Miss my dad

Thursday was my dad's birthday. I should have baked an apple pie (what he always had for his birthday.) He's been gone now for almost 4 years. I've really been missing him this week.
I went to Laguna to pick up my son and see my daughter and her apartment there last weekend. The three of us had brunch and went into a yarn shop. I found myself looking for yarn in colors that reminded me of my dad and times I spent with him. What sticks in my mind the most are how blue his eyes looked in the sky blue shirts my mom bought for him. They looked grayer in cloudy weather. We lived in San Diego and had boats. My mom liked deep sea fishing and whale watching so we went out fairly often. Of course our last boat was named for her, the"Dorothy D'. I got to live on the boat the summer I turned 16. It was so cool to have freedom for the first time. I remember the sand and kelp, the ocean skies, seagulls, sea lions, the churning swells of the ocean.
Dad grew up in Washington near Seattle. We saw movies he and a friend made of the two of them zipping around in skiffs. They were black and white movies. We went to Washington a few times and camped on Puget Sound on a lot his father owned. More pictures in my head of the gray sea. He helped us build rafts out of the driftwood on the beach. He gave us a Flag with a flying horse on it for one of them. It was the best raft we ever built. We tied up the anchor too tight and the tide came up and washed it away. The very night we finished it.
My dad was quietly supportive of me. I was so lucky to have him in my life. He changed after my mom died to become more of a rebel. He grew his hair long and wore an earring, though he was still the staunch Republican down deep. We were able to know him better once mom was gone.
I miss my dad. I was very fortunate to have had the great childhood I did. I had great parents. I wish I had more time with them.

Happenings at the lakes

7/8/07
Woke up to a mouse in the bathroom. Then he came out into the hall ran up and down a broom I had against the bathroom door to keep him from coming out and ran into a couple of the bedrooms. They are cute and all and have lived in these woods much longer than me, but I don’t want to share my house with them. Paul set a Have-a-Heart trap for me. Last year one caught itself in one of the traps we had stored on the porch. Paul took it for a little boat trip to the beach near Eighth Lake and let it go there. What a guy.
The kids are still sleeping. I have been debating what to do with the strawberries and rhubarb. I was going to make a coffee cake, but decided we really like strawberry rhubarb pie best.
Trying to start a new knitting project, but can’t decide what to do. Am kicking myself I didn’t pick up this bag of fabric at a yard sale yesterday. There was one piece I would have liked to use for a knitting bag. vintage stuff…
May go to the Old Forge Arts Center and sign up for the classes I want to take. I missed the pen and ink class already.
7/7/07
Old Forge had their Antique Boat show today at the waterfront. Lots of wood hull old motorboats. They were really beautiful. My favorite was one that was built in 1903, “The Indian”. It had a cool shaped stern. Here are some details of my favorite

I remember my grandfather having a wood motorboat when we first used to go to camp in the 60s.



Of course everyone is always looking for this...
We walked around town afterwards. I need a bunch of odds and ends to get camp in shape, but couldn’t find anything I needed. At least we stopped to eat and had some Buffalo wings. I hadn’t had my first wings yet. I think that makes us officially here.
Justin got here late this afternoon. We’re at an Inlet 6th and 7th Lake Association meeting listening to a talk on invasive aquatic species in the lakes. We have Eurasian milfoil in the lakes and they are being really proactive in trying to remove it and prevent it from spreading. We have wonderful lake water quality and want to keep it that way.