger. Of course Dad’s pooh-poohed its importance, but to our untrained eyes it looked like another squamous cell tumor (Dad had already had several of these removed). I told him that we […]

I suppose these stories are not quite as messy as the time I thought the bar of chocolate on my father’s dresser was really chocolate…..only to find out it was some kind of magic candy called “Ex-lax” that did something awful to you! Well, that’s one story I won’t forget or describe to readers.… I […]

Ted and Charlie were my two brothers growing up…I say “growing up” because Sam and John, my half brothers, came many years later. My sister Cindy was right in the middle of this group of boys, so it is remarkable that she made it to college in one piece! Ted, my older brother, thought he […]

Several years back, my wife Donna and our son Todd were visiting an historical museum. On the tour, a guide spoke passionately about how hard it was was for immigrants to overcome life’s 19th century challenges, such as poverty, hunger and unemployment. At that point, Todd commented to Donna, “I bet Papa would have found […]

After our mother passed away, my sister moved back home to take care of Dad. She bought herself a little dachshund, Buster, to keep them both company. My brother fell in love with the little guy—and before long found himself bringing another dachshund, Julie, home to his wife. Buster and Julie were together all the […]

During the summer months when I was in grammar school and high school, Dad always had us working. There were summers where I cut lawns at different houses in our neighborhood, had a paper route with 62 daily customers and helped with repairs at Dad’s rental properties. Plus, I was always doing chores around our […]

When I look at this blog, it’s always a bit surprising to see the picture of Dad wearing a hat. Surprising, since that was not part of his typical wardrobe. I don’t think we have a photo of this anywhere – it’s not a sight you’d think to preserve – but what Dad usually wore […]

I realize it’s a little late for a Christmas story, but since I just threw out my tree the other day, I figured I’d go for it…. In our family, we never let our brother forget one particular Christmas—the year he and his wife were newlyweds, as it happened. That year, Reed* showed up on […]

I loved the roundup of holiday comments in the previous “Reader” post – some real classics! Not to play “Can you top this,”  but….well, it seems that no matter how crazy people think they’ve had it, our experience with Dad usually can top it. For instance, this comment: (Uncle reluctantly uncorking a third .75 liter […]