Before I knew Him as
Superman There Was Kryptonite
A post by Rick
at Life 101 http://www.rickwatson-writer.com/2015/07/a-picture-i-prefer.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2Fxague+%28Life+101%29 prompted this memory.
Rick posted
a picture of his Dad at a time that he preferred to remember above his last
moments with him when he was ill. It
made me think, of the many memories of my Dad, what stands out the most?
How do you
pick a moment with a man who meant so much and did so much for me?
Strangely
enough, the moment I remember the most was barbecuing chicken one summer
probably just a few years before he passed.
I think this moment stands out because though I could never feel as an
equal with my Dad, he was getting older, I was no longer just a kid and we were
able to loosen up and speak man to man for maybe the first time.
Helping to loosen
us both up and speak on a different level from father and son were several gin
and tonics. Dad was not a big drinker,
and neither was I yet. Several G and T’s
while flipping (and probably burning) chicken and I heard stories from my Dad’s
past that he had never divulged before.
To me my Dad
had always been a superman. He was a
chemical engineer, built fiberglass boats as a hobby, he owned and flew a
plane, he was an expert sailor, skin diver, inventor, a good golfer and a great
father; learning stories of his youth humanized him for me.
I learned
how he and my Uncle Jack built a hydroplane boat with a large converted auto
engine.
“To fire it
up we had to first pour gas directly into the carburetor. It created quite a bang and a flash when it
kicked over, but that was fairly common in those days. The boat was fast as hell, but we made one
small mistake. We did not build it with
a keel (a board or blade
in running down the center of the boat that gives it traction on a turn).
When we tried to turn the flat bottomed hydroplane it just spun like a
top and kept right on moving in the same line.
Damn near killed us both!”
Then there
was the boat he and friends sailed in a race to Bermuda in the thirties. They were so late in finishing that they were
reported “lost at sea.”
“When we
brought in into the harbor everyone was very excited to see we were alive, we could not figure out what all the
excitement was about, we were never in danger, just very slow.
One year later we were painting that boat and a scrapper went right through the hull, the dry rot was so severe.”
One year later we were painting that boat and a scrapper went right through the hull, the dry rot was so severe.”
On another
trip to Bermuda with my Uncle Tom he told me how they both had a bit too much
to drink and ended up racing those little scooters up and down the airport
runway.
“The people
in charge were not happy. We were
invited to leave and told we should probably never come back…damn and I loved
that island!”
None of these stories were parts of a man’s life
that you might brag about, but they did make Superman a little more human in my
eyes.
so very cool.
ReplyDelete(and i love gin and tonics, too.) :)
Blogger ate my comment. Bugger.
ReplyDeleteLooks like your dad knew how to have fun. It also appears that the limb didn't fall to far from the tree.
Have a fabulous day. ☺
Obviously you come from good stock.
ReplyDeleteGreat stories Joe!
I think you summed it up really well that these stories made your dad seem more human. I think sometimes parents are afraid to tell their kids about some of their "adventures" afraid that the kids might follow in their foot steps with them, but also some of these things can confirm that parents are indeed just people just doing the best they can with what they have to work with.
ReplyDeletebetty
I think many parents don't realize those little things will be the things their children remember later in life. Even simple things like grilling. It gives our lives meaning because your father lives on through your memory.
ReplyDeleteI loved the old stories. I think my kids will have to make up their own; too much in the here and now to want to know of the past.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was older, and so was I, when he first began telling me stories about his younger days. It was fascinating and I wish I'd had more to hear more.
ReplyDeleteHow fortunate you are to have these stories from your dad. My dad seldom opened up. I think his childhood was just too painful.
ReplyDeleteMy father was the most generous (with his time, money & love) man I ever knew!!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a good thing to get these stories, and preserve them, they become part of the family lore.
ReplyDeleteWonderful memories you have to enjoy and relive. My dad was superman also, even when his warts became visible. There was just so much great in him that overshadowed a flaw here and there. Loved him and miss him.
ReplyDeleteWow! Banned from a whole island! Sounds like he lived life to the fullest.
ReplyDeleteYour father sounds like a great person - good to have as a Dad and good to get to know as a person. My father was a serious and quiet, almost stern, man and I never had the chance to interact with him as a friend after I became an adult. Of course, being separated by several thousand miles and a big ocean also may have had something to do with it.
ReplyDeleteThat point where adult children and their parents can speak as equals, I never reached it. My mum was such a domineering person, she was the mum (boss) and that was that. The things I remember best about my dad was the freedom he allowed me, as long as I was home when the sun went down and the day he rode away on his rickety old man's bike and rode home on a shiny new small size girl's bicycle for me.
ReplyDeleteIt was only when I cleaned out mother's house for the last time that I saw her not just as my mom, but as a person like me, just living life and wanting it to be a happy one. Dad's things were still there, too, but his identity other than "daddy" had long faded away with his death 20 years previous.
ReplyDeleteI like it when you write about your dad. Sounds like I'm not alone in having the stories trigger nice memories of my own!
It's crazy how different you begin to see your parents, the older you get.
ReplyDelete