Reflections

There were two things about my dad that still make me laugh today. One was that he had a serious weakness for ice cream. Even though he had a heart attack when he was in his early 40's and quickly had double bypass surgery following that, he never did quite give up that sweet vice. There were many times when I'd visit him in Maine over the summers that we'd stop for ice cream not once, but twice in one day! Dad would just say with a twinkle in his eye, "There's always room for ice cream!" And while Kylie never met dad, I think they had a lot in common...

The other thing was Dad's attraction to trees. I'm serious, I can't tell you how many times over the years Dad would pull over when we were in the car for us to stop and admire a unique tree. And many times we'd have to wait minutes or even an hour or two for the lighting to be just right so that he could photograph it... (But his dedication to conservation, lighting, and nature got a beautiful book, To Save a River published before he died) Anyway, when Alexander, Kylie and I were walking around Reed Gold Mine last week I suddenly remembered a spot Dad used to like to visit while we were there. And so I set off determined to find the tree. (It is one of the only surviving trees from the days that the gold mine was in operation). And the three of us sat on the bench and admired it just like Dad used to. This time it was my turn to explain the specialness of the tree with Alexander. And I couldn't help but remember the many times I sat there with Dad.

I think he would have been proud...