"A very good man..." ~ Jane Eyre

My father turns 60 years old tomorrow.

I can hardly believe it. As I sat and drank coffee yesterday morning, at my sister's, I watched him with play with Jack. Their silhouettes were like a deja-vu to me; images that appear in old photographs. A man who looked like my grandfather smiling over a curly haired baby who looked like me or any one of my sisters.

The aging of my parents is bittersweet. I love that they are enjoying their grandchild so much, for the smiles on their faces when they are around him are smiles so unique to a grandparent-grandchild relationship. However, knowing that they are grandparents depresses me sometimes, because I want them in my life forever.

This photo of my dad was taken three weeks ago. As part of his 60th birthday present, I drove him out to Brooklyn, where he grew up. We visited the Homecrest section, where his childhood home is located, and to Coney Island, where I treated him to Nathan's. He is standing in front of his old elementary school in this photo. There are other great photos from this day that I shall share when I do a post on Coney Island in the weeks to come.

I am grateful for the many gifts my father has given me. He gave me my education, my love of reading, my passion for history, my stubbornness, my love of jazz, my gregarious nature, my giving spirit, and my sense of responsibility when it comes to family. A single post on my father does this man no justice, but here is a meme I created to celebrate this special day. We are gathering at my sister's for cake tomorrow evening, and my father told me to bring plenty of ice cream for his grandson (who is totally loving vanilla ice cream lately).

Top Twenty Terrific Things about Thursday's Pop
1) He had a Volkswagen Beetle in the 70's that was yellow
2) He knows every fact, significant or petty, about the American Civil War
3) When he had a moustache when I was a kid, I swore he looked like Teddy Roosevelt.
4) He is an amazing photographer
5) Growing up, he always gave me books that I "needed to read" and he still does
6) He leaves messages on my machine about important PBS shows airing that I need to watch
7) He is a Trekkie
8) He loves anything nautical theme-related
9) He likes to drink Grey Goose Vodka with tonic and a twist of lime when we are drinking because he doesn't like beer
10) He knows every damn answer on Jeopardy
11) His obsession with Hemingway was passed on to me
12) His favorite Armenian food is lahmajooon (Armenian pizza)
13) He still lectures me at times
14) His jokes tend to be very corny
15) He loves New York City
16) He belongs to a local chapter of "Sons of the Desert," a group of Laurel and Hardy fans who meet once a month to watch old reels and chat
17) He will still come and hang things in my apartment for me or help me if I am having car trouble
18) My mother's nickname for him is "The Professor"
19) He loves popcorn
20) His heroes are his father, Abe Lincoln, and Alexander the Great