My Adventurous Gene

My dad was a pretty adventurous guy, and I guess that's where I got my "adventure" gene. He served in the Navy during WWII, flew airplanes, owned all kinds of boats, and enjoyed camping and traveling. And he loved to fix stuff and build things; heck, there wasn't much he wouldn't try.

Back in the 1960s this boat was featured in Popular Mechanics magazine. My dad decided we should build one, so I drafted up the plans from the magazine onto butcher paper, he cut the wood and built it out in the back shed, and then I sewed the sails.

We sailed it on the San Joaquin River Delta, and often towed it up to Camanche Reservoir for big family outings. He would sail back and forth from the launch ramp many times to get everyone and all their gear out to the island where we'd swim and play all day.

He made being a kid fun because he always had some educational project or activity going on. Possibly because he was still a kid at heart.

Thanks for all the good times Dad.

Rest in peace.