Happy (Belated) Father's Day, Dad !

Last month I posted a photo of my mom from the 70's, for Mother's Day. So here (a little late) is a picture of my Dad from the same general time period. Happy Father's Day, Dad! (I don't feel too bad about this post being late because I was actually with my Dad on Father's Day.)

I think this photo is about 1977 or so (dontcha love those plaid pants). During that time he was president of a little company called Automecca which produced the vehicle shown in the photo, the Roamer SportsVan. My dad has always been seriously afflicted with the Entrepreneur Bug and has owned a number of businesses over the years. As anyone who owns a small business knows, its rare to make more money than just enough to live on! I think my mom would have preferred my dad to have always had a "regular" job, but what would our lives be if we didn't take a few risks and go after our dreams?

My siblings and I certainly picked up on that lesson. Out of seven kids three of us run (or have run) our own businesses, and most, if not all, of my other sibs have expressed the desire to do the same. I guess we've inherited that mix of dreamer, optimism, and creativity that makes calling our own shots so irresistible. I'll never get rich with my little biz, but I'm sure having a good time.This photo is from about 1960. I'm on the left of my dad and my brother, Mike, is on the right. My dad taught all of us kids to ride two-wheelers as soon as we were old enough. He was very much involved in Boy Scouts for many years with both my brothers, and I got to go along on many hikes and campouts. He body-surfed and built sandcastles at the beach. He was my first dance partner, and he taught me to drive a car. Of course, he did once leave me behind at a hardware store when I was about 3 (he forgot he had me with him)!

Nobody's perfect but, as a dad, mine comes pretty darn close. Happy Father's Day, Dad. I love you!