A Very Cool Time...

I considered naming today's post "Best Time Ever," but once I thought about it, I realized that it wasn't the best ever. Calling the last couple of days the best ever would diminish the awesomeness of meeting Mrs. Evan... and the day we got married... and my kids' birthdays. But it was really cool. I went on a quick downriver canoe trip with my dad.

This is cool because my dad is a stereotypical old-school, bring-home-the-bacon, stoic, show-no-emotion type of father. For my dad, bonding consisted of passing on knowledge... hunting, fishing, baseball and car maintenance. I never got into hunting, fishing and baseball, so our bonding time was quite limited.

A couple of months ago though, my dad suggested that we go canoeing, and I was thrilled at the idea. "You'll only need one paddle," he said as we talked about it.

"Why, are you going to do all of the paddling," I retorted?

"Hell no, I'm gonna fish."

That was when I really got it. He knows that I love canoeing. It was an ingenious way for us to both do something that we love, and hang out together. This week I was able to make it happen.

I rode my motorcycle from my place to my parents' house (road trip!), spent the night at a friend's house (the friend lent me his canoe and the use of his car for shuttling), and spent the next day on the river with the old man.

My dad's also an introvert. The only time you can really get him talking is one on one... maybe a group of three. Four seems to be over his limit. He doesn't talk on the phone, he doesn't email, and he doesn't like sleeping anywhere other than his house. The only way I get to really hang out with him is by going up there, which unfortunately I don't do frequently enough.

If this post is halfway coherent, you should be realizing that I love my dad. It's not just that father-son love, I also like and respect him. But with so little in common and his Luddite lifestyle, years can (and frequently do) go by without us spending any time together. This little jaunt down the river was also a trip down memory lane, as we talked about my childhood and his. And it was a totally new experience for both of us. Geographically, we both grew up around the river, but neither of us had canoed this section before. In fact, it was the first time my dad had been in a canoe in about 40 years.

We talked about the past, the present, the future, the economy, and nothing at all. It was really cool. I think we need to do it again.