# KindleBoards contest: Fathers and Summertime Memories



## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Father's day is coming, and this year it also happens to be the first day of summer. For this contest, we want to hear your stories or memories that blend the two concepts of fathers and summer.

So tell us about a family summer vacation memory, or perhaps that awful barbecue incident. Or the embarrassing clothes your Dad wears to the beach. Use your imagination - one little memory is your ticket to enter this drawing.

And... here's a twist. We want your Father's Day gift ideas! So in your post, you may list up to three ideas for Father's Day gift ideas that are available from Amazon. Make sure one of them is under $50. (You get kudos if you use our Link Maker to make image links in your post.)

On Father's Day (Sunday June 21), we will draw three entries at random. Each entrant will receive their choice among their under-$50 Amazon gift ideas.


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

My Dad is the strongest, hardest working man I know. When we were kids he worked a full time job Mon.-Fri. in a munitions plant and then, ran his own bakery on Saturdays. He had to go to bed at 8 PM on Friday nights to get up at 3 AM to mix the dough and get the bread started. He then spent 16 hrs. in front of a scorching hot oven. His bakery was not automated, but an old fashioned neighborhood bakery. He built the cinderblock and brick oven by himself by hand. That oven turned out some of the most delicious breads, rolls, and pastries I've ever tasted in my life.

On Sundays in the summer, though, he really made it his day of rest. That day, we would go to Mass together and then my Mom would pack a great day-long picnic and Dad would drive us out to a local lake and spend the day playing and throwing the four of us kids around in the water for hours, then going up to the picnic area to grill us our meals. We would stay there all day and have lunch and dinner there. This was my Dad's idea of relaxing and we loved him for it. One of my fondest memories that my sisters and brother and I still laugh about now is when, on the way home on Sun. nights, he would tease us saying that he was not going to stop at the soft ice cream stand to get us our much-awaited treat because he wasn't sure we behaved well enough that day. He would really get us going with our protests and defenses of our actions that day and then, at the last moment, he would turn in to get us our ice cream. He did this every week and we fell for it every time!

He is now 85 yrs. old. His joints are arthritic and he is bent over from all the years of hard work he put in. He has little feeling in his arms and hands due to nerve damage. It is difficult for him to hold anything, let alone a heavy book. I think a Kindle might be just the thing for him. I'd like to give him one for Father's Day. I'm going to see him this weekend and will let him try mine to see if he can use it. I'll either get him a new K2 or give him my K1, whichever is easiest for him.

So, my under $50 gift ideas would be accessories for one or other of the Kindles:

M-edge GO! Jacket for Kindle 2 (Genuine Leather)

M-edge Executive Leather Cover for Kindle 1

Mighty Bright Duet2 L.E.D. Light


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

My Father is gone, but he was an umpire for the softball leagues wherever we lived, on military bases, in towns, etc.,  I always got to go with him and would sit on the hood of the car watching and rooting.  When I got old enough to drive I was allowed to drive him, keep the car for a couple of hours (naturally I didn't do anything naughty   ) and go back and pick him up.

When I was in college he went back to school to a seminary and got his degree and became an Episcopal priest at the age of 54 but still enjoyed his umpiring.  At that age he became an avid golfer, both playing and watching on tv.  He instilled in me the love of sports, particularly the importance of being a spectator as I was never athletic and that athletes need someone to root them on.

After he retired, finally, he had the time to read and loved Westerns, particularly Louis L'amour.

I miss him every day but am thankful I had a wonderful loving and caring father when I did.

Of course I'd get him a kindle, and oodles of books and a kindle cover.  After trying  I am afraid I cannot get the links, but I do know I can get them all on Amazon.  Maybe will come back and try again.


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

My dad passed away - gosh, 7 years ago now - at the age of 84. He loved to read, and I read a lot of the books he did (some probably weren't age appropriate when I read them but I think both my parents figured as long as I was reading it didn't much matter what I was reading).

He spent a lot of time on the road during the week because of his job. But I never felt like he was an "absent" father. He was always a very real presence in our lives even when he wasn't physically present. Among the "lessons" I remember learning from him: There's nothing wrong with being ignorant, but there is something wrong with being unwilling to learn. And never assume anything. (I still hear him saying that - usually when I've made a bad assumption!)

I'm not sure whether he'd have liked the Kindle for himself - although he'd have liked that it would've made holding his books easier after he had a small stroke and his right hand didn't work quite as well as it had. And he loved learning, so would've enjoyed learning how to use it. He never quite "got" computers - I think towards the end of his life he began to understand how useful they could be and tried to understand a little more about them, but boy did that lead to some frustrating conversations for my husband as he tried to explain things to him! 

The most obvious Amazon gift would be a gift card:

- that way he can get whatever he wants. Can't find an actual picture link for an Amazon card but my dad would've liked Target too. 

All hardworking dads could use a massage, but they might not be comfortable going to get one. Next best thing (besides an uber-expensive massage chair) may be:


For bigger budgets, and for dads who love music as much as mine did, how about an:

or a:


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## Sweety18 (Feb 14, 2009)

Harvey said:


> Father's day is coming, and this year it also happens to be the first day of summer. For this contest, we want to hear your stories or memories that blend the two concepts of fathers and summer.
> 
> So tell us about a family summer vacation memory, or perhaps that awful barbecue incident. Or the embarrassing clothes your Dad wears to the beach. Use your imagination - one little memory is your ticket to enter this drawing.
> 
> ...


Thanks Harvey for the great contest. Now I have to come up with some crazy story to win the contest, oooh, so many to choose from


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## ddarol (Feb 5, 2009)

My dad was my most severe critic and my most avid fan.  He was also my hero.  He was a farmer and that's what he loved.  But circumstances required we leave the farm and move to the city where he worked hard at a job I don't think he particullarily liked, to put a roof over our heads and food on the table.  He wasn't much of a reader so the Kindle would probably not fit.  What he really loved was building things, working with his hands.  He taught me that anything worth doing was worth doing well.

My most embarassing memory of my father was the day we went to the lake and we'd finally talked him into wearing this nice pair of plaid shorts we'd bought him (he hated shorts and never wore them).  When he showed up, I was pleased to see he had them on until I looked at his feet.  He'd worn them with his cowboy boots!  He did it on purpose just because we'd "made" him wear the shorts.  It was too funny!

If he were still with us, I think he would like something from Amazon for the garden or maybe a tool of some kind.  So I'd probably do the gift certificate too and let him choose.

Thanks for the memory!


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## liannallama (May 29, 2009)

oh, fun! I don't know my father but I am so thrilled to have a wonderful father-in-law. He loves enjoying the good life and every year he gets tickets to the Playboy Jazz Festival. It is so wonderful to go with him and spend the day relaxing, enjoying the music and having good food and wine. He always gets two boxes and there are some others in the extended family that get boxes so it's like a family reunion; walking to the different boxes and sampling the snacks they brought for their picnic. It's always in the summer during Father's Day weekend (which is not always technically in the summer; it's after school's out and it's hotter than Hades so it feels like summer!)

My first gift for him would be a nice Latin CD that he might like:


Secondly I would get him a movie set so he can watch at home late at night:


Then I would get him snacks so he could remember the tasty treats of his childhood:


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Thank you for the stories and memories. And for the gift ideas! The ice cream story made me smile, I try pulling that trick on my girls, bu I think they have me figured out. They don't seem to worry much about not getting to stop at Mallard's for a sugar cone of something delicious...!


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

20 years ago I was my daddy's belated fathers' day gift born one minute pass midnight. For my entire life my dad has been in the military, so i grew up accepting my dad was going to spen a lot of time away from home. He has a bunch of photos that he bring with him and hangs in the dorm. Since all those photos take up so much room and we alway send him new ones via email (esp. with bro and I in college) I've been thinking about getting him a digitial photo frame for Father's day.



also debating over the keychain photo viewer.


Then there was the summer we tried to teach our then puppy lab to pick up tennis balls while we were at the courts then put them in a basket....she was too ADD for that.


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## CoolMom1960 (Mar 16, 2009)

I would have to say the biggest influence in my life had to be my father. I am the youngest of 5 daughters, the last hope for a son to carry on the family name. When the doctor told my mother that the odds of her having another daughter was astronomical, my father replied "No this one will be a girl as well". My father was 40 years old when I was born. So I don't ever remember him not wearing reading glasses, balding gray hair, false teeth and hard of hearing.

My father was a hard working man. He worked 48 hours a week to provide us with a shelter, food and clothing. I never knew that we didn't have a lot of money because life was always an adventure. If he wasn't puttering about the house fixing things, tending the yard or working on his boat - he was reading. He always told us that an education was the most important thing you could have. He was a voracious reader. Our house was always filled with stacks of national geographics from the neighbor, books and novels that he traded for at work, and Readers Digest. He would even read books that we had to read in school right along with us. He had to have read The Last of the Mohicans 5 times, it was required reading at my high school. He was delighted when I took a Science Fiction class - we read Orwell, Asminov, Shute, and Wells together. When my older sister went away to college he even read her Women's Studies and Feminist Literature books.

I remember sharing books with my dad. We read all of Robert Ludlum's Bourne books. We would play leap frog with our book marks and see who would finish first. He went through a James Michner phase that I couldn't get into. He ripped through Tom Clancy novels like they were candy. It was always funny to see how many copies of one book my dad would receive for either his birthday or Christmas. I got smart one year and started buying him Border's gift cards. (Pre- Amazon Days)

We were all convinced after he retired that when he died Mum would find him slumped over in a chair with a book in his hands. It would have been a perfect end, but sadly he died not so peacefully 6 years ago from small cell lung cancer. As he got more frustrated with his lack of mobility he read more. The things that you find out about your parents after they pass is amazing. My father enlisted in the army at the age of 17, he left high school in order to help support his mother. It wasn't until he returned home after World War II that he graduated from high school with straight A's in all his subjects. He was also a member of the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown while stationed at Ft. Myer in Virginia. He is the one who taught me how to properly press a pair of pants.

The 70's were a horrible time to come of age because of the fashions. Yes, my father owned several leisure suits in a variety of colors. Some of our favorite outfits were the ones he would wear when we were out on the boat. Not having much fashion sense plaid shorts and striped Hang Ten t-shirts were generally the order of the day. He had a very short inseam (28 inches). He came down one evening after he was ready to go out with my mother and he was wearing a pair of very large plaid pants that were all the rage in the 70's. My and I almost fell on the floor we were laughing so hard. He had a 38 inch waist. So the combination of short legs, big plaid and a wide flat fanny did him no favors. He asked what was wrong and we said - Get out of those pants! He went upstairs and came back wearing a nice calm houndstooth pattern. He never went out again with out checking with us first.

I could go on and on about him but I won't. When I hear stories from friends about how uninvolved or overly strict their fathers were, I tell them I wish that my father was theirs too. He instilled in me my love of reading, a sense of independence and interdependence and a hard work ethic. He was one of the most humble, kind, giving person I know. I find my self reading and exiting book like the DaVinci Code I think to my father would have loved this book.

So if he was alive today what would I buy him, An Amazon Gift card, 
 Sun Dried Apricots
 National Geographic


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

My dad went to university and then transfered to the university where his girlfriend went. this was done in secret as none of my granparents wanted them together. they finnaly gave in. He had to have parents permission to get married so started young by the time he was 21 he had 3 kids. I lived on a university campus until 3rd grade and he was a student until 4th or 5th grade. while school was in we were at the university but out of school we were on a ranch with my mom's parents working the farm. He has a new daughter the same age as my son now and is still gardening as well as coaching track and soccor. the only consistent activity is gardening, planting trees, fixing his yard. I would get him something for his gardening

Threesixty Innovation Garden Angels Gardening Seat/Tool Tote #GSB222


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

Harvey said:


> Thank you for the stories and memories. And for the gift ideas! The ice cream story made me smile, I try pulling that trick on my girls, bu I think they have me figured out. They don't seem to worry much about not getting to stop at Mallard's for a sugar cone of something delicious...!


LOL, Harvey. I sent the story to my sisters and my brother and my one sister answered that I made her cry but she said, "One correction - you were the only one that fell for it." Maybe she's right??


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## liannallama (May 29, 2009)

oh, these stories are wonderful and they really touch my heart!  Thanks everyone for sharing!


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

When I was young, my Father loved to swim and go to the beach. We lived in Montana, so getting to the beach wasn't always easy. We would usually spend a week or two in Houston with my Mother's family and would water ski in the lakes or go to Galveston beach. When I turned 8 years old, my Father got gangrene in his left leg from an injury from an airplane crash when he was in the Air Force. We had to drive from Montana to Oklahoma City because they had the best VA hospital for amputation. He lost his left leg from the knee down, but was determined to do everything he ever did.

We moved down to Houston because my Mother's very large family was there and could help us get back on our feet. As soon as Summer came we went to the lake with our family for fishing and water skiing. I remember watching my Father trying to ski with one leg and watching him fall over and over. By the end of the Summer he was skiing, diving off the pier and body surfing at the beach.

He was a remarkable man and I miss him so much. Nothing ever got him down and he taught me to never give up.

Thanks Harvey for letting us share such wonderful memories.

Now for suggestions:

2nd charger for traveling. Car charger always needed. And of course a gift card can always be used.


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

Every summer my dad would sit us all down and ask us to help him pick where we were going to go that summer for vacation. No matter what we picked and how many awesome ideas we had we always ended up going to Silver Dollar City. So, one year we decided that when he asked we would all say we wanted to go to Silver Dollar City so he could talk us out of it and maybe we would actually get to go to Disneyland this time. But guess where we went that year. Yep, Silver Dollar City. AND... he acted like he was doing us all a favor by going to the place we actually picked.

Here are my gift ideas:






Thanks for the contest! Can't wait to read all the entries.

Melissa


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

My father is, without question, the man I admire most in the world. Of course, I am very biased.

He is part of the "Greatest Generation" who served in WWII (albeit at the very end, never seeing any combat action), and a rarity these days in that after the war and finishing college, his first job was with Campbell's Soup, and then bout 40 years later he retired from that company having never worked for anyone else.

He always set an example for me in terms of honesty, integrity, critical thinking, generosity, and all sorts of other good things -- especially reading. And he showed incredible good taste in marrying my mother (and he's had only one wife, just like his one job).

I think my favorite memories involving my father are simply the family dinner table conversations we had. He was able to discuss almost any subject intelligently and insightfully. As far as summer-specific memories, nothing terribly exciting stands out in my mind. I guess some of the best summer memories revolve around baseball: watching the Cubs on TV, going with him to see a few games, but mostly just going out in the yard and playing catch.

As far as gifts, I have no idea what to get him since he really doesn't need anything material, and I know the only thing he really wants is a complete cure of my mother's cancer. So all I can think of from Amazon is:



Better yet, just make a donation to the cancer charity of your choice.

PS: I just ran across this book on Amazon, and since it sounds like the sort of thing my father would enjoy reading, I figured I'd add it to this post:


PPS: Found another idea, since my father loves doing crossword puzzles:


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

My dad died when I was 20 (in 1974). Before that, one of my summertime memories was of walking across a parking lot somewhere in town, when I was perhaps 15 and trying very hard to be a 'girl', and he said to me - 'you walk like a farmer walking across a pasture'; he was not trying to be mean at all - he loved me very much. But of course I was not real pleased with the comparison!
He was ex-military & I was trying to be a 'hippy' in 1970. I had the album Leftover Wine by Melanie and he heard 'Psychotherapy' sung to the tune of 'The Battle Hymn of the Republic'. He was livid, feeling it was a sacrilege. My mother stepped in and cautioned him to just listen to the words and he would know that it was not being profane (he could not hear well at that point in his life and he just recognized the tune and could tell the words were hippy words and not the original words). 
Before he died, I feel very glad that we did get past my 'hippy' sentiments and his military sentiments and were growing close again. Before my hippy era, he would sit and talk to me for hours - unloading because he wasn't very happy living in a house next door to his in-laws (yes my mom's parents) and I was mature for my age, so I was his sounding board. It never felt unpleasant or like he was making me the parent; we were just very close at that point in time and I think it really helped us to not be too alienated during my rebellious teenage years. 
I do miss him a lot. He loved to tinker in a workshop, drink beer, and watch football. He also loved his 3 daughters very much.
He was not much of a reader, so I don't think a Kindle would have been of use to him. I'm not even sure he would have ever gotten the hang of the internet and cyber-shopping.

Meemo's suggestion of a chair massage cushion would probably be right up his alley!


Also, as he was hard of hearing, he might have really used one of these:

or these:


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## libros_lego (Mar 24, 2009)

I remember that every time I had a fever when I was a kid, my dad would always stay up by my bedside. I would always wake up with him giving me my medicine or putting cold towel on my forehead. Another vivid memory that I have of my dad is when he first taught me how to read. I remember lying on my stomach with him on the floor late at night. He had all the consonants with the vowels written on a yellow pad (ex: BA BE BI BO BU) and he read them all to me and asked me to repeat them. My dad also taught me to be honest, and up until now I'm not a very good liar. 

I really can't think of anything that my dad needs, but here are some ideas:


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

My father (more properly known as Daddy even to my adult brothers) died when he was 46.  It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 30 years.  I never got to know him as an adult but I treasure the memories I have of him.  I was daddy’s little girl so I spent a lot of time with him.  He worked hard as a section laborer for the railroad so he would be tired when he got home.  He would go down to the basement and roll cigarettes (tobacco) most nights and I would join him.  Although I’ve never smoked and can’t stand the smell of cigarette smoke, I love the smell of tobacco.  Summers for us were spent outside.  It was the 70’s, no cable, no dvd’s, no video games, no computers, not much of anything to keep you inside.  Daddy took part in croquet, water balloon fights, hide and seek and all the other things kids did.  I can still close my eyes and see Daddy (on a windless day) running back and forth in the park trying to get a kite in the air because my little brother wanted to fly his kite.  He was always the one to stop the ice cream truck and buy us all treats; though I think it was so he could get his favorite.  But the best memories are of him and my mother sitting in the back yard on a hot day, visiting with family and friends, watching the kids play, and drinking Oly (and letting me sneak a sip or two).    Family tell me I’m like him.  I take that as the greatest of complements.  
If Daddy were here, I’d get him a really good lawn chair and a case of good beer!  Don’t know if they sell that stuff at Amazon, but that’s what he would like.


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## Cindergayle (Mar 15, 2009)

I was very fortunate in having a great Dad. He was an avid reader. I got my love of reading from him. I believe that was one of the greatest gifts that he could have given to me. I have passed the love of reading down to my two daughters. I also am already buying many, many books for my three grandchildren. There are so many wonderful memories of my Dad, but I must say going book shopping is one of my favorite. My Dad will be dead for seven years in November, and I still miss him terribly, but having those fond memories of shopping with him for books will always bring a smile.  


Cindy


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## Scheherazade (Apr 11, 2009)

Mine might not be a really uplifting story but... I've probably seen my biological father all of four times in my thirty-three years that I can remember. My grandmother on his side is still a big part of my life and always was as I grew up, but he just wasn't there. I remember once when I was about six or seven we were at a local nursery and we saw him with my grandmother in one of the greenhouses and he turned and walked away. Since then I have seen him twice. Once at my grandfather's funeral and the other time just last month when going to visit my grandmother. It's funny how natural it was for us to talk and how our senses of humor were so much the same.

That being said I'm really glad he wasn't there. I was raised with my grandfather on my mother's side as my only real male influence and he is such a good and gracious man. The type that wouldn't yell at you, but you felt worse in knowing you disappointed him than any amount of punishment your mother could give. My biological father seemed to yell a lot at my half-brother who I've met once at the funeral. He's also got a lot of screwed up morals that I am glad didn't get passed along in the genes. So yeah, I'm glad he wasn't there.

I did get myself a stepdad along the way and we had the typical hate/hate relationship, but as I've grown so has he and we get along nicely now. He's done a lot for me and gives up a lot, something I'm not sure I realized when I was younger. So I guess I was lucky even if we did have rough times. So yeah... my summer memory is that green house. I have better ones with my grandfather and my stepdad, but I suppose it's fitting I share that one since I haven't honored my biological father yet on father's day.

For my Grandfather:


For my Stepdad:


And just something I think would make a keen gift:


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## Carol Hanrahan (Mar 31, 2009)

My Dad has always been good working with his hands. He built the house I grew up in and he still lives there, keeping busy by doing small repairs and improvements around the house.
When I was in 8th grade, we had to do a project on ancient civilizations, and I found a picture in a book of a Sumerian Game board. It was a board with tiles on it that were decorated with different designs. I told my Dad I wanted to make that for my class project. He took me to the store to buy some small tiles, cut out the wood for the board and helped me glue the tiles on, which I then painted as the book showed. He even cut little pieces of dowel rod for me for the game pieces. I turned the project in and got the highest score possible for the project. Guess what my Dad keeps in the glass curio cabinet in his living room? Yep. My Sumerian Game Board.










Not much my Dad needs or wants, but last time I was home I was reading Dog On It. I think he would like that book, (he won't do a Kindle), so I am going to send him that book for Father's Day.


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## Rita (Apr 30, 2009)

My fondest memory of my Daddy happened when I was probably six or seven years old. He was painting our porch and while he was painting I was playing with the paint lid which was such a pretty red color. I would take sticks and leaves and roll them in the paint. Unfortunately a little frog happened along at that time so instead of him being green and ugly I decided to paint him a nice pretty red too! I was so proud of making that little frog pretty and took it to show my Daddy. He, on the other hand, did not think it so pretty and got upset with me. He told me why he was upset and said that the little frog wouldn't be able to breath and die because I had painted him all over. That was the first and actually last time my Dad ever spanked me. My Daddy always left the spanking to my Mama so that spanking hurt him as bad as it did me. 

My Daddy just turned 65 and doesn't look a day over 50. He absolutely loves music (his favorites are Stevie Ray Vaughn and Stevie Nicks), building custom guns, playing on the computer and watching television.

So here are a few things I know he would like:


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

My dad was a very loving and giving man. He worked hard to provide for our family so my mom could stay at home with my brother and me. He played even harder. My love for the outdoors came from my dad. My funniest memory of him in the summertime was the year he decided to make a homemade version of the _Slip and Slide_. He located a roll of heavy duty plastic material and cut a 40 foot length to which he used 2x4s and a rope to anchor it in our front yard (we lived on 5 acres and our house was on top of a hill), with a garden hose trickling water on the plastic. All of us kids had been slipping and sliding for about an hour, but most running and sticking as the water didn't cover the plastic completely. My dad and uncle decided to add a little bit of dishwashing liquid to the mix and before you knew it, we were slipping and sliding with ease down the 40 foot length!  Well, Daddy decided it was time for him and my uncle to give it a try so they added a bit more soap and away they went... problem was, by this time there was so much soap on the plastic they could barely stand up and they both ended up about 15 feet past the end of the slide! When they finally stopped, they were both covered in suds, grass and mud!  My mom was not happy when she discovered the trench my dad & uncle left in the front yard!! That was the end of our homemade slip and slide... my mom went and bought us a real one that sprayed water evenly over the surface and my dad & uncle were banned from using it! 

My dad is still alive, but not completely *with us* anymore and most gifts for him now have to do with clothing or a gift card to his favorite restaurant (we can still get him to go eat out, but not much else anymore). I still buy my hubby Father's Day gifts and these are some things he would like:

 a charging station for all his devices

 
 Wii Active plus the Multiplayer Pack

 Wii Outdoor Challenge

 iGo everywhere85 70-Watt Combo AC/DC Universal Power Adapter with Dual Charging Device PS00120-0005


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks for sharing these memories of fathers & summers. Keep 'em coming! We have to read something here while we wait for our DX's to arrive.


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## Rita (Apr 30, 2009)

Angela, I loved your story about your Dad!


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## LauraB (Nov 23, 2008)

My dad died in August 2001. He was a wonderful man. He was career Navy. He joined in 1943, was in WWII, Korea, and did 2 tours in Vietnam before he retired, joined the merchant marines and went back again. When I got older he would talk a little about what it was like to return from Vietnam compared to the other wars. He said it used to make him angry when "anti war" protesors were at the docks on arrival because "there is no one more antiwar than someone who has been shot at or had to kill someone." He always said, "War is never a good choice, but sometimes it is the best choice out of a few bad ones you've got open to you." My memories of Summer with him are of two kinds. One is me getting up every morning opening my bedroom window, holding on to the flag pole that was barely in reach, leaning out as far as I could stretch to see the dock and see if his ship had come in while I was asleep. I did this every morning when he was at sea, even when my mom told me he wouldn't be home "for a long time". I guess I had a different concept of time, because all night was a long time to me. The second type of Summer memory I have of him is the weeks he was home in the Summer. My mom and older sister were the sleep until noon type. Dad and I were up at 5:00 am. He'd take me to the donut shop, I'd sit on his lap while he (attempted) to read the paper, and I point to words, "what's that word, what's that word" ramdomly all over the pages. Eventually, it was "I know that word, it's ___", then other summers, I was reading the paper to him. After the paper we would go fishing, to the park, or the zoo, or the circus. Then we'd go home and have lunch "with the family." I miss him more than any other person I've ever met. What would I get him, 
he always liked his weather radio, he'd sit on the porch with it and watch traffic:


Tools, he'd leave his portable tool box on the porch, or on the back seat of his car and the neighborhood _kids_ would steal them, so a spare set:


After I graduated from nursing school, I went up to see him. It was one of those hot Kansas City evenings and he dug out this old wooden crap board he had and taught me how to shoot. He lost it later when the place flooded, so this was as close as I could find on Amazon, (and yes, eventually I did beat that old Sailor at craps  )


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## RangerXenos (Mar 18, 2009)

Sadly, I don't have a lot of happy memories of my Dad as he wasn't around much even when my parents were married.

Thankfully, my Uncle Rich stepped in and filled the void with my sister and I. He used to take us to Yankee Stadium when we were kids, and he passed along his love of baseball to both my sister and I. We'd go to double headers and root for extra innings so that we wouldn't have to leave! We'd pile into his old VW bug and spend the day at the ballpark.

My Uncle would love any of these:


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## KimmyA (Dec 11, 2008)

My dad's a great daddy. He's retired army and police and would do anything to help anybody. I have great memories of times with him but I think the greatest memories are of him with my children. He really does not like sports. Of any kind. At all. But he goes to every practice and game that my son has and cheers with the rest of us. The last couple of years my parents have been going to the beach with us for vacation and it's really been cool. He gets in the ocean and plays with the kids and acts like a big kid himself. We're a very close family and I've been blessed to have such great parents.

My dad loves tools so I picked out tools from Amazon:


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## kindlevixen (Jan 13, 2009)

Well I have to cheat a bit because I don't have any memories of my father. He was never a part of my life.... I do have great memories of my mom taking me and my brother to Maine during the summer to go to Old Orchard beach. We loved playing at the beach and whenever I smell french fries with vinegar on them I think of it.

As for great father's day gifts.... this is what my hubby is getting from the kids. Its a bit pricey, but worth it...


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

DS gave DH one of those for Christmas. . . . .only problem is now we have dueling remotes because I still use the one that came with the TiVo.


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## kindlevixen (Jan 13, 2009)

Ann in Arlington said:


> DS gave DH one of those for Christmas. . . . .only problem is now we have dueling remotes because I still use the one that came with the TiVo.


LOL we used to have a different one that we loved, but it finally died... it has been sadly missed! I can never find the TV/cable box remotes.. too many!


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Rita said:


> Angela, I loved your story about your Dad!


Thanks, Rita.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

There are still a few days to enter to win. . .come on folks. . .there were _millions_ of mother's day stories! And remember, father doesn't just mean biological. . . .maybe it's that uncle or big brother or teacher who really mentored you. . . .

I remember my dad driving us to upstate New York from Maryland every year. There were specific stopping places for lunch and run-around time. . . .we stopped at the same rest areas every year. There were specific things we had to do each year in his home town: visit Uncle Mike and Aunt Mary and have coke floats, go to Farquar's 5 and 10 and get balsa wood airplanes to fly, visit the Papa's who had the biggest garden I'd ever seen -- they ran a glove factory so we stocked up on winter wear in July, and spend a day, for a nickel at Latour pool which was just down the hill from the old homestead. If it rained we spent the day exploring the attic in the old house -- discovered all dad's old comic books and junk from when HE was a kid!

Gifts: dad is totally stocked with material items. . .what he likes best now is for us to go see him. . .and have my husband help with odd jobs around the house that he can't quite do himself any more. So, if there's away to buy 'time' that's what I'd do! Plus, when we go visit, he doesn't have to cook.


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## Andra (Nov 19, 2008)

My Daddy (yes, I'm 40 and still call him Daddy) joined the Marines when he finished High School and didn't go to college, but I think he is one of the smartest people I know.  He worked for a pipeline company when I was growing up and we didn't see him much at all during the weeks.  And on the weekends, it always seemed like cutting the grass was his top priority.
BUT, during the summer, we would always pack up and go to the beach several times.  Now, Daddy is very much a morning person.  He likes to get up before the chickens and going to the beach was no exception.  So Mommy, my brother and I would crawl out of bed at 4:30AM and drag on beach clothes.  The ice chest had been packed the night before.  We all climbed into the truck (it was a puke green Ford with a bench seat) and headed down the road to Port Aransas.
Now if you are familiar with Texas, you know that there is a ferry that you ride on to get to Port Aransas.  And at 5:00AM, there was not a line for the ferry.  So sometimes we would ride over and then turn around and do it again just for fun.  Those ferries had 3 rows and carried 3 regular-sized cars in each row.  We loved it when we could get in the middle row at the front of the line because that car got to get off first.  My favorite ferry was called the Janey Briscoe - I think it was the only one with a female name.
So once we finally got off the ferry for good, we'd go to the beach and spend the morning building sandcastles and playing in the water.  Then we'd have lunch and head back home.  The ferry line to get on the island was always very long when we went home, so we only got one ferry trip that time.
The final part of the routine was to stop at a car wash on the way home to wash the salt and sand off the truck.
I'm still not as much of a morning person as he is, but I do love going to the beach early in the morning.
Daddy tends to want expensive things for the farm - he needs fence posts, barbed wire and a backhoe.  So I'm still searching for something more in my price range from Amazon.

EDIT:  After much headscratching, I've decided that a gift card is probably the only thing I know that will work from Amazon.  Then I'll have to help him shop for something since he mostly uses the computer to play solitaire!


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Andra said:


> My Daddy (yes, I'm 40 and still call him Daddy) joined the Marines when he finished High School and didn't go to college, but I think he is one of the smartest people I know. He worked for a pipeline company when I was growing up and we didn't see him much at all during the weeks. And on the weekends, it always seemed like cutting the grass was his top priority.
> BUT, during the summer, we would always pack up and go to the beach several times. Now, Daddy is very much a morning person. He likes to get up before the chickens and going to the beach was no exception. So Mommy, my brother and I would crawl out of bed at 4:30AM and drag on beach clothes. The ice chest had been packed the night before. We all climbed into the truck (it was a puke green Ford with a bench seat) and headed down the road to Port Aransas.
> Now if you are familiar with Texas, you know that there is a ferry that you ride on to get to Port Aransas. And at 5:00AM, there was not a line for the ferry. So sometimes we would ride over and then turn around and do it again just for fun. Those ferries had 3 rows and carried 3 regular-sized cars in each row. We loved it when we could get in the middle row at the front of the line because that car got to get off first. My favorite ferry was called the Janey Briscoe - I think it was the only one with a female name.
> So once we finally got off the ferry for good, we'd go to the beach and spend the morning building sandcastles and playing in the water. Then we'd have lunch and head back home. The ferry line to get on the island was always very long when we went home, so we only got one ferry trip that time.
> ...


Andra, I am 53 and still call my dad Daddy! When I was little it sounded more like "diddy."  Your daddy reminds me of mine!


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## Dori (Oct 28, 2008)

My dad was my step father and I have many fond memories of him, but this will be the one and only story that I have from the man that fathered me.  My sister and my father both lived in a Chicago suburb.  I was visiting my sister one summer (my age at the time was near 30) and had never met my father.  All of a sudden my father came up the walk to the house.  He was returning from a fishing trip and didn't know that I was there.  We met, he said how are your folks, I said fine, he left some fish and departed.  One and only time that I ever saw him.


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## CoolMom1960 (Mar 16, 2009)

Angela said:


> Andra, I am 53 and still call my dad Daddy! When I was little it sounded more like "diddy."  Your daddy reminds me of mine!


Eventhough he has been gone for 6 years I still refer to him as Daddily.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

I have a lot of great memories of growing up with my Dad. I admire his wide-ranging interests and hobbies, his ability to create with his hands, and his curiosity - - which leads him to continue to get involved in complicated projects and figure new things out even now in his eighties.

One of our shared interests is woodworking. I am a hack, more of a weekend carpenter, whereas Dad can produce beautiful pieces of woodwork.

When I was little my Dad would often have me "help him" while he worked on projects in the garage. I remember feeling great responsibility at handing him the right tools when requested. ("Okay, pass me the green Robertson.") It was exciting to hold up the leading end of a sheet of plywood as he ripped it through his tablesaw - definitely a "big boy" task.

He was good about taking time to explain what he was doing and the steps involved. It never occurred to me how much my involvement probably slowed him down - - until I started involving my own children in my projects. Now I appreciate even more the gift of his time and how he must have been intentional about involving me with it - - even if things took longer as a result, or a few pieces of wood got cut to the wrong length.

Fresh sawdust is one of my comfort smells and always triggers good feelings in me. Kindle Widow should probably put some behind her ears from time to time. 

Last weekend Dad and Mom were in town for my daughters' birthdays. On Saturday when Carrie & Mom went to Seattle, Dad and I spent the day building a simple gate for my deck. This was the perfect activity for the two us - - designing, discussing, and constructing this little project. Thanks, Dad!


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

My dad has been gone for almost 9 years and I still miss him very much. He was a computer programmer and was involved with computers in their infancy. When he finally got his own pc, he loved to play solitaire and update all of his spreadsheets that he kept of his finances. If he was still here I think he would really enjoy a laptop computer with a wireless internet connection and because I have a mac and love it, I think I would try and get him to come over to the light:



And of course he would need a nice bag to carry his new laptop:



And since my husband is also a great father and getting a new iphone for father's day, I would get him a bluetooth to go with his new iphone:



Maxx


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## kdawna (Feb 16, 2009)

My Dad, born in 1930, is thankfully still living and has survived prostrate cancer. He was always a really easy going, and very loving father who wasn't at all a disciplinarian as my mother was.  He only had an eight grade education and started to drive log trucks for his father at a very young age. His mom died when he was 5 years old.  He worked mainly as a truck driver, and worked afternoons and came home in the nightime. When we got up for school he was in bed, so we only saw him mostly on the weekends.One time  Mom decided we needed a spanking and saved it for him to do. (I don't remember what we did). Anyway, he took me in a little room and told me to pretend to cry, I did, he clapped his hands together as if to sound like a spanking.  Mom didn't figure it out!  I can remember being in the garden with him picking tomatoes and digging potatoes. At one time he worked three jobs at one time to please my mom.  Still today he will greet us with a hug. I have good memories and am going to give my dad some $$$ for fathers day,(my three sisters and brother are doing the same), to help pay for a TV my dad wants to buy.
Kdawna


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## KimmyA (Dec 11, 2008)

Angela said:


> Andra, I am 53 and still call my dad Daddy! When I was little it sounded more like "diddy."  Your daddy reminds me of mine!


I said 'diddy' when I was younger too. I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.

I went back to Harvey's first post on here and noticed he said something about dad's embarrassing beach clothes. My parents went on vacation with us a couple of years ago to the beach. My dad wore swim trunks that were very short. We told him they reminded us of the shorts Magnum PI used to wear. Anyone remember that show? He probably bought those trunks when that show was on some 20 years ago. He said they still fit and didn't see the need in getting a new one. The next time I went shopping, I bought him one with a little more length to it.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

We will draw our three winners on Sunday, Father's Day! Thanks for your entries.


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## Chey (Feb 11, 2009)

My Dad had his 5th heart attack by the time I was 9.  My sister and I were the 'second set' of kids my parents had.  Our older brothers had already moved out, married and had children.  In fact, I was an aunt before I was born... 

My dad used to 'whistle' us kids home.  He had a unique whistle and everyone in the neighborhood and surrounding blocks could hear his whistle and we had NO EXCUSE if we weren't home within 5 minutes.. lol.

Anyway - getting back to my 9th year and his 5th heart attack.  He couldn't whistle anymore.  My sister was a wandering kid.  I spent two straight days constant trying to teach myself how to whistle loud like him.

On the 3rd day, I asked him to go out to the back stoop telling him that my sister wasn't home yet and she needed to be 'contacted'.  He looked at me funny and then I let out a loud whistle that sounded just like his .  We stood there for the required 5 minutes without saying anything - me with a big smile on my face, him with a surprised look that such a loud sound could come out of a 9 year old.  Shortly after the 5 minutes, my sister came trotting up to the porch.

My dad passed away 10 years ago.. I sure do miss him.  I still whistle my kids home.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

My dad did the whistling thing too.  The rule was, you may not go out of whistle range.  And, of course, he knew when you had because you didn't come when he whistled.  In fact all the neighborhood kids were told they were to come home when they heard my dad whistle for us!  I never got the hang of the whistle myself though. . . .


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## BarryJ (Mar 10, 2009)

The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe

Not really my Dad who is dead now was very strict but trust me it was for my own good.  We all still laugh and cry at the date of his passing. This helps my mother who misses the only man she ever loved.


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## 1131 (Dec 18, 2008)

Andra said:


> My Daddy (yes, I'm 40 and still call him Daddy)


I'm older that that and my Daddy is still Daddy. He always will be.


Ann in Arlington said:


> I remember my dad driving us to upstate New York from Maryland every year. There were specific stopping places for lunch and run-around time. . . .we stopped at the same rest areas every year.


We did the same thing (only Spokane to Portland). Every year we left at the same time and stopped at the same time, at the same rest areas.


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## Tippy (Dec 8, 2008)

My father passed away four years ago.  He was a simple man in how he perceived his life and his duty.  He grew up on a remote ranch in the Sandhills of Nebraska.  He learned to work hard, to manage people and a business.  He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in WWII.  He came back to the ranch after the war and never went to sea again.  

My earliest memories of my father were watching him on horseback working the cattle.  He had a favorite horse, Lucky.  It was amazing to watch him ride.  Once when I was about 9 years old, I was riding my horse, Dimples.  To make a long story short, Dimples ran away with me.  I tried and tried to stop Dimples, finally I gave up, screamed and held on for dear life.  I heard the thundering of hooves behind me -- it was Dad to the rescue!  He grabbed the reins and stopped my horse.  Then he handed the reins back to me and said "let's get going".  And we did.  He wasn't a huggy-feely sort of Dad.  Rather practical, down-to-earth and straight forward.  

One summer he had been out on Lucky and ran across ripe berries and picked a hatful.  Mom and I were out working in the garden and watched Dad ride up, he handed his hat to Mom.  She took the berries and made something for supper that night.  Another day he rode up with bouquet of wild flowers for Mom.  Sometimes he would bring back turtle shells, arrowheads, you see Dad was always looking at the land and loved the things of the land.

One of our favorite family outings was arrowhead hunting.  Dad had a car seat that he would throw in the back of the pickup for my brothers and me.  We would take for a day in the Sandhills.  Many people are used to farming country where the roads are in squares.  The Sandhills is ranch country, there are few roads across the land, just trails.  

Dad and Mom would find blowouts and then we would all hop out of the pickup and hunt for arrowheads.  The things we found -- arrowheads, prehistoric points, knives, and scrapers.  Dad mounted the best of our findings in frames.  It was so much fun.

I was fortunate to go on a couple of trips with my father.  We had some terrific times and saw wondrous things.  It was amazing travelling with Dad.

He is gone now and I miss him, but the memories live on.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

After seeing the last few posts, I just remembered that not too long ago I'd scanned some old photos my mother's parents had taken when I was born way back in 1956. (I'm the little 8-days-old bundle of joy in each photo.)

Here I'm already looking at my father in awe:









Here big sis is already trying to take control of my life:


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Nogdog, those B&Ws could have come from my own baby album, right down to the drapes, the couch, and my father's slicked-back hair. Thanks for posting those!


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

I had the Best Dad in the world. He fought in court and won sole custody of his 4 children back 50 years ago. He sadly passed away 2 years ago. My favorite summertime story ... My Dad couldn't swim and was afraid of the water because he had a brother who drowned. He made sure we all learned how to swim and took us all to the beach every weekend. He packed us all up in the car with a picnic lunch and off we went to swim all day. Great times and wonderful memories. Happy Father's Day DAD!

Of Course I would buy him a Life Jacket.


This picnic basket would work and I'd give it to my granddaughter in honor of her great grandfather she only met once.

and to complete the day at the beach...some candy...lots of it


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## Dori (Oct 28, 2008)

Sorry BarryJ but I swatted your avatar.


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## CoolMom1960 (Mar 16, 2009)

Nice Pics NogDog!  I'm sure  there would be pictures like that of me if I wasn't the youngest of 5 children!  LOL  Mum used to give me photos of my sister and say "Well, you looked like that too".


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## CoolMom1960 (Mar 16, 2009)

Dori said:


> Sorry BarryJ but I swatted your avatar.


LOL, I tried to squish it.


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

BarryJ I tried to squish your avatar too  

After my dad got out of the military he was a bayman for years - and like so many men who work the bays he couldn't swim a lick - he was with his best friend who drowned while they were working one day and couldn't do anything to help him (which the way it happened there really was nothing he could have done anyway even if he had been the best swimmer out there) so he wanted to be sure I could swim - this was in the days before swim classes etc.   So we would go out in the boat and he would tie a rope around my waist and the other end of the rope to the boat and throw me overboard LOL - that way I could paddle around and if there was a problem he could haul me in fast.   edited to add that to this day I don't like to swim in shallow water - the idea that I can touch bottom makes me uncomfortable - but put 10 feet or more of water under me and I am a happy camper

And he would take his vacations from the county (where he went after that happened) during scallop season - so off we would go in the boat with him working the dredges - my mom culling the scallops and me hunkered down in the bow of the boat to stay warm (who could afford babysitters back then either) and when we got home all the women in the neighborhood were waiting along with their husbands who had been scalloping also and they would open all the scallops to sell them (we had an official opening shack in our garage - I still have some of the State Certificates that were hanging up in there when we sold the house) and all the kids would run around and play in the yard occasionally running in to get a raw just opened scallop to eat (and let wiggle in your mouth first lol) 

my parents were both big time readers and would have had Kindles for sure - so the fathers day present I would have been buying him a gift certificate so he could get more books.


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## Buttercup (Oct 28, 2008)

My dad moved away when I was 14 so I don't have a lot of memories of summers together. Most of what I remembers involves me helping him work on cars. I do remember that we'd go fishing fairly often. But, back then our idea of camping was sleeping in the back of the pick up truck.

So, I think I'd get him some camping supplies:


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Reading the posts above about fathers who couldn't swim brought back some memories -- fortunately humorous ones -- about my father's lack thereof. His problem was that he simply would not float. I remember one day when I was probably around age 7 give or take a year, when he got into the shallow end of the pool with us kids. We already knew that he couldn't swim, but didn't really understand it. So to show us, he pushed off the side of the pool and started a none-too-graceful freestyle crawl stroke. He just kept getting lower and lower in the water until entirely submerged, at which point he gave up and stood up again. We thought that was just one of the silliest things we'd ever seen and had a good laugh at his expense (which he accepted gracefully). Thanks for recalling that memory to me. 

I'll have to ask him tomorrow to tell the story again about how he passed the swimming test during Navy basic training. I can't remember if they just passed him because they wanted him in radar school, or if he swam it under water, or what.


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## Rita (Apr 30, 2009)

BarryJ said:


> The details of my life are quite inconsequential... very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink. He would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Sometimes he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy. The sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical. Summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds- pretty standard really. At the age of twelve I received my first scribe
> 
> Not really my Dad who is dead now was very strict but trust me it was for my own good. We all still laugh and cry at the date of his passing. This helps my mother who misses the only man she ever loved.


BarryJ...Your quote is so funny!!! I love Dr. Evil on Austin Powers!!!


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Well, it's already a couple of hours into Fathers' Day, but I'm waiting for my oven timer to go off on the traditional Boaters' Key Lime Pie that I make for my Dad every year, so it seemed like a good time to post here.

My father is 74, and my parents live just a five-minute walk away from me. There are lots of good memories, even though there were a couple of years when I was a teenager during which the frustration level ran high on both sides.

As far as _summer _memories specifically.... I recall a day trip with my father when I was 12, unusual because almost always we did things like that together with my mother, but she must've had other plans that day. We went to "Transpo 72", a transportation exhibition out at Dulles, and spent the whole day there. I remember the air show, the Blue Angels and the Red Arrows doing their thing simultaneously with differently-colored smoke, and thinking it was beautiful, the elegant grace and power involved in that display. It was also very, very hot that day, and this was before bottled water was available everywhere. My father can't stand carbonated soft drinks. But it was a _really_ hot day. So that day was the only time in my life that he and I shared a Coke (he couldn't bring himself to actually drink a whole one), and he made faces and comments about how vile it was the entire time. Funny, the details we remember.

Gifts for him are really difficult! He's not much of a handyman, so tools are out. Doesn't grill, doesn't golf, doesn't tinker with cars. Books were always a safe bet until a couple of years ago; he has some problems with his eyes now that make it difficult to read for more than a few minutes at a time, and at Christmas he specifically asked not to be given any books until these problems were resolved, which I understand could be at least a year or so. I did demo the Kindle to him, thinking that the large print might help -- he was thrilled by it but apparently it's not a font-size issue, so reading is out for now. At least he can still do his crosswords in the weekly Telegraph. CD's would be nice, although by now he already has most of what he likes. So for Fathers' Day I go with some combination of his (many) favorite gourmet food items, like "boquerones en vinagre" (a type of anchovies in vinegar ), or Tio Pepe sherry, or the aforementioned key lime pie (provided I make it  ). None of those are available through Amazon, so I'd have to go with a gift certificate, and then show him how to browse Amazon.  If Amazon does subscriptions to the weekly Telegraph or to the Economist, that would be an idea too.

I feel so lucky that I live close to my parents now, especially after leaving home at 16 and spending too long away. So many people don't have the option of living near parents, or don't get along well enough with them to want to. And since my daughter has been on the scene (six years now), I understand my parents much better than I did before too.

<ping!> Perfect timing, before I ramble on even more!


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Spoiler



*Shiiiiiiiiiiit!!! *


 I just spent the past 3 1/2 hours composing my father's day entry. I hit spell check, the thingy twirled and twirled and then; Internet Explorer can not display the page!!! Hit back arrow forward arrow. Couldn't retrieve it. It is 5 am and I've been up all night thinking and typing. THE WORST OF IT: is I was going to print it and give it to my Dad tomorrow (today actually) with his Father's Day gift. I could cry right now. I am so ticked. AAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrrrrrrr. On that note: Goodnight. (morning) whatever. Damn, I'm ticked.


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

oh sj I've had that happen too - thankfully not when I have put that much time into it though - that really sucks big time --


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

Whenever we moved into a new house, my grandparents would make a trip to come see us and grandpa would coordinate the effort to fix the house up. Everybody got involved in the efforts and he taught us a lot about painting - everything inside and out. We always had a good time working on the house, he made it a lot of fun.


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

Happy Father's day to everyone who has a father or who is a father!


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks everyone! We'll draw our random winners in the next couple of hours.


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## ak rain (Nov 15, 2008)

good luck everyone

the stories ha


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

NogDog said:


> Reading the posts above about fathers who couldn't swim brought back some memories -- fortunately humorous ones -- about my father's lack thereof. His problem was that he simply would not float. I remember one day when I was probably around age 7 give or take a year, when he got into the shallow end of the pool with us kids. We already knew that he couldn't swim, but didn't really understand it. So to show us, he pushed off the side of the pool and started a none-too-graceful freestyle crawl stroke. He just kept getting lower and lower in the water until entirely submerged, at which point he gave up and stood up again. We thought that was just one of the silliest things we'd ever seen and had a good laugh at his expense (which he accepted gracefully). Thanks for recalling that memory to me.
> 
> I'll have to ask him tomorrow to tell the story again about how he passed the swimming test during Navy basic training. I can't remember if they just passed him because they wanted him in radar school, or if he swam it under water, or what.


that is sort of like my husband who _*was a lifeguard*_ for years - he can swim but he can't float - and in survival school they didn't believe him and kept telling him he just didn't know how to float -- so he would try and try and he floats for about a second then his legs go down then they pull him under --  as long as he is moving his arms and legs he can stay up the minute he stops under the water he goes.


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Good luck to all of you.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Thanks, sjc. So sorry to hear about your posting issue. Our performance has been quite good since our move to the personal server, but every now and then - and usually at the worst possible time! - a post can error out if the server is momentarily busy. 

Sometimes you can recover your post by pressing the Back button, but not always.


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

Drawing our three random winners now! Stand by...


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## KBoards Admin (Nov 27, 2007)

We have our three randomly-chosen winners in our Fathers Day contest. Thank to our winners, and to all entrants, for sharing your Father-related memories and stories!

And our winners are:

*Meemo
KimmyA
Cindergayle
*

Winners: please PM me with your choice of Amazon gift, maximum $50. Or, if you prefer, we can send you a $50 Amazon gift certificate. Just let me know.

Thanks, everyone. Happy Father's Day!

* * * Teaser * * *



Spoiler



Like Borsa Bella? Then you'll love our next contest. Stay tuned.


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## Kathy (Nov 5, 2008)

Congrats to Meemo, KimmyA and Cindergayle.


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## Maxx (Feb 24, 2009)

Congrats all!


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## EllenR (Mar 31, 2009)

Congrats to the winners and Happy Father's Day to all the dads on KB!

EllenR


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## Bren S. (May 10, 2009)

I truly enjoyed reading all of the posts on this thread.
Congrats to all winners


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## ferretluver (Mar 2, 2009)

I enjoyed all of the stories on this thread. 
Congradulations winners!!!!


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## ladyknight33 (Feb 2, 2009)

Congrats to all the winners and a very Happy Fathers Day to all the dads, granddads, uncles and men who are like fathers.


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## rho (Feb 12, 2009)

Congratulations to the winners - now you have to let us know what you bought with your winnings


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## Cowgirl (Nov 1, 2008)

Congrats to the winners!!!


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

rho said:


> that is sort of like my husband who _*was a lifeguard*_ for years - he can swim but he can't float - and in survival school they didn't believe him and kept telling him he just didn't know how to float -- so he would try and try and he floats for about a second then his legs go down then they pull him under --  as long as he is moving his arms and legs he can stay up the minute he stops under the water he goes.





NogDog said:


> ...I'll have to ask him tomorrow to tell the story again about how he passed the swimming test during Navy basic training. I can't remember if they just passed him because they wanted him in radar school, or if he swam it under water, or what.


OK, here's how it worked out for him:

Apparently in basic training the Navy didn't care that he could not swim. When he went for his advanced training (in that new-fangled RADAR stuff), those who couldn't swim had to go to a special remedial sort of swimming course. To successfully complete it you had to swim one length of the pool (those who could swim had to take a course with a requirement to swim something like 3 laps). When it came his turn to take the test, my dad took a deep breath, dove off the edge of the pool with as much forward thrust as possible, and made it to the other end _entirely under water_.

He also told me that after the war while in college a swimming teacher said he could teach him to swim by using the side stroke, claiming it was the easiest way. After my dad came up from his first attempt with one elbow scraped raw from dragging along the bottom of the pool, the instructor gave up. 

PS: Congrats to the winners, and happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there.


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## Bren S. (May 10, 2009)

sjc said:


> Spoiler
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So sorry that you experienced that sjc. 
It has happened to me as well and it is always after I have written some long post or email.


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## Susan in VA (Apr 3, 2009)

Congratulations to the winners!!


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## Angela (Nov 2, 2008)

Congrats to the winners and hope all you dads out there had a wonderful Fathers' Day!


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## Addie (Jun 10, 2009)

Congrats to all the winners, and Happy Father's Day to all the dads!


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## Meemo (Oct 27, 2008)

Thanks y'all - I feel like I should go buy a lottery ticket!  A lovely way to wind up the day!


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## Cindergayle (Mar 15, 2009)

Thanks so much!!  I hope everyone had a Great Father's Day!


Cindy


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## sjc (Oct 29, 2008)

Yipppeeee!!!  Congrats!!


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## CegAbq (Mar 17, 2009)

Congrats to all the winners & the stories were just great.


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## B-Kay 1325 (Dec 29, 2008)

Congrats winners!!  Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads out there.


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## MonaSW (Nov 16, 2008)

Congratulations Meemo, KimmyA and Cindergayle!


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## meljackson (Nov 19, 2008)

Congrats you three! I loved reading all the stories. Thanks for the contest Harvey!

Melissa


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## KimmyA (Dec 11, 2008)

Oh my gosh. I'm sitting here in shock. I don't ever win anything.  

Thanks Harvey for doing the contest. I'll send you a pm.


I hope all the fathers had a great day!!


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## kdawna (Feb 16, 2009)

Congratulations to all the winners! I hope you had a nice Father's Day
Kdawna


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## angelad (Jun 19, 2009)

Congrats to the winner! Some wonderful stories been told here.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Congratulations Meemo, KimmyA and Cindergayle, nice going.

Harvey, this was another nice contest.

After the Easter Egg hunt, we look forward to your creative ideas.

Just sayin.....


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## Vegas_Asian (Nov 2, 2008)

Congrats to the winners!


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## Anju  (Nov 8, 2008)

Congratulations to the winners - all of us are winners for getting to read these wonderful stories.


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## DD (Nov 9, 2008)

Congratulations to all the winners.  I enjoyed all of the stories.


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## poo (May 19, 2009)

well dang! yet another great contest that i have missed out on. 
but at least i had a great fathersday!







i hope every one elses was as good! or better!


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