Today is fathers' day. Everyone in America knows this...or at least should.In Cleveland Saturday started out rainy (very) and windy (wow) and humid (extremely). There was a great show from Mother Nature in the sky starting at 3am for those of us still up. But by late afternoon, the humidity was gone, as were the clouds and wind. Well, there still remainded a nice gentle wind for those people who own sailboats (bah)...Saturday turned into a perfect day.
The parks were all filled with families. The smell of charcoal grills filled the air. Fathers' Day was upon us and the populace was out celebrating. I, of course, was doing yard work. (hey, the Jone's live next door, what can I say!)
I am making the trek to Toledo, Ohio today to pick up my dad and drive him to my brothers house up on a lake north of Detroit. I look forward to spending time with the male members of my family hopefully on a day like it was yesterday, minus the severe thunderstorms.
If you would indulge me, I would like to share with you a Fathers' Day story...
I remember many many years ago my mother asking my dad to take me and my older brother of 4 years to the movies. I was 8. We didn't GO to the movie theaters all that often, so I was excited.This was a big deal. We came home 2 hours later and my mother asked us how the movie was. I was completely in shock and immobile from staring at the movie screen.
You see, most of the movie was in subtitles....
Now before you say, "Wow, how cool. She started seeing Independent Films at 8", the movie my dad took us to see was "Tora Tora Tora" about the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tinker Bell it wasn't. And it didn't have anything to do with Davy Crockett either, so my brother was disappointed as well.
2 years ago I was at Wal-Mart going through the big stainless steel bin they have of older movies for $2. I found a copy of said 1970 American-Japanese film of Tora Tora Tora. I bought it for my dad for his birthday....I thought he might get a kick out of it, considering the history we had with the movie as a family. Aparently it made a bigger impression on me than it did him. He didn't even remember taking us kids to see that movie while The Aristocats, King of the Grizzlies and Pippy Longstocking played in the theater next door.
Ah, the fond memories of childhood...
I love my dad.
:-)
My dad is a big airplane/war buff so I remember watching Tora, Tora, Tora with him as well (we saw it on TV). He taught me a lot about Pearl Harbor and the atomic bomb on that day, that's for sure.
ReplyDeleteWere you 8? :-)
ReplyDeleteWe had a good laugh today at lunch about the whole thing again...
Hope you had a great day Chris!
Not that you (or anyone) cares, but as long as we're sharing, my first movie was "Popeye" with Robin Williams. Terrible then, most likely worse now. The Robin Williams E! True Hollywood Story discussed how the set was basically a 24/7 orgy. Oh, the things one learns.
ReplyDeleteI saw Bram Stoker's Dracula with my grandmother. Did you know old Mexican-catholic ladies apparently don't like watching werewolves hump British women? It's true.
ReplyDeleteDad's are great! You always think there is some lesson in life they are trying to teach you, when sometimes they just wanted to spend time with you at the movies. A memory with dad is never bad. Thanks for sharing yours.
ReplyDelete@ MVD - Ha! I remeber TRYING to watch that movie and just couldn't stand it, at all...never knew the orgy part. That was probably the only way the could get through the filming!
ReplyDelete@ Carlos - Really? Your grandma didn't think that was hot to watch that scene with her grandson? The word "awkward" comes to mind!
and @ Theresa - Thanks for READING my memory! We had a blast yesterday swaping memory stories then the rest of the afternoon. For some reason my memory seems to recall them in more detail...like when my brother blew out the sides of our above ground pool with his cannonball...with my dad getting knocked over with the 1000 gallons rushing him as he was mowing hte lawn. Those seem to clear for me! :-)
Thanks to everyone!
Nancy