Six Word Fridays ~ Toast

There was a time, before you

knew me...or dreamed of me...

that life's journey swept you away.

You traveled far. You traveled well.

Eyes open, mind engaged - ever the

student, eager to learn and explore.

Georgia Tech, ROTC, Masters of Architecture,

the Air Force and work abroad...

all those things that came before 

there was a me, before us...

all those years that shaped the 

man who would become my father

are years that I now cherish.

And I cherish those years not

because they filled you with knowledge,

but because they taught you the

greatest lesson you've passed to me:

Never stop questioning. Never stop learning.

As a professor, as a mentor

and especially as a parent, you

passed on a heart to learn.

You passed on the heart of

the young man I see in

these gorgeous old, newly discovered, photographs.

The man I see here is 

the man I know. Though time
may have added a few wrinkles,

the humble eyes and broad smile
are unchanged. I see, in the
young man, the father I love -
ever and always eager to learn.

And so, daddio, here's to you!

I raise my glass and toast

the man who's shown me the

wisest of ways...the way of

the learner, the student of life.

{Click on the link in the menu bar to learn about Six Word Fridays and please join in the fun!}

Also linking this post to

Little Things Thursday

and

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Six Word Fridays ~ Go

{Through my father's lens, Paris, 1958}

Let us go. Together...on a
trip down memory lane. You'll take
me to Paris in the fifties.
You'll take me into the heart
of your dreams and I'll make
them my own. I'll dream of
the Champs Elysee, the iron tower
and men with baguettes and berets.
When my dream comes true, some
thirty years later, you'll visit me...
and we'll walk the golden streets
together. I'll be making new memories,
and you'll be telling me stories
from days gone by. This old
city cast it's spell on a
father and his daughter ~ held us
both in her magic arms for 
a time, and changed us forever.

Join us here and share your story,

six words at a time!

Black & White Wednesdays ~ Five Stories

Tag.
I'm it!
Yesterday a blogging bud called on me
to choose five photos and use them to tell five stories in five days.
Thanks Dianna ~ I love this idea!

I'm gonna break the rules just a bit and invite you all to try.
Tag.
You're it!

Stacks and stacks of slides came up from the basement in dusty, moldy boxes. One by one I looked at each treasure, each hint of my father's past. It was fitting that, on the eve of Memorial Day, so many of the slides were from the years he spent serving our country in the Air Force. He traveled through Europe, a young ROTC grad with his architecture degree. With each city...each slide...a story came to him. Tales of friendships, and runway reconstructions. He talked of lessons learned from great buildings and diverse cultures. An adventure that began as I held one slide up to the afternoon light kept us wandering the globe until long after dark.

Stories were told that I'd heard before, and many new stories were shared. Bit by bit, a picture came into focus. A picture of the young man who was to become my father just a few short years later. These formative years shaped this man I love so dearly. And I enjoyed every precious second of hearing him share his adventures.

We made a deal this weekend. I'm going to edit the photos, send him the digital files, and he's going to write his stories. All of them. It'll be my job to tie them all together and....write a book? Who knows. At the very least, a one-of-a-kind scrapbook is in our future!! I love that we found a project to share, even thought we're miles apart. Who knew so much life could be hidden inside a moldy box in the basement!!?!

Please join me and share your

Black & White photos!

I'm also linking up with

Wednesday Around the World

{Don't forget - I tagged you all! Please join in - find five photos and tell five stories in five days!}

Daddy

"We keep this love in a photograph

We made these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts are never broken

And time's forever frozen still."

Ed Sheeran

Minutes before we hugged good-bye today I asked my husband to snap a photo of me and my dad. One tight squeeze, two easy smiles...countless, loving heartbeats passing between us. The heartbeats from that moment. The heartbeats that have filled our lives as father and daughter. All of them seemed to pass between us in this moment. So, today, I needed this moment frozen. I don't know how many more heartbeats we'll share along the journey...but as long as we have memories to make, I'll be sure to freeze as many as I can.

Joining Kathy for

Song-ography

Three Little Words

iPhone photo, Instagram edit

When my dad {the man who taught me how to think} suggests that I think about something...well...I do.

Let me back up a bit. At the end of February, I sent my dad the link to my project 365. This year I've been matching a favorite quote with a photo each day. When I sent him the first two months worth of quotes, I asked him if he had any favorites. He replied with a quote from an architect {which isn't surprising, since that's his profession} and a little challenge.

He wrote:

There's a quote from Architect Mies van der Rohe that has stayed with me the longest... 
I've found it to apply to so many things beyond the foundation for his Architecture .....

     "LESS IS MORE"

think about it..........I'll come up with others as I follow the blog.....

love,  

D

Later that same day, after getting his email, I was playing around with...yes, you guessed it...my macro lens. My goal with this little leaf was to get up close and focus on the pointy tips that defined its shape. It wasn't until I looked at the shot on my phone that I noticed the outline of the heart made by the veins in the leaf! By focusing on less, I discovered more than I imagined! The quote immediately popped into my mind, as it has so may times these last few weeks. 

In design, as in life, many of us long to simplify. 

And these three words are very helpful. 
I'll be thinking about them! Will you?!!?

Linking up with

Little Things Thursdays

and

Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop

Unfading Glory {Bigger Picture Moment}

Flying high above my father's front lawn is this faded, slightly tattered flag. Nestled under the great trees that tower above my childhood home, she never fails to catch the breeze and to remind us that we stand, not just in a front yard, but in the land of the free. It doesn't matter that the winds have howled around her and, over the years, ripped at some of the fibers that made her. It doesn't matter that the scorching sun has, over the years, dulled her vibrant colors. It doesn't matter that at first glance, she may appear to be worn out and worn down and old. No, none of that matters. Because her essence - all that she is and stands for - is unchanged.

As I watched my dad {and his bad hip} struggle to walk down the driveway to his car, old glory caught his eye.

"That flag has seen better days," he said. "I really should get a new one."

I smiled to myself.

Because, like that flag, my aging father is a bit faded and tattered. He's not as agile or fast as he once was and the storms of this life have taken their toll on him.

Yet, somehow he still dances on the breeze.
And stands tall and strong - getting up each and every time life has knocked him down or kicked him around.

Maybe the flag has seen better days, but I hope he lets it keep flying just the way it is.




Sharing our simple moments
at Sarah's place today

Blast From the Past

{They love their daddy}

Game On

Years ago, when the boy was
{oh} so young, the grandfather whisked
him off to the ballpark. Since
the boy was living in France,
the baseball diamond was a mystery -
one of those American treasures only
enjoyed on summer furloughs. From the
first pitch, he was enthralled - the
energy of the ball park, the
crack of the bat and the
words of the grandfather mesmerizing him.

Now the boy's a young man,
with his grandfather's passion for the
sport. One hopes the Phillies will
win another pennant. One cheers for
those Red Sox. Both will watch
any team play. Any time. Anywhere.

As the pitchers return to the
mound this year, the grandfather knew
that there were only two little
words needed between them: "Game On!"

Thanks to Melissa for
our word today: Return

Eighty Years Young!

A man of eighty has outlived

probably three new schools of painting,

two of architecture and poetry and

a hundred in dress. 

Lord Byron 

I'm thinking that society's changes have

sped up since Lord Byron penned those words.

We could ask my Dad ~ he's celebrating his eightieth today!

And he knows things. Always has.

One of the best things about my dad is

that he's always learning things.

I love that about him.

And,

I love that he's an architect ~ that can take an open space

and turn it into some one's home.

I love that he 'grounded' me.

{Roots}

Put a good head on my shoulders, taught me to think.

Gave me a home, shared his history,

and let me know my life was mine to map out.

And I love that he let me fly.

{Wings}

As my kids leave the nest, I know not to smother.

Cause my dad trusted and respected me

through the good decisions and the bad choices.

He's a great dad!

And whenever I see a globe, a newspaper, golf clubs,

a Phillie's hat, a #2 pencil, a film camera,

a crossword,  the Thinker statue, puzzles....

I think of him!

Memories built from lives shared!

So, today, I wish him the happiest of birthdays.

Would love to be with him and throw him a HUGE party
{he's earned it after all!}

But blog love it is.

You're the best, Dad!

Different Kind of Day

Today's a different kind of Friday.
I woke up in my childhood
home, eager for a walk down
memory lane. Dad will read his
paper. And our lazy morning will
turn into a day of quiet
conversation. The gift of time together.

On my different kind of Saturday,
we'll visit a famous local garden.
I'll play tourist as I search
my memory for remnants of visits
made in days long gone...thrilled
to make new memories, both grateful
for this gift of time together.

We'll begin our day on Sunday
just us two. He'll read his
paper and I'll sip my coffee.
Father. Daughter. Sunday is his day,
after all. And this year I'm
here, together with him. Making this
a different kind of Father's Day.

My Father's Eyes

My father is an architect. A man of vision and curiosity. Someone who has always had a perspective AND been willing to change his perspective. That's a rare combination.

And he's given me a rare treasure.

His photos.

I have boxes filled with his slides ~ photos of my childhood, of my brother's childhood. Of our sweet loveliness as he saw it.

Which helps me remember!

As a family, we might have been happiest at the shore. My brother and I spent hours and hours of our summer vacation playing in the ocean ~ He was the true water rat...I just tried really hard to keep up.

Dad captured the fun, wet and wild moments. But I think my favorite photos are his quiet photos ~ those moments he captured without us knowing it.

They seem so pure.

And tender.

Straight from my father's heart.

Thanks, Daddy.