25 things about my Dad--Part I

1. He loved to bake. Especially bread. And he always thought a graham cracker crust would make a nice addition to an apple pie.

2. His favorite movie was A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim.

3. When we lived in Nova Scotia back in the 1980s, he was the Halifax coroner.

4. He liked to cut our lawn in geometric patterns, like squares or perfect circles. Much to mother's better judgement.

5. He thought Nigella Lawson was the most beautiful woman on television.

6. If he hadn't emigrated back to Canada with his mother and father, his dream was to be in the British Navy.

7. He liked to watch the planes take off from the airport, and would often take a spot of lunch up to the HIP parking lot to spend the afternoon... watching.

8. When I was in high school, we went to Mount Tremblant over March break. It was so warm that in between the ski lessons we took together, we spent most of our week sitting on the porch of the main chalet sunning our faces and drinking hot chocolate (which he made me order for us in French.)

9. He always ate a peanut butter and jam sandwich after Sunday night roast beef dinner. Usually followed by a bowl of ice cream or cereal.

10. He never liked wearing jeans.

11. One summer when we were in Southampton (where we rented a cottage), we were out for dinner and he saved a toddler from choking on a grilled cheese sandwich.

12. He could play Jeopardy and beat anyone in the room while simultaneously napping on the TV room couch.

13. He wasn't Catholic, but if you had a question about one of the Catholic Saints, Popes, or the Bible, he was your man.

14. He preferred wearing pink Oxford cloth button down shirts.

15. He loathed mini vans, and if he could find a reason to blame one of the world's problems on their existence he would.

16. He often watched CPAC.

17. His favorite food was little sandwiches.

18. He worried people didn't like him.

19. This past February we went skiing in Ellicottville for his birthday and stayed overnight at a Bed and Breakfast in the "family room" and we stayed up late watching The Godfather and eating caramel popcorn and stealing the Hershey kisses from all of the common rooms.

20. If he wanted to take you for ice cream, he'd ask you if you wanted to "Queen the Bean?"

21. He failed grade 13 math and had to repeat the year but was still only 16 when he started at Queens University.

22. If he made something for dinner, he liked to watch you take the first bite and would be nothing short of disappointed if you didn't fuss over how wonderful it tasted.

23. When he was four years-old he declared he wanted to be the King of France and when questioned why, he replied "because when one grows up one gets a family and one doesn't want to work."

24. On Christmas Eve he and I go together to the Farmer's Market and tour the stalls finding just the right fruits (veggies) and sweet treats for stockings, and he always stops to talk to the Jamaican lady who owns one of the stalls whom he once treated in Emergency. And he always gave all his pocket money to whom ever was asking for it out front.

25. He collected marzipan pigs.