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Father's Day Contest

Kid Montana

Kid Montana

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
1,346
When I was about six years old my family bought a house in the Bitteroot Valley in Montana, about 30 miles south of Missoula. The one story house had an enormous Franklin wood stove in the center of the living room and dining room which heated the house during the six or so months of Montana winter. Though just a youth, I was expected to pitch in with the rest of the family and help move wood into the wood bin near the back door from the wood shed.

When time came to stock up on wood we would head up into the mountains above the Bitteroot Valley for a day. We would take the seats out of our 1978 GMC van and, prep a big thermos full of coffee and head into the national forest to harvest dead standing. My dad used the chain saw to fell the trees and my task was to help de-limb the tree with a hatchet I'd been given one year for Christmas. After my dad had wacked the tree up into manageable logs and I'd de-limbed everything, we'd roll the logs to the van and load it from the front to the back, floor to roof. I don't know about my dad but by the time we were done I was pooped.

As became a ritual, we would sometimes stop off at the A&W restaurant on the way home, a rare treat. My family at that time was very poor, with a new baby in the family and four more growing kids so money was tight, making fast food an extremely infrequent event. At those special times when we did stop at the A&W, my dad and I would get a quarter gallon of root beer in a jug to share and maybe a couple burgers to go. Since I have always loved root beer, between the two of us it would get polished off before we got home and my dad would make me hide the trash from mom, a delightful conspiracy. It was just a special time between me and my dad and lingers in my mind as one of my fondest memories. He turned 50 this year and the older I get, the more learn to love and appreciate my father for everything he's done for me.

  • This contest is open to anyone who's been a member for more than 30 days.
  • Post a story about your fondest memory of your father in the spirit of what I've posted above.
  • Entry cut-off is 2359, 19 June.
  • On Fathers Day, 20 June 10, I will randomly select somebody to recieve a pair of 2009 release
AF Anejo #48's.

Thanks for playing, tell your Dad you love him this year.
 
My dad worked pretty long hours to support our family. He often had to work late so weekends were our bonding time.

My dad was a golf fanatic, still is. Every saturday we would head down to the park near the golf course and he would hit his irons as I played centerfield with my baseball glove. He would give me baseball pointers as he hit to me.

He would finish up by taking me to the sand trap at the local course and teach me to get out. I still have the best trap shot of anyone I play with.

I never really liked golf as a kid. I just enjoyed tagging along with dad. Now I am slowly loving the sport more and more. This year I fly to KC with my 4 mo. old son for fathers day so he can meet the best golfer I know.

Love the contest. From sons everywhere, thanks dads for doing what dads do.
 
When I 7 or 8 my dad took my brother and me fishing. He had a small Johnson outboard that he would clamp to the transom of a rental boat. He would always want to go to the other lake. A road separated the lake in two and we would have to go through a culvert to get to the other lake, so Dad would have to remove the motor and lay it in the bottom of the boat until we got through the culvert.



On this evening Dad had been nipping at the houch (which was a big no-no according to Mom). As he sat on the side of the small boat to remove the motor for the return trip through the culvert, my big brother violent rocked the boat and over the side Dad went (I promise it was my brother, as I was very afraid of my Dad). Dad's eyes were as big as saucers in surprise. Though he had a bad temper and was wearing a new pair of boots, he never said a word, just got back in the boat and laid the motor in the bottom. He started us through the culvert and decided to walk across the road. My brother slipped out of the back of the boat and followed him.



As Dad was bending over watching for the boat to exit the culvert, my brother kicked him in the ass and back in the drink he went. I remember him nose diving into the lake and dog paddling while trying not to lose his new boots. Again he never said a word until we got home and he accused Mom of paying us to drown him.



The look on Dad's face when he fell over the first time will never be forgotten and it never fails to bring a smile (but I didn't laugh or even snicker at the time). I never got to smoke with Dad as he passed in 86.

Ken

 
Fatken said:
The look on Dad's face when he fell over the first time will never be forgotten and it never fails to bring a smile (but I didn't laugh or even snicker at the time). I never got to smoke with Dad as he passed in 86.

Ken
Click to expand...

LOL, that reminds me of a time my dad and I were at a gravel pit harvesting some gravel to fill some major puddles in our dirt driveway. Anyway I was taking a break and was generally screwing around that day and was throwing rocks. I flung one, about 2" in daimeter, in a high arc that came down and landed squarely on my dads bald head as he was shoveling. He just kind of sat down and gave me one of those looks that last a lifetime. I laughed nervously but felt bad but his reaction was pretty comical now that I think about it. I was mostly worried about getting my ass beat but it never came.
 
My mother would always watch from the shore in her one piece blue swim suit. The lake my father and I played in was a sandy one and very shallow, perfect for a kid and perfect for getting swimmers itch if one did not take the time to dry off properly. I never seemed to dry off properly. lots of itches in the evenings around those campfires with dad.

But, the lake was always best. As we wrestled and he would throw my light weight over his back. I would grab onto his tanned shoulders which seemed to be coated in sunscreen and therefore have a wax shine to them. He and I would play battles out for hours; flipping me into that soft sanded beach water, mom still watch not far from shore.

The best part about this of course, at my young age, was the rough housing my father played into. Now what seems life a million years later I see the real best part about it was him taking the time to play and spend with me. He was a teacher then so the summers were spent in the carpentry business making more money for the family, but the weekends were for the lake and he always shared plenty of his time with me. All my life I will cherish that time, and all the other times. All the hunting for Christmas trees, carving pumpkins, staying home when I was sick and a million more things that made my dad a top man.

Thanks for the contest and letting me share about my father Duane Shugart
 
Well my dad is just a wiener, but I love him anyways.

If that qualifies as a story, there's mine! :love:
 
My parents got divorced when I was 8 years old. The majority of my childhood memories of my father are of a sad, let-down, angry, confused and lonely nature.

I'm the middle child, having an older brother and younger sister. My sister and I stayed living with our mother, while my brother went to live with our father. From that point, it seemed like through the divorce, my sister and I got our mother, whereas my brother got our father. That didn't seem to bother my brother, but I found myself really distraught and confused over the situation. I wanted my fathers attention so much and missed him dearly. Going over to friends' house(s) were especially hard for me, seeing the great family interaction and wishing I could experience the same.

I wish I could say I have some memories of great father/son bonding as a child, but unfortunately I do not. This went on well-through high school and my early to mid twenties. Whenever my father would call me and want to get together, I'd drop whatever it was I'd be doing or had planned and go hang out to spend time with him. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my father and have never once told him "no" to anything. Through the years, I'd always been a phone call away, waiting to hear from him.

About 2 1/2 yrs ago, I started noticing a change in him.....he was calling me more frequently, wanting to get together more often and just doing things for me and going out of his way for certain things...unlike his previous character. I was LOVING it! I kept thinking to myself, 'this is what I've been hoping / waiting for'. We finally were genuinely bonding, as father & son.

This has continued to the present and leads to the fondest memory I have of my father;

With this whole newfound bond that was unfolding, I kept thinking to myself....."what's the real reason behind this all". I still couldn't get myself to believe this was really / finally happening. We were sitting out on his deck one night, enjoying some Captain & Cokes after a very long day of me busting my ass (nothing new for me) to help him clean out and organize a couple of his buildings. Since this drastic change in his demeanor, I was really thinking that his health was bad and he was trying to make good with me. I asked him if he was sick and he softly replied "no". He then began to tell me how through the years, I had always been the one person he could count on for anything. Any time, any place...I'd be there. He then went into his parenting skills (or lack thereof) throughout my childhood and started apologizing profusely for all of his years of neglect, bringing up very detailed and specific events that I couldn't believe he even remembered or had thought of. I've never heard my father apologize to anyone, for anything. I've never even had a real 'heart-to-heart' with him. My father rarely showed emotion. I was floored.

We sat out that night for what seemed like an eternity. You know how when you're watching a REALLY good movie or sporting event and you never want it end? That's how I felt about that night out on his deck. My 20+ years of questions were answered, I talked to him the way I had always wanted to and had one of the best nights of my life.

From that point on, our relationship has continued to grow and we're eachothers best friend. Each time we get together, it's better than the last. We share so many common interests and ALWAYS have a good time together. A few of you know my father and have shared many cigars with him.

I've always had a father, but since that night on the deck.....I now have a Dad.

Thanks for the contest, as this has been a lot of fun putting all of these thoughts into words! I'll see a couple of you over here at the house on Father's Day for some pristine smoke.....Popsey will be in attendance.


Jeffrey L.
 
Father's Day for me is all about the joy of being a Father.

My favorite memories of my dad were from way back when I was four or five years old. We lived out on Long Island in a split-level house that had this cool basement TV room. My dad and I would spend hours watching Star Trek, Godzilla, John Wayne movies, etc. on TV. All the sudden I would notice he had left the sofa we were sitting on. I never could figure out how he got away without my noticing.

He left my mother and her three sons a few years later. My youngest brother was two weeks old. It was hard on us for a while, hearing about his travels and the new family he started from relatives, but we adapted.

When I was in college, I drove out to San Francisco and tried to look him up. He was living in Foster City with his wife and young son. I used a friend’s phone card and called him up from a payphone. It had been half a dozen years since I had seen him, but I had tried to stay in touch over the years by sending him letters, pictures of the first deer I got, etc. He answered the phone and I told him I was nearby and would like to drive over and see him. He said he had company over and was too busy. I asked about the next day. He said he had plans. I think the conversation broke my friends' heart more than it hurt mine. He could not believe a father would not want to see his son.

My oldest daughter is 19. I cannot imagine where my father was coming from, but I made a commitment when my daughter was conceived that I would not repeat the cycle. To me Father's Day is about the joy, luck, love, and the intrinsic reward I get from being a Father. It is a gift to have children, and I have been blessed. I am thankful and every day is Father’s Day for me.
 
RyJ Smoker said:
My parents got divorced when I was 8 years old. The majority of my childhood memories of my father are of a sad, let-down, angry, confused and lonely nature.

I'm the middle child, having an older brother and younger sister. My sister and I stayed living with our mother, while my brother went to live with our father. From that point, it seemed like through the divorce, my sister and I got our mother, whereas my brother got our father. That didn't seem to bother my brother, but I found myself really distraught and confused over the situation. I wanted my fathers attention so much and missed him dearly. Going over to friends' house(s) were especially hard for me, seeing the great family interaction and wishing I could experience the same.

I wish I could say I have some memories of great father/son bonding as a child, but unfortunately I do not. This went on well-through high school and my early to mid twenties. Whenever my father would call me and want to get together, I'd drop whatever it was I'd be doing or had planned and go hang out to spend time with him. There's nothing I wouldn't do for my father and have never once told him "no" to anything. Through the years, I'd always been a phone call away, waiting to hear from him.

About 2 1/2 yrs ago, I started noticing a change in him.....he was calling me more frequently, wanting to get together more often and just doing things for me and going out of his way for certain things...unlike his previous character. I was LOVING it! I kept thinking to myself, 'this is what I've been hoping / waiting for'. We finally were genuinely bonding, as father & son.

This has continued to the present and leads to the fondest memory I have of my father;

With this whole newfound bond that was unfolding, I kept thinking to myself....."what's the real reason behind this all". I still couldn't get myself to believe this was really / finally happening. We were sitting out on his deck one night, enjoying some Captain & Cokes after a very long day of me busting my ass (nothing new for me) to help him clean out and organize a couple of his buildings. Since this drastic change in his demeanor, I was really thinking that his health was bad and he was trying to make good with me. I asked him if he was sick and he softly replied "no". He then began to tell me how through the years, I had always been the one person he could count on for anything. Any time, any place...I'd be there. He then went into his parenting skills (or lack thereof) throughout my childhood and started apologizing profusely for all of his years of neglect, bringing up very detailed and specific events that I couldn't believe he even remembered or had thought of. I've never heard my father apologize to anyone, for anything. I've never even had a real 'heart-to-heart' with him. My father rarely showed emotion. I was floored.

We sat out that night for what seemed like an eternity. You know how when you're watching a REALLY good movie or sporting event and you never want it end? That's how I felt about that night out on his deck. My 20+ years of questions were answered, I talked to him the way I had always wanted to and had one of the best nights of my life.

From that point on, our relationship has continued to grow and we're eachothers best friend. Each time we get together, it's better than the last. We share so many common interests and ALWAYS have a good time together. A few of you know my father and have shared many cigars with him.

I've always had a father, but since that night on the deck.....I now have a Dad.

Thanks for the contest, as this has been a lot of fun putting all of these thoughts into words! I'll see a couple of you over here at the house on Father's Day for some pristine smoke.....Popsey will be in attendance.


Jeffrey L.
Click to expand...



I know Gary (Popsey) and he is a damn good chit. Very nice story brother.
 
I have so many memories that it's hard to narrow it down to one story. Dad was a farmer up until I was in my mid teens, so I remember making feed, feeding hogs, baling hay, feeding cattle, picking peanuts, and on and on and on. I never could figure out why all the kids at school were glad for school to start back because they were "so bored". I was happy it started back so I could get some rest. :laugh: Boredom was never a factor in my summers.

I also remember living in an old house when I was small, and Dad and I would sit up late at night on Friday and Saturday nights and shoot the mice on the woodpile with the BB gun. That was an absolute blast.

I guess my very favorite memory would be sitting on the couch with Dad when I was 8, watching Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin take the first moon walk. That was just amazing to me.

My dad had his faults just like everyone, me included, but he loved his family, and I'm very thankful for the many things he taught me over the years. He smoked cigarettes for 47 years, and now has COPD. It's hard to see him not be able to be as active as he would like to be.
 
Thanks for the contest KM, this is a great idea :thumbs:

Like many people in his age group at the time, my father came from a rather poor background. Despite this, his passion for cars, determination to overcome his economic shortcomings and strong work ethic drove him to begin his own auto repair business. As any startup business owner knows, it requires long hours and unrelenting commitment. His commitment more often than not meant his having to leave before us kids woke up and coming home after we had gone to bed. While he did everything in his power to be as involved as possible, it did tend to make time together a precious commodity.

Starting in junior high, the business was at a stable enough point where he was able to take more time off. Beginning annually my uncle, father, I and usually a couple of other guys would take a 7 to 10 day fishing trip into middle of nowhere Canada. By this I mean we would actually load up two boats completely with equipment and start boating from the US, travel 3 hours inland to the customs stop and small store, followed by another 1.5 hour trip to a tiny island. The customs stop was the last remnant of civilization for us.

For the majority of these trips I was typically the only kid within a group of grown men. Despite this, my father always made sure I was included. Everyone hung out on the boats together, completed chores together and our group was a very easygoing and inclusive one. My father and I became closer than ever on these trips because we usually found ourselves in the boat, just the two of us, able to talk about whatever came to mind or just enjoy each other’s company. The distancing from the “real world” and working through crazy situations such as weathering severe storms, dealing with injuries, and even having to save my father’s life once established a bond between us that was not possible at home. One night, following a particularly taxing storm, after everyone else had gone to bed, my dad called me down to the rocky shore of our island and pointed to the sky. Above us the Northern Lights danced amongst billions of stars. We spent an hour just watching the shapes ebb and flow and to this day, this is one of the most vivid images I can recall.
 
Some awesome stories here... this thread was a great idea. Though I don't qualify for the contest, figure I would still take part in going down memory lane.

A bit of background is probably necessary. My parents were divorced when I was about 11. My dad was a bit older having grown up under the tyranny of Stalin and the forced famine of Ukraine. He was thrown into a concentration camp and managed to lead an escape. Long story short, he found his way to freedom in America in the 1950s, married my mom and had me in the 70s.

So after the divorce, my mother remarried. My dad and her had joint custody of me. One day, I was at her and her new husband's rented house. They got into a bit of a fight, he lost his temper and struck her. I called up my father to get me the hell out of there. He heard how scared I was in my voice, and despite living 2 cities over, he was there in ten minutes. I was watching out of the window for him and when he showed up, I ran out there and jumped into the car. In his calm Ukrainian accent he said to me... "He hit you?" I looked at him and said no. He said, "tell me if you were hit." I said no, he didnt hit me. He then says, "You mother... she ok?". I said yes, that he left the house right after I called you. He gets out of the car, knocks on the front door of my mom's house and asks her if she is ok. It was at this point that I noticed the 12 gauge shotgun in the backseat of the car. She told him yes, that there is nothing to worry about. He simply said to her "He no good. This going get worse". He gets back into the car. He looks at me, kisses me on the forehead and hugs me tight. He then takes me home. Without a doubt, this is the fondest memory I have of him. It is hard to describe how I felt that day... a feeling of awe. a feeling of being protected. Of feeling... safe. I learned a lot about life that day. I think back to it often. About being a man, of what it really means being a father.

Unfortunately, my father passed away 2 years later when I was 14 which forced me to grow up rather quickly. I truly treasured the time I had with him. He taught me through example. He is who made me the person I am today. He taught me the importance of courage, of wisdom, of virtue, of honor, of respect, and of hard work. The only regret I have with my father is not having more time with him. Decades later I now have a great wife, and a wonderful son of my own, that likewise, I will protect with my life.
 
I don't know if this follows along with your idea but I have a good reason to celebrate fathers day.
In 2008 my father was 81 at the time. He was in miserable pain from severe back problems. He went in for surgery to have 13 screws, 4 pins and 6 vertebrae fused. The doctor said he may not even make it and that is will be one of the most difficult spinal surgeries performed in 20 years. The surgery took almost 18 hours to perform and he amazingly came through it. A week later unfortunately, there was some bad infection starting to appear. It turned out he had got MRSA. It is a bacterial infection that is resistant to almost all antibiotics. The only answer to this disaster was to go back in and flush the area out with vancomycin. Again they said this could kill him but it had to be done. When he was in the e-room, I had never seen a fear like this in my fathers eyes in my life. I was terrified that I would never see him alive again. Believe it or not, he came through this as well though. He had to have the Vancomycin intravenously for months afterwards and have 24 hour care for several months.
Now here we are a couple years later and he's doing great. He always wants to help around my shop, run errands, tidy up and do anything he can to help. He's the finest man I've ever known. Therefore this fathers day I will truly be celebrating it with him and be thankful just to have that day with him. Fathers day should also be a celebration of life with our fathers. God Bless them all. :thumbs:
 
My parents divorced 50 years ago, when I was 2 years old. Visitation lasted a few years, until my mom cut it off. Needless to say, I have very few memories of him.

He was a magical man, with a glint in his eye, extremely smart and talented. One of my fondest memories is how he, a professional musician, often shook the house blasting his records, and playing drums. He would sit me in his lap, me holding the sticks, and him guiding me playing whatever I could reach. Neighbors would congregate outside, one half complaining, the other half cheering.

He is the reason I first tried cigars. We hooked up right before He died about 18 years ago, and on his death bed, he was listening to Gene Krupa, and tapping along with the music. The glint was still in his eye, and his warmth was palpable.

On Father's Day, I will light up one of my best, pour a drink, put on some Krupa, and look up. I don't know if this fits your criteria, but I am going to say that I hope to hell that my son remembers me with the same love, respect, and awe as I remember him.
 
Thanks for the stories folks. We have a little less than a day left on this contest if anybody else wants to participate.
 
Great contest, KM. Thanks for hosting it.

I couldn't have asked for a better father. A South Dakota farmboy, a Navy Vietnam vet and finally a Wyoming coal miner, Dad has a work ethic that puts anyone else I've ever met to shame. He always made time for me and my sister when we were growing up, though. I was raised to hunt, fish and enjoy everything a small town in the West could offer.

When I was in high school, not surprisingly, I thought I was much smarter than my old man. Here I was, accepted to a very difficult school to get into, whereas my father partied himself out of college in his second year and never went back. He also never seemed to be well spoken--he writes in all capital letters for crying out loud. The day I left for the Academy, my old man took me aside and laconically gave me a bit of advice: "Keep your head out of your @ss."

Best advice ever.
 
Thank you all for participating in my Father's Day contest. I think by taking time out to mull over our memories and write them out we go though a somewhat transformative process and are hopefully more appreciative of our fathers for it.

A random number generator has picked post #16 as the winner! mjolnir01, PM me your address and I'll get your cigars off today if possible. For the rest of everybody, have a wonderful Father's Day and thank you for participating.
 
KM, that's awesome, thanks!!! I STILL have never gotten my hands on an Anejo, so now I'm doubly stoked. Great contest.
 
Thanks Kid,

Loved to share and loved to read this one. Happy Father's Day all.
 
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