Remembering June 14 and Fathers and Daughters

T Here is a picture of Dennis and his daughter. It's my favourite picture of all time. And the other one is me and my dad. Yesterday was Dennis' birthday. He would have been 61. I spent most of the day with my darling daughter and we focused mostly on the future. We watched a couple of movies and played Trivial Pursuit. He was great at TP. The champion.

My daughter also brought the ultrasound video of my granddaughter. The word awesome is overused these days, but really fits here. The pictures of her gulping fluid, making a fist and holding onto her legs can only be described as awesome. Only 56 days until granddaughter day!!!! Yippee!!!

He would have been a terrific grandfather. I will make sure my grandchildren know how wonderful he was.

I remember some of the June 14 birthdays. We often went out for dinner. Once we had a big backyard barbeque. Many of his co-workers came to that one. It was a surprise for him and everyone had a good time. The last few years we often had combination birthday parties with our "Trivial Friends." That's what we called the two couples with whom we played TP. Oh, happy days, long gone.

I continue to make new forms of jewellery. I have made some new pieces with raku pendants Jack sent me from Oklahoma. I will post some pictures when I have them ready. I hope they sell. I received a request from one of darling daughter's friends for a private showing for her and a few of her friends visiting Vancouver. A private showing! Well, lah-di-dah. Have I arrived? It will be fun, anyway.

Brother-in-law Gary and wife Carolyn have set off on their trip to see their son Michael and his family in the interior. Somewhere near Terrace, BC. And they plan a side trip to Calgary and will also stop in Vancouver at the end of the trip. Happy Trails!!

Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. If you still have your father, make sure you tell him how much you love him. I'm thinking about my father who is in a personal care home in Saint John. I remember going to see the first Pink Panther movie with my father. It was the mid sixties and I felt so grown up at about age 14 to be going to a movie with my Dad. We really enjoyed Peter Sellers doing Inspector Clouseau. All the jokes were so predictable and we laughed like fools anyway. And I remember Dennis introducing our daughter to the joys of Pink Panther humour. It's nice to know the best things never go out of style. Love to all fathers. And fathers-to-be, my dear. I wish you all the joys of the father-daughter bond.

There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. ~John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery, 1994