Father's Day

Though my own father was 1400 miles away on Father's Day, I did get to spend the day with three - count 'em - THREE fabulous fathers. That's them, above, each with their own manly set of binoculars to spot wildlife or bikinis or whatever else might be far away.

Reid, far left, is a good friend who is father to a 17-year-old and a 20-year-old, both incredibly smart, cool kids. Stu, in the middle, is 85 years old and father to a bunch of folks, including my friend, Camille. John, far right, is father to twin toddlers and also to a 30-year-old who is getting married next weekend. Between them, there is a lot of experience.

We spent the day having brunch and trying not to ingest all the floating cotton from the nearby cottonwood trees that were sporing like crazy. Then, we took a jaunt to a nearby nature preserve, Bear Creek Trail and Greenbelt, where we strolled around, spotting turtles, blue herons and baby ducks. Knowing Stu's brain carries a wealth of local botanical knowledge, I pestered him with questions. "What's this flower? What's it called? How about this one?"

Stu reminded me more than once that if he didn't know the answer, he'd just make it up because, "People just want an answer, really, they don't care if it's the truth." On the topic of plants, I figured he was probably right.

It was nice to hang with a real live family but, of course, it made me miss my own. I spoke to my Dad and he was heading to the movies to see "UP" - based on my recommendation - with the grandson, my brother and his wife. So badly I wished I could tag along.

Why does this country have to be so damn big?