Picture this:
You are standing in Jones’ Hardware in Pompton Plains, NJ, trying to pick out a lock for your impending trip to Oz. You are debating weight and strength and if someone really wanted to get into your footlocker would either of these factors matter? You turn around, to ask your father his opinion, only to find that he is happily opening up one of the largest knifes sold at Jones’ and the glimmer in his eye is akin to Jack Nicholson’s in the “here’s Johnny” scene of The Shining. He then tells you, in a most matter of fact manner, that this is the knife you should get and proceeds to place it between his teeth and mock dive into the water. He then follows it up with the suggestion that you can kill fish with it (money saver) and easily hook it to your bikini bottom when not needing it to spear fish as you are deep sea diving. This is my Dad- and I love it!
This is what I thought of as I unlocked my footlocker today to get my laptop and write a little something for my blog. My dad is quite a character. Back in the day, he had a one-way ticket to Australia; he, however, did not go. Maybe that was a mistake, maybe not; all I do know is that if he had gone, I probably wouldn’t be around to write about my adventures in Oz right now. So, thanks Dad, for turning that ticket in.
In the weeks leading up to my departure I think he was more excited than I was. We went to the stores and bought a pocket knife (happily, I did not get the jumbo one from Jones’), mini mag light, sunglasses (thank you for helping me pick ones that do not make me look like a dweeb), hiking shoes, and all kinds of other crap. I have to say, his excitement definitely put a damper on my nervousness and I’m glad that we had the time to do this- together.
This is a man who is filled with infinite wisdom- like when I talked to him on Sept 12, 2001, and he told me, “If shit goes down, don’t eat all your non-perishables all at once”. Wow, I know, incredible advice in the wake of one the greatest American tragedies, but he had a point. And frankly, had “shit gone down” I would have remembered not to eat all my non-perishables at once. That’s not something I would have thought of, not in a million years. I’m a hungry girl, so I probably would have gone through my non-perishables quite quickly.
But back to the trip at hand, I wish he were able to go on that trip back in the day. Everywhere I go, I see something that I know he would love to see or experience. Even the dirty, dirty hostels would be a pleasure for him. It’s all part of the experience of a lifetime and I know that he would relish every filthy, sweat drenched moment of it. And if places here in Australia seem untouched now in 2009, what would it have been like 35 years ago? I can’t even imagine how it was here 35 years ago, it seems so desolate now.
Well, Dad, if you do get to come out; and I suggest you do everything in power to make it happen, buy two of those knives from Jones’, you know, the big ones that made your eyes glimmer and we’ll go diving for dinner together!
I love you!
