My dad was a marine briefly, and after he left the marines, he went into civil service and worked on the base. When I was a kid, I thought my dad could fix anything. He was a heavy duty mechanic when I was young, and later was trained to be a radar maintenance technician. Some of my earliest memories involve visiting him on the base in San Diego. I remember looking out the back window at these tall men in uniforms who smiled at me as we drove through the gates. I also remember sitting in some kind of cafe on base with my dad and my mom, eating french fries with tons of ketchup. Everyone was so nice to me that I thought my dad must be really important. I stole my dad's french fries when he wasn't looking.
Later, when he was attending a community college near our home in 29 Palms, I remember driving to the college to pick him up once when the wind was blowing really hard, I think because he was worried about riding his motorcycle in the strong winds. When we returned home, the wind had blown part of our roof off and bent our CB antenna on the house. I remember worrying about my dad who I could hear walking around on the roof that night, trying to do some damage control.
I have been impressed with him all my life for his careful, thoughtful manner. He didn't get mad easily, but when he did get mad, watch out! It seemed like his eyes would change from blue to green when he was mad.
From my dad, I learned to love and respect motorcycles. I learned from him to clean the top of the refrigerator, how to peel potatoes, that a kitchen wasn't clean if you just washed the dishes...you had to wipe off the stove and clean the counters. He instilled in me to change my oil frequently...so much so that when my car's indicator tells me it's time to change my oil, I get extremely upset if I go past the indicated mileage and envision my car melting down in the middle of the highway from lack of maintenance. My dad also taught me to be a critical thinker...just because television or the news says it's so, doesn't mean it is. He taught me to be realistic and pragmatic. Life is hard, and most of the time, life doesn't work out the way you want it to, but that doesn't mean you should just give up.
My dad loved electronics...any technology in fact. He always wanted the most recent technological toys. He started his own repair and sales business for electronics and CB radios. His shop was in our garage in our back yard. I remember working with my dad in his shop when I had a science fair coming up. My dad helped me to make a sound synthesizer. I learned how to read a schematic, all about circuit boards, how to solder, what makes switches work, and all sorts of other things about electronics. My dad also taught me basic programming.
My dad was always a hard worker. He spent his time supporting his family and doing home and car repairs. He had a lot of strength, too. I remember one holiday when my parents were making turkey, my dad took the turkey out of the oven and the pan collapsed. Hot oil and liquid spilled onto his legs and feet. He carefully put the turkey back into the oven, closed the oven door, and walked to the bathroom where he filled up the tub with cold water and ice and took care of his injuries. I don't remember him saying a word during the accident. I'm sure it hurt terribly.
These days, my dad is retired from civil service. He still works part time at a tire shop and still fixes things. He looks after my mom. He and my mom go every Sunday to the continuing care to visit their friends who live there, to play games and to talk. He is a wonderful father, and I love him very much!
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