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| My dad, Dennis, looking very handsome. |
He was an exceptional person, and I miss him a lot.
He was a very supportive person in my life, always quirky, always thinking outside of the box. There are always things that we could be angry at our parents for, but at the end of the day, I would prefer to remember what I take away from the experience of being parented by such a an offbeat man. Many good memories, and lots of knowledge.
My father had an avid appreciation for nature and one of my favorite things to do with him was to go birding out on the land in back of the house. He would point out to me the different types of trees, we would be very quite in order to see animals, and look up the birds in his Audubon book. We found an Elm tree once, deep in the woods, untouched by Dutch Elm disease (this is actually something special as there aren't many Elms left in New England).
Another time we found a tiny fawn nestled in a field. We had to grab the dog, Dinah, and carefully back away in case we contaminated its scent. My father explained that fawns don't have their own scent, as a method of protection from predators. I'll never forget the way its sleepy eyes innocently blinked up at us. Magical.
I still enjoy taking walks with my mom, also an amateur naturalist, in her woods. I hope to for years to come.
lucky you, my father was quite the opposite
ReplyDeleteI found this remembrance to be poignant, touching, thoughtful and respectful. Just what one would have expected from this special girl.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, quirkiness was handed down from father to daughter.
Thank you, Charles.
DeleteNo matter how supreme the importance of a Mother may be it is the Father
ReplyDeletewhose attention and affection we always crave. Soldiers dying on the
battlefield call out for their Mommies but it is the influence of the
Father that has probably lead them to that point in their life. Perhaps
for you Amy, your path lead to the creative arts instead (a battlefield
also perhaps?).
Maybe in the end it is all faded moments. But I think you are correct in
saying the only way to deal with the past is to find a creative way to
own it. Thank you for sharing yourself with us.
Andrew/No URL
Thank you, Andrew. Both of my parents have had a tremendous influence in my life, my mother, too is a creative person, painter, writer, photographer.
DeleteAnd while I knew my father took some great pictures through the years, I wasn't aware of how great a photographer he was until I went through some of his things and found some simply amazing slides he took when he was very young. I'll have to scan some and share one day, when I can actually bear to sift through it all.
Very touching Amy. I only has a mother and I still miss her very much after 24 years. You have good memories and they will always be there.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the kind words :)
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