"My Dad knows how to do everything"

“My Dad knows how to do everything,” I declared to my sixth grade class. My Dad would help out anyone that came over to the house with something that was broken and he could figure out how to fix it. At the Saratoga House Dad had a metal shop, carpentry shop and a hot rod shop all squeezed tightly into the large garage. He would saw, screw and weld to manufacture just the right widget to fix the problem. When I was little I had a little game, I would ask Dad questions to see if he really knew how to do everything. “Dad, do you know how to fix a toilet?” “Yep” “Do you know how to ride a horse?” “Yep.” “Do you know how drive a Tractor Trailer.” “Yep”
Finally I asked the question about something he didn't know. “Dad, Do you know how to fly a helicopter? Not really, I did sit in the co-pilot seat and I got to work the controls, but I have never flown one by myself.
Dad has always been very good at involving us boys at learning how to do things, whether it was doing carpentry, rebuilding an engine, raising chickens or growing a garden. He wanted to make sure we knew how to do lots of things. An early photo shows me as a toddler helping my Dad sand the Jeep and prepare it for a new paint job.
Thanks Dad, For All You Do and Happy Father's Day