The cool Colorado nights give way to the warm summer days in the Rockies.  I feel  saddened as Fathers Day approaches.  This will be the first Fathers Day without my father who passed last December and the upcoming holiday reminds me of my loss.  Despite the saddness I feel I am blessed to have so many wonderful memories of the times we shared.  

    My father was a true adventurous spirit.  My earliest memories of him are of his days of being an airman.  Not only a pilot he was but a twin engine pilot with a twin engine aeroplane that he shared with a good friend of his.  I was very young then and most of my memories are informed by the pictures in the family photo albums.  Nevertheless, I do remember the aeroplane and being mesmerized as a passenger in it.  My mother did not enjoy the thrill of a small plane and I understand that he had to move on from that hobby for her sake and he graciously did.  The next adventure I remember sharing with him was his love of motorcycles.  A love that he imparted to me.  I will never forget the butterflies in my stomach the first time he gave me a ride on his harley davidson.  It was absoluteley terrifying and magical all at once.  Needless to say Mother was not a big fan of the two wheeler either although he was able to have that pleasure for a good while.  At least until he had gotten his fill.  I will never forget how proud and happy he was when I rolled up on my first Harley.  He was simultaneously happy for me and a little jealous.  Honestly that bike is probably the only thing that I ever bought for myself that lived up to all of my dreams and expectations.

    I remember him asking me with a nudge and a wink,  “there is nothing dissappointing about that motorcycle is there son?”  “No pops not one thing!”  I replied.  My father understood adventure.  He loved the open road.  He loved the thrill of going fast down the runway in his plane,  he loved the thrill of tooling down the road on a motorcycle.  As he grew older and became a more mellow version of himself he bought a sailboat.   

   I know that a sailboat doesn’t really fit with the excitement of flying or motorcycling but for an older man with a wife and three sons, a sailboat offers a good bit of challenge and adventure!  Actually it offers quite a bit more excitement that you would imagine.  Especially when the wind picks up and the waves become whitecaps.  When you point a sailboat into the wind it “heals”  which is to say it leans over on its side as it cuts through the waves.  A very exciting ride to say the least.

    As a teenager,  I talked my uncle into taking me up to the mountains to take a ski lesson.  As a  result both my uncle and I learned how to downhill ski . It wasn’t very long before my father just had  to find out what he was missing.  Needless to say soon after we would make years and years of amazing memories on those family ski trips. Such great memories and such great adventures!

  I feel very fortunate to have been blessed with my adventurous father.  He was always up for some wholesome adventurous fun.  Its going to be tough not having him around and especially from Fathers Day, leading up to the Fourth of July and into his birthday which was the thirteenth of July, will be the hardest to get through.  I will embrace all of the wonderful memories we made together.  He absolutely lovld adventure.  And he absolutely loved living here in the State of Colorado!  Two things that I can wholeheartedly say that he inspired in me as well.  That  love of adventure and the love of living in this majestic State of Colorado!  Land of the Rocky Mountains!

   I could go on and on telling stories of our family trips in Colorado’s  mountains!  We made alot of memories exploring this amazing state!  Perhaps in another blog!  Here’s to you Dad,  thanks for all the adventures! You are greatly appreciated and very much missed.  I am sure your adventure continues!