Joe and I drove out to my parents home to pick my dad up and as usual he was ready to go! Dressed in jeans and a leather jacket, I have to admit he looked slick. We spent some time wandering around the property. Joe used to keep my parents 2.5 acres in pristine shape, but as his work has increased, he has had to hand this job over to the gardeners. I know a part of him still wishes he could be out on the property tending to the golf tees, mini fairway and small green he built several years ago. If the gardeners are there, Joe always takes the role of general foreman :) He directs them and expresses his wishes on how and what they "need" to do with the yard. This visit was no different. The gardeners were there and of course as ritual would have it Joe spent about 45 minutes surveying the grounds and directing the gardeners. My dad followed Joe around and added his "two Cents' when they would listen. I have to tell you that when we first moved out to the Valley...my dad bought a ride-on mower and did the majority of the work on his land. Now as time has gone by and age has crept in he has become a silent observer...and sometimes not so silent if you know my dad!
We finally got underway and went to one of our local favorites...Plaza Ventana. Yummy Mexican food. Dad and I love Mexican food and would eat it every week if given the choice. Our conversation was mostly small talk and I waited and listened as my dad and Joe talked about the yard and Joe's work. I love the relationship my dad and my husband have. It is so honest and real. No hidden agendas, just a dad and his son-in-law hanging out. I know they truly love each other and it blessed me to watch them from this perspective. Both of these men have a heart of gold and would give you the shirt off of their back if you needed one. I am so very blessed to have such solid men in my life.
When Joe got up to get a beer from the bar I took the opportunity to ask my dad to tell me a little bit more about his time in the military. Dad told me that right out of high school he went to barber school and got his barbers license first. He was only 18 years old at the time. Shortly after that he enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in San Diego where he went through boot camp and waited for his first orders.
About that time Joe came back and I asked him "Did you know my dad got his barber's license right out of high school?" Joe was such a trooper and joined right in on the conversation. He know's what this journey is about and although he was trying to help me out...I could tell his interest was peaked. "No! I thought you went into the Navy right out of high school." Joe asked if my dad was stationed at Camp Pendleton and my dad told us that Camp Pendleton was for the United States Marine Corp. His boot camp was at the San Diego Naval Training Center next to Camp Pendleton. He went on to tell us about his weekends off and how he would get two days off one weekend and then 3 days off the next. On his 48 hour leave the boys would go in to Mexico or stay around San Diego and horse around like sailors do...but...on his 72 hour leave he would hitchhike from San Diego to San Francisco just to visit my mom, his grandma Jesse, and Aunt Alice. These three women had his heart and he would make the 8 our trip up to spend a day with them and then hitchhike back to be on base before the 72 hours were up.
Joe and I were captivated by this story clinging to every word. What a different world we live in, Joe and I pondered. We had so many questions for him we had to slow down so he could keep up wih us :) We were fascinated at what a trip like that was like and talked about how times have changed so much. My dad said that the travelers back then were happy to have the company as well as someone to share the duty of driving such a long stretch. Imagine that...people you could trust to drive your vehicle without driving off with it or robbing you! It was a different time and Joe and I got lost in my dad's past. It almost felt like we were there with him.
After lunch Joe suggested we get some ice cream. Dad and I were stuffed, but, we are both suckers for sweets so we forced ourselves to eat it anyway :D Dad was tired and wanted to sit in the car so we brought his ice cream back to him and headed for our house. We had a soccer game to watch and my dad, being the dedicated grandfather that he is, wasn't about to miss his grandaughter's high school team win another game in the TRAC! Although she is injured, my parents still faithfully come to every game enduring the cold Valley air just to show their love and support.
Have I mentioned that my parents are amazing!
Another lovely story...
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