Tribute to Pops

Happy Fathers Day to an amazing father and grandfather. I love you dad.

Since my dad's favorite flavor is lemon I made the lemon pudding cake I recently added to my cooking repertoire for our fathers day dinner. I served it in goblets layered with whipped cream and topped it off with raspberry sorbet. It was so yummy. One of the coolest gifts he got this year was one good looking adoptee. As many of you know my dad collects owl figurines, Im pretty sure that he has collected multiple hundreds by now. I have many memories exploring the streets of the far off places we traveled with my dad looking in shop windows for his next exotic owl. So this year my mom adopted this lovely bird at the Tracy Aviary for my dad. I was reminded of the movie "The Family Man" when the dad names a comet after the wife for their anniversary. I love when people think of creative gifts.

He is definitely a wise bird.... he winks at pretty ladies.

Just a quick list of things that remind me of my dear ol' pops:

-Classical music (and the "classical music" quizzes he would give us in the car where we would have to name time period and composer of whatever song was playing on classical 89)

-The violin and how he would wake us up by bursting in and playing a lively tune on his fiddle 

-Mountain Biking, and then playing his violin in his biking shorts and jersey 

-Wrestling (my dad would have to promise to have a wrestling match with me to get me to practice the piano when I was a kid)

-Cooking breads and deserts while, again, wearing his biking shorts and jersey

-Being the family doctor where every diagnosis was "Walk it off!"

-Having an optimally efficient way of doing everything..... from cleaning our guinea pigs' cages to painting our fingernails

-Never sleeping but still having more energy than I swear I could ever have (well until he sits down)

-Always feeling safe because my dad would go around the house checking everything and locking up late at night.... he even would check to see if all our alarm clocks were set for the right times

-Being the most entertaining grandpa ever, props to a guy who can make anything (a cup, a spoon, a napkin ect.) the funnest toy or game 

-Healthy eating, and finally being allowed to eat coco puffs when I was a senior in high school

-Maps, my dad doesnt have to ask for directions because he always knows wheres hes going.... he even has been known to correct a bus driver when they were going the wrong way on one of our tours

-Traveling, with his hand purse/european carryall and fanny pack

-"Dad in a Can" a phrase we coined when we noticed that he could solve any problem or have anything you need right when you need it...even when you are thousands of miles away from home.

-His short blue running shorts that were once blue but are now a faded violet.

-Sideways- tight-big-shakn' hugs

-Being my photographer buddy on trips, and helping me get the best shot

-Always being there in a pinch, my BFA show couldn't have happened without him

-Setting the best standard.....I believe that it was because I had such a loving father figure in my life that I was able to hold out till I found an equally loving man to be my hubby

Thanks dad.

The blue running shorts, that he is wearing on our cruise because this guy even exercises on vacations. Now thats what I call dedication.