Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. Dads are pretty great. They always seem to know everything and be good at everything.
I’ve compiled a little list of things my dad is exceptionally good at. Enjoy!
Adventure.
My dad is a wizard when it comes to adventure. There were weekend trips to the science museum, sailing races at lake Quannapowitt, spelunking the ‘lemon squeeze’ in NH, and my first climbing adventures up Castle Rock. My dad turned mundane trips to the recycling center into something that could be talked about at the dinner table. We hiked Lincoln, Lafaette, and Haystack in NH and went to a lego dinosaur robot building event. Do you need to read that again? Lego Dinosaur Robots. Can you think of anything that could possibly be cooler to an 8 year old DiDonato?
Music.
My dad paid for much of his younger year lifestyle with the proceeds from his band. It’s name was “Uncle Sam’s Love Thy Neighbor Ragtime Band.” They even put out an album! He played for weddings, in parades, and various town events. The band is still together and when they play, smiles can not be avoided. Dad’s also in another band called “Tabasco Fiasco.” They play more regularly at bars and locations in NE. It’s a great group of guys and the music is really fantastic.
I first got into the Saxophone through my dad. I started learning at age 7 and still get much joy when my dad and I can get together and play some sax duets.
Gifts.
For over 20 years my dad provided to his children a Super Duper amazing flamazing zippy-zappy fantastic sensational extraordinary etc… etc… Present! at Christmas time. the name always changed, but the concept was the same. We’d wake up Christmas morning to find an envelope buried within the Christmas tree. In it, there were a series of puzzles and challenges that lead us to an awesome group gift.
Some of the gifts included:
a computer!
games!
sleds!
an hour long tap dancing class (my personal fav.)!
A family Oragami lesson (a close second)!
Stock options!
Food.
My dad cooks extravagant meals. Most of the time they take forever. And most of the time we hear shouts of “OH NO!” coming from the kitchen. But the end result is always great. Included in this food section should also be Breakfast. My dad makes a great breakfast. One breakfast in particular stands out. It was the day of my SAT and I came downstairs to find a full breakfast feast awaiting me. Bacon, Pancakes, Eggs, English Muffins, Juice… it was glorious!
Saving the Day.
One of the many adventures my dad took me on was a trip where we learned about the geology in Boston architecture with a tour guide. A group of about 12 of us were told what types of rocks were used where, and where they came from.
While we were walking around, two men joined the group suspiciously. But they paid attention to the presentation and seemed interested.
Not far from Government center, we stopped to look at the foundation of a building. I stood near the back, my father behind me.
Suddenly there was motion.
“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” my dad shouted.
When my dad shouts… everyone listens.
I spun around to find my dad gripping one of the men’s wrists tightly.
“what… what?” the man shook with fear.
“WERE YOU GOING TO STEAL THIS WOMAN’S PURSE?!”
The woman who my dad was referring to quickly tightened her grip on her purse. The purse had been open, her wallet showing.
“no, no… I…. ”
“GET OUT OF HERE NOW!”
“listen man… you got it all wrong.”
“DO YOU WANT ME TO GET THE POLICE?! GET OUT OF HERE!!!”
the man quickly left.
“YOU TOO! GET OUT OF HERE NOW!” My dad ordered the other stranger.
“I didn’t have anything to do with this! I’m just watching!”
“GET OUT.” my Dad commanded.
he left. Our tour group relaxed, safe again because my dad saved the day.
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Interested in more stories from Dad D? Click here.
Happy Birthday Dad! You’re the best!
That was your dad?! I was just going to give her back the $20 she dropped. Thanks MikeD’s Dad for scaring me so I did end up stealing that $20. Thanks alot.
Lego dinosaur robots aren’t just cool to 8-year-olds, too. Sadly, Google’s not helping much.
i want my two dollars!!1