Lá an athar Shona (Happy father's Day)

"La an athar Shona" (Happy father's Day)

1950's my Dad on the wooden docks in the Inner Harbour, near the Empress Hotel, Victoria. He had just come off work and was  really wanting to not pose for pics, but my Mother insisted. He didn't have a hat at the time. She liked him to wear one.

1950's  "Pretend to play the guitar with your sister, Davey."  Apparently they were singing "She'll be coming round the mountain..."

June 27th, 1955. My mother giving camera directions with the dog they adopted for a few years. That dog loved my mother so much.  Her parents in tow, Davey in the back,and company on the side. Dig the plaid.

1936 Honeymoon on the "Kathleen" CPR passenger ship was built to replace the Princess Margaret which was used during WW1. King George V! and Queen Elizabeth travelled on the Kathleen in 1939.

1930's Corn fields at Bethune farm. 

1933. Mum and her dad, Robert Shiels, on an early visit, before she  married my dad. 

1950's With my grandmother and the adopted dog. My dad would sit with her, outside, in the afternoons, I was told. He would read to her ,as she was blind.  She and my grandfather loved my dad. The dog  would often sleep on her blanket covered feet.

1940's Mr. Cool. Looks like a dectective or a gangster.

1935. Stanley Park. Nice warm June. My mother made him wear his hat for the pic. He never liked wearing a hat.

1949 With niece, Sheila Murray at Stanley Park.

1940's Vic West. Looking like he stepped out of a gangster movie. That darn hat again.

1930's early days before he married  Nessie. No hat. My mother said he should have had one. But she took the pic anyways.

1950. December on the farm.  Working horses. Even the horses liked my dad. They would slobber on his sweater and pull on the yarn. Years later I found it in the closet, with big pulls taken out of the  rows.

1936 on the Kathleen. in 1939 it was used as a troop ship. Was returned to Canada for  cruises to Alaska in 1949.In 1952 she ran aground at Lena Point in Alaska. Everyone was rescued. She sank into the ocean. My mother always thought that was neato, that they sailed on a famous ship. She made my father carry his hat with him, even on the ship.

1932. Football. He loved to play football.  Didn't require a hat. My mother thought he looked spiffy in this pic, even though his team lost.

1950's San Juan Capistrano. Pigeons everywhere. Pooping pigeons.  Later he told my mother he wished he had a hat. They kept sitting on his head.

1930's Old Esquimalt wooden bridge. It's been replaced a few times. They were headed to the Princess Kathleen.

1940's On board a coast ship. Working hard .

1950's  Out for a walk downtown Government Street, Victoria. Photographers would take your photo. My mother loved this pic. She thought she looked spiffy and so did my dad cause he looked complete with a hat. (I think he still looks like a cool gangster)

1955 approx. One of the last pics of my grandparents together. A simple life they lived their last years with my mom and dad who took care of them. That old tree was soon cut down, I was told, after my grandmother died.  It had become hollow and whistled in the wind. 

Nov 21 1936. Wedding day. No hat. But I still have the net ribbon from her bouquet. Her wedding dress she stored in an old wooden trunk and I found it rancid with oil and stained with brown streaks. But the ribbon was  pretty much untouched. One of dad's old hats was at the bottom of the trunk. It was crushed and smelled of mold.  I can still see him looking  cool with his hat. Wearing it to please my mother....

Vintage photos 2021
 

Father's Day....

"Lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime. And, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time."

- Longfellow

 His story is like so many others.

 He came from a long ways away. From Scotland.

 He came to a new country to make his way in the world.

 He met my mother.

 And they decided to make their way together. In this world.

 In the 1930's and 40's they lived on under $40.22 a month. Christmas  presents in 1938 totalled  $1.00 per person . As tabulated in my mother's expense book.

 In 1939 rent was $15 a month.  Light $3.99. A pair of shoes cost $1.00. And groceries $5.00. Tobacco cost $2.00

 In the 60's they adopted me. Can't-sit-still-a-minute little old me.  We would play tag in the fall leaves. I can still remember  it. Crunch. Crunch. Went the leaves. I hated that brown snowsuit.

 We would rake those leaves.

 Then run through them again. And again.

 He didn't have much of a voice. It was gone by then.

 But he would still try and run in the snow when it was winter.

 By the last season, he tried to run in the leaves for the last time.

 My dad died  in 1968.  It was a very long time ago. But I remember him, like it was yesterday. And I  remember those 7 short years we had , as if it were a lifetime.

This is the last photo that was taken. We were headed to a school concert. His last one. There were no leaves to run in. I hated that red jacket. It was itchy. But I could have just stood there. With him.  Forever.

 "It doesn't matter who my father was; it matters who I remember he was." - Anne Sexton (1928-1974 Pulitzer Prize winner)