America, June 3, 1997
My 'Rents are the Coolest!
Ma & Pa Rock!
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Ah, family. The one thing we all
have (or had) that we cannot choose and consequently, drives us nuts.
My dad, like all dads, is a great man. Even greater now that I do not live at home, under his rules. Also, like so many dads, he learned much between when I was 12 and 22. In just ten years he went from an out-of-touch tyrant, to an intelligent, wise man, which of course, had nothing to do with my maturing from a foolish runt to a young man. My dad is quite the talented one, though he is shy to admit it. He can build anything from a set of plans, quite a few buildings around the world bear testament to that, and he can build a few things without plans, a good son being one of them. Right now, he is working in Vero Beach as a carpenter, taking it easy in the Florida heat. He does get up before dawn to catch the sunrise over our intercostal waterway bridges on his 5-10 mile runs. Actually, these days it is probably more like 10-15 miles a day. He ran a 1/2 marathon at Disney World (See the Runner Photo) and he is hinting that he will run a marathon in the near future, and I wish him well. Just remember to drink a lot of water, dad. He is also an artist when he is not keeping trim. He can do wood, stone, steel and concrete sculptures, mixing mediums and styles to make beautiful art. Carlos never stays with one medium long, he was working on painting and wood blocks when I left, so no telling what he's into now. On top is Neptune, one side of a carving he made from sandstone. The other side is an Indian woman carrying a basket, while on the bottom is a Tiki made from a palm tree section. Dad also made tikis from thick oak sections and small sea urchin spines. When my parents were traveling, he made beautiful leather goods in their van, the 'Bit O' Sole,' as they drove all over Europe and South Asia. The stories they tell from that experience, about taxi rides in India, Turks with razor blades, snow angles in France, and ice cream shops in Germany are what inspire me to get up and walk out the door each morning to see what is over the next hill. My mom is a wonderful and very patient woman, she has to put up with my dad and I. Now she is a librarian for an elementary school, after going back for her Masters degree. Before that, she was a teacher in the elementary school in the next county. I didn't have her as a teacher in my school, but she sure did teach me when I was home. I remember one summer I had to learn all the states and their capitals on a road trip to Texas. My parents would drill me constantly, withholding cookies and candy until I memorized them all. Now can have those Oreos?! My mom is the best mom in the whole wide world! (yeah, better than yours, too!) Unbeknownst to many, my mom is the real traveler in our family. She is the one who wanted to see the world when my parents got married, and she's the one that organized their trip to Russia and England in the summer of 1998. My dad is the one who makes the trips fun, always finding a way to get us into trouble. I am one of the few people I know who likes to travel with his parents because they are so cool on the road. I love my 'rents. |
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I hope you wanna be his duplicate.