Why My Dad Is Cool

Happy Father's Day!

In honor of my dad and my husband, I offer the following essay:

Why My Dad is Cool

1. His fertile imagination

My dad was always willing to tell my sister and me stories. We especially loved the on-going series of “Elfie and Elferina and the Ogre Who Could Not Count.” He also created a running cast of characters that would visit us, including “Mr. Figaro,” a strangely asian Norwegian man who would come and play the accordion at our birthday parties. The best, however, was “Percy the Pumpkin Man” who would visit our front porch every Halloween. My dad would rig up his old squirrel fur coat with gloves and fishing line and an archaic microphone system behind a pumpkin head. You had to chat with Percy before you could get any candy. Dad is a professional story-teller now, so lots of kids get to hear his stories.

2. His creativity

My dad is an amazing artist. Pictionary is an adventure with him because he likes to add shading to his drawings. He is also a master of the ditto, a sadly lost art. For those of you who remember dittos, my dad could do FOUR COLOR dittos!

3. His love of language

Dad just retired after 40 years as an English professor. He taught me about the nuance and intricacies of language for which I’ll always be grateful. He also tried his hardest to teach me to be a good speller, but, alas, spell-check is still my best friend. He’s one of the official judges for the National Spelling Bee, so he is on TV once a year! It’s a big deal at our house for the kidlings to watch for DoGoong (Chinese for maternal grandfather).

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Why My Husband Is Cool
(as dictated by my daughters and annotated by me)

1. Because he builds.

Some of the birthday attractions my husband and his friends have built:

a 13’ pirate ship
a castle with a dungeon, waterfall, bridge and climbing wall
a working carousel

Some of the things for Halloween my husband and and his crew have created:
A scary Hell-Tube
A huge aquarium scene with an 8’ jellyfish
Skeleton Theatre

2. Because he makes things sound scary and makes things sound nice

Chris is a composer and sound designer for theatre and is the Resident Sound Designer for the Seattle Children’s Theatre-absolutely perfect for the kidlings. They get see the sets getting built, meet the actors and see some darn fine theatre.

3. He has a studio

We and the above-mentioned crew built a recording studio in the basement. The kidlings love to go and play around with equipment and all the instruments down there. I particularly like the isolation booth because I can send them there and get a little peace and quiet.

4. He hugs

(Sniff!)

So I feel quite blessed to have 2 such remarkable men in my life. Happy Father’s Day, Daddy and Chris!

Me and my dad taking a nap