most illustrious lord father

that's how galileo's illegitimate nun-daughter used to address the old man in her letters to him from the convent.

i am neither a nun nor illegitimate (yes!), but i feel the same pride and respect for my dad that i hear she did for hers. and today is his birfday!

here he is! (this virtual likeness will have to stand in for the real thing on this day of celebration because he's in...wait for it...thailand.)and now for a few special qualities that make him my and your favorite:

:: he knows all the best music.

:: he speaks thai. for crying out loud.

:: he looks deadly handsome in a tux (see my wedding photos for proof). all the rest of the time too.

:: he's Little's favorite person ever.

:: he insists on being happy, even when all events conspire to make him otherwise. he makes us happy too.

:: he can fix anything. i didn't always realize that not all dads can do this.

:: he finds the fun things to do and eat everywhere we go. except maybe while traveling in europe when he makes us eat at mcdonalds.

:: he might like chocolate ice cream more than anyone you know. but he's still in better shape than, well, me, for one, and he rides mad miles on his tricked-out bike. (the non-motorized kind.)

:: if you need someone to brag about you and make you feel like you're the bee's knees, he's your man.

and now, a memory:

once when i was a lone girl living a dreamy life in the northwest, i went through a bad, sad breakup and became seriously bummed out for about a month. i don't remember what i told him on the phone, but he drove to seattle to get me. we must have talked, but what i remember is that we went out to dinner and watched movies and, by the time he left, i felt like i might be okay. no friend, or even mom, could have done better.

and now, another memory:

my dad is one of those dads who can point to a spot way out on the horizon, then throw a baseball up in the air and hit it REALLY FAR, just where he said he would. beat that.