This post is well overdue but I still feel the need to get my thoughts down in written form. On May 14, 2008, my father went home. His health had been declining for several months and he wasn't all with it near the end. The last I got to truly talk with him was on his birthday in April, but he was rarely alert or responsive in subsequent phone calls. We had been planning a trip back in June in hopes of seeing him before he passed but that didn't get to happen. Despite the fact that I lost my father, I'm happy for him and know he is happier where he is now.

So, here is a little about my dad. He was born in 1927 in his parents home in the Conewago Hills of York County, Pa. He grew up there, attended school in a small one-room schoolhouse down the road, and eventually dropped out of school due to a disagreement with a math teacher. My father first worked for several orchards near his home, later for York Corrugating, and eventually started his own auto shop in the mid 1950s. He also worked as a police officer for many years during this time period. After selling his auto shop, he got a job at an Insurance company as an adjuster. That is where he met my mom, who was the secretary in the office. Mom got pregnant with my older sister and they married. Several years later, my dad began working as an enforcement officer for several local townships and specialized in environmental law. That was his last job until retirement.

My fondest memories of my dad involve going with him to work, going hunting in the mountains, and helping him around the house. I learned a lot from my dad. I learned how I wanted to treat my kids when I became a dad myself. So, here is a list of things that will always remind me of him:

1. Strawberries-Dad loved to pick them, eat them, and even send them through the mail. Imagine getting a box with juice coming from it.

2. Guns-Dad owned dozens, possibly hundreds

3. The phrases, "Go to hell" or "Mind your own damn business"-Dad loved these two. He told me to use them all the time, especially when people questioned my actions.

4. Fishing-Even if the one on the line is only 2 inches long, fight it like it's a shark.

5. Anything from the 50s-Dad had his fondest memories of that decade

6. Ponhaus, Scrapple, sous-Dad ate the weirdest things

7. the organ-he rocked out his own way

8. Buffalo-Dad had an obsession with trying to see these on the plains and due to his poor eyesight, every cedar tree was part of a stampede