Happy Father's Day

I'm sitting in Gettysburg, having a beer next to the battlefield almost 150 years after the battle and all I can think of is, "I wish Dad was here". I get that thought a lot in my travels. For all the cool places I get to go and all of the cool things I get to do I wish I could drag my dad along for the ride.

You see he's the man that taught me all about beer, how to brew it and how to appreciate it. He taught me the right way to treat women and how to use tools the right way. He influenced me to become the man I am today.

I've seen him lose his father, his brother and his mother and for two of those losses I was there with a hug. I've seen him welcome my wife as the daughter he always wanted and my brother's wife as his other daughter.

All of this comes to mind while I'm sitting here and it brings me back to the only day he and I were here.

I had just graduated from boot camp and it was January. A cold January. We were driving home from Cape May with Mom, my cousin Tracey, my then girlfriend Renee and my brother. We had just left Philadelphia and were making our way west. He and my mom had told the girls they could stay in their pajamas for the day's trip. Little did the girls know there was a nefarious plot afoot.

The next thing any of us know is that we are parked outside the Hershey visitors center. The girls were NOT happy but I wasn't surprised. This is par for the course with my family and it's great. If we're nearby we will go out of our way a few hours to visit a battlefield, historic house, Turkeyville or Hershey.

After checking out the visitors center and loading up on chocolate we began our trek west again. As we approached Gettysburg he and I wanted to stop. We of course were vetoed. As we drove through he promised that I'd get back there...and I have.

Dad thanks for everything...one of these days you and I are going to come back here...and go to a few other places. Until then, this one's for you.