70 @ Seventy

In honor of dad's 70th BDay here are 70 things:

1. He loves to take a day trip (Daffodil Hill, family graves, Marin Cheese…)
2. He loves to travel off the beaten path (a side trip to a toxic waste dump for example)
3. He grew a moustache in 1986 because I asked him to.
4. He would take me to Sears for fresh popcorn & to see the giant Winnie the Pooh
5. Every day he delivers fresh cups of coffee to my mom.
6. His feelings get hurt if you don’t ask him to take you to the airport at 4AM
7. He still won’t tell me the punch line to the joke about the two Mexicans and the nun.
8. He will tell grandson #1 inappropriate un-edited jokes.
9. When mom told him I was gay he showed up at my office out of the blue to take me to lunch “just because”.
10. He’ll drop whatever he’s doing to help us out.
11. When I was 6 he told me to whip my mom with a licorice whip – I did. (bad idea by the way)
12. During high school I once forgot to put on my bra. He drove back to school to deliver it sealed in a brown paper bag.
13. He brought me breakfast in bed all through middle & high school.
14. He drove me to school everyday.
15. He can pack more camping equipment into a car for a two day trip than anyone I know.
16. I still can’t beat him in dominoes.
17. Finger off the checker is a hard & fast rule.
18. He makes the best tacos in the world.
19. He can tell you every subplot to any Seinfeld episode within 2 minutes of the start.
20. He should have been on Jeopardy! Never challenge him in a game of Trivial Pursuit – you’ll lose.
21. Does anyone need a Y2K pantry full of SPAM?
22. Yes, he still has a Y2K pantry.
23. If you are hungry and in a strange town he can tell you a restaurant to go to.
24. He watched almost every episode of Santa Barbara with me.
25. He still asks about Cruz & Eden.
26. He’ll welcome anyone into his life if they are important in yours.
27. He makes delicious & strong fresh strawberry daiquiris.
28. His sweet little love pats (forceful enough to knock over small children)
29. He still asks me to sit on his lap (I haven’t in 15 years)
30. He beat cancer over 10 years ago.
31. Many of my friends envy / admire his relationship with my mom.
32. He doesn’t throw a half-ass party.
33. He won’t drink crappy beer (the same can’t be said for wine)
34. Beware of the Yuba Monster!
35. He may say “don’t bring that dog into this house” but he doesn’t mean it.
36. He can’t get through a toast or grace without choking up.
37. He named his robe “Pierre”
38. He once bought & wore a woman’s cardigan sweater.
39. He travels with a bar and a set of dominoes.
40. In his mind the sun is always over the yardarm.
41. He goes to the annual Cowboy Poetry festival.
42. He attended almost every sporting event I played in during High School.
43. He still shows up to my over30 soccer games.
44. For this year I’m half his age.
45. He’s the cutest old fart in a seersucker suit & straw hat.
46. If you sell it with a Cal logo he’ll buy it.
47. He learned that I got into Cal Poly and decorated the front steps with yellow & white flowers.
48. Letting me drive on Pismo Beach when I was 10 or 11
49. He reads Jane’s blog everyday.
50. He can’t avoid a thrift store deal.
51. He might love dogs more than I do.
52. He’s the antithesis of my mother’s paranoia.
53. There are no rules above 5,000ft. (I’m not sure there are rules below 5K either)
54. If you express an interest in something he’ll send you books & articles on it for years.
55. He hates it that #2 son & family live so far away.
56. Beware of the Shoe Monster!
57. He can tell anyone a story about anything.
58. The day he gave a homeless man a bag of groceries for admiring his terrier.
59. He bought my mom a man’s robe for Christmas with the justification that she’s the size of a small man.
60. Spontaneous hugs.
61. He still calls the VCR the “ATM”.
62. He mows the lawn barefoot.
63. Even though I don’t work there he always asks me “how are things at the Cathedral?”
64. If you have a favorite food or drink he knows what store has it on sale.
65. If you think you left your iron plugged in he’ll drive up to your house to check on it. He won’t tell mom about it either.
66. He reads cookbooks like most people read a novel (before bed, on a trip… I’ve never seen him with one in the kitchen)
67. If I don’t get at least one call from him each day I worry that something is wrong.
68. He loves my mom.
69. He loves his family.
70. He’s the best example of a friend.