Down and Dirty with Dad

Being that this is Fathers Day weekend, I want to shout out a cheer and give a nod of respect and thanks to dads everywhere.

This past Thursday evening we attended an outdoor concert featuring a group called American English, a Beatles tribute band.  Do I love Beatles music?  Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!  However, I was pleasantly distracted during the concert by a young family sitting on the blanket in front of us.  

The family consisted of a mom, a infant girl, a dad, and an energetic, inquistitive 4 year old boy.  As the band sang the words "there are places I remember...",  I watched the boy discover a small mound of fresh black dirt and proceed to stomp on it, sit in it, and create freshly patted gourmet dirt cookies with his tiny hands.  He then presented this freshly created treat to his mom and dad on the family blanket.  Dad showed interest and appreciation for this gift, and later as the boy discovered the first lightning bugs of the season, Dad came off the blanket bringing a magnifying glass so he could share with his son a closer look.  I thought about how this dad embraced his son's interests and came prepared with a magnifying glass to build their relationship by exploring those interests with him.  

What an advantage children have when they are fortunate enough to have had a loving father during their childhood years!   When we get feeling all smug and proud of who we have become and made of our lives, that might be the time to take a step back and remember dear old dad. Remember the influence he had on the people we are becoming and his role in sharing values, ideas, and dad jokes.  We didn't get any choice or input into the person who was to become our dad, but we certainly changed his life and person. If you are one of the lucky ones, you got a dad who was confident enough to be playful and silly, who spoke in and displayed crazy "dadisms" that we will always remember. However, most importantly we got a dad who valued a personal relationship with us and expressed his love in various ways to show that we were important to him and that he was your dad and you were unabashedly his child.

I describe myself as and opportunistic photographer, and this week's photos were what my caught my eye as the evening's light grew dim.  The low light gave me the thought of trying to drag the shutter to create a portrait of this child's boundless energy and curiosity.  I was pleased with the result (1/6th sec. @ f5.6) and like to think that someday when the physical details of this moment are forgotten, the image will become a favorite memory of a future dirty father.