When I was a little boy I would go duck hunting with Dad. We would go down to the willows North of American Falls. There was a lot of back waters and marshy areas then. There were some times that we came home with ducks but I remember most that I got to be with Dad. I do recall that we had a Black dog I think she was a Springer Spaniel. I had named her Sally. I don’t recall if mom and dad had gotten the dog for me or if the dog was a nice hunting resource for dad that I got to play with. Sally would go into the water to retrieve the ducks that dad shot that was nice. Once Steve, who lived with us for a while, was with us (or was it that I was with them) but for some reason Steve got a duck and Sally was not with us so Steve went into the water for the duck. The water was rather cold. That may have been the fall before Becky was born.
I don’t remember playing catch with dad very often. In fact there was only one occasion that sticks out in my mind. We were living on Chestnut in Walla Walla. Dad was home between trips and we were out playing baseball. I had tried out to be a catcher for little league. So dad was pitching me the ball. We had an old type drive way. There were two cement strips that were parallel about a foot wide. I threw a ball back to dad and not being as proficient at throwing a ball as I might have been dad had to jump for the ball and when he landed one of this feet was on half on and half off one of the cement strips. He sprained his ankle very badly resulting in a wonderful display of blues, yellows, greens, and purples which changed over time merging and blending over the next few weeks to make this an event to remember.
There were many times that I went with dad camping. We would sleep out with the scouts. As he was the scout master I got to trail along and be present for many fine experiences. Snipe hunting was a camping favorite. We used to play a game called “Are you ready brother?” Two boys would lay on their bellies clasping hands and in the other hand there would be a rolled up newspaper or magazine. Both boys were blindfolded. The two took turns, the one would start saying “are you ready brother?” the other would answer then the beating was on as the one asking tried to score blows on the other. It seams that he got three swings. Then it was the others’ turn. Because I was little I didn’t get to play much but that was great fun.
We also played steal the bacon. This was a two team game that most everyone knows how to play. I enjoyed creeping through the brush and what have you. These are things that I would never experienced had it not been for dad letting me participate. When I grew up a little they were not played in scouts or on outings. The fun had given way to which troop could have the cleanest camp ground. Wonderful memories of times with dad.
There were summers too when I got to travel with dad. I recall dad letting me put a small pile of rocks on the floor of the car and we would go along he coaching me as to when to toss a stone to hit a road sign. I got reasonably good at this. When I was older (early teens) I would be with dad sitting close to him and he would fake a heart attack and I would “have” to drive with him controlling the gas and brake.
Love you, Dad! Happy Birthday!
No comments:
Post a Comment