Dad (TOM BARTON) as HEAD OF THE HOUSE HOLD
Mike, Alice, Doug, Jennifer, Mom and ME.
Mike, Alice, Doug, Jennifer, Mom and ME.
YEARS ago I took a class in photography and found the negative of these photos in a brown paper bag stuffed on a high shelf in the closet...
I developed them, hand painted them and gave them to Mom and Dad as a Christmas Present.. Might have been one of the best gifts I ever gave them..... AND ME......
I had NO idea my parents had ever had any fun in life???
OR were ever FUNNY, silly, playful??
I only ever knew them as the youngest of their five kids.
I LOVE knowing they played at the beach, loved each other and had fun with each other.
I developed them, hand painted them and gave them to Mom and Dad as a Christmas Present.. Might have been one of the best gifts I ever gave them..... AND ME......
I had NO idea my parents had ever had any fun in life???
OR were ever FUNNY, silly, playful??
I only ever knew them as the youngest of their five kids.
I LOVE knowing they played at the beach, loved each other and had fun with each other.
I never knew my Father when he had a FLAT stomach???
I never knew my Dad when he was FUN and FRIVOLOUS????
Okay..
One time he took me to see Kooku The Clown at my elementary school and we ate black licorish together.
Dad did come roller skating at the roller rink a few times, we did skate arm in arm and did some fancy footwork..... He might have also taught me how to skate backwards???
Dad did take us hourseback ridding from time to time, those were GREAT adventures.... When I was real young I was on the horse with him, then he lead my horse with a rope, then I FINNALY got my own horse.... Dad taught me how to make the horse do what i wanted it to do.. "Show him who's BOSS" he yelled at me.. "Don't let him get away with that" (what ever that was?)
Dad also bought a water ski boat one year.... (with no discussion or consultation with my Mother) He saw it, loved it, bought it. IMPULSIVE man that he is.... That was one of his GREATEST decisions... It bought the whole familiy together.. we went camping at Lake Shasta for a week during the summer, had HEAPS of fun
I never knew my Dad when he was FUN and FRIVOLOUS????
Okay..
One time he took me to see Kooku The Clown at my elementary school and we ate black licorish together.
Dad did come roller skating at the roller rink a few times, we did skate arm in arm and did some fancy footwork..... He might have also taught me how to skate backwards???
Dad did take us hourseback ridding from time to time, those were GREAT adventures.... When I was real young I was on the horse with him, then he lead my horse with a rope, then I FINNALY got my own horse.... Dad taught me how to make the horse do what i wanted it to do.. "Show him who's BOSS" he yelled at me.. "Don't let him get away with that" (what ever that was?)
Dad also bought a water ski boat one year.... (with no discussion or consultation with my Mother) He saw it, loved it, bought it. IMPULSIVE man that he is.... That was one of his GREATEST decisions... It bought the whole familiy together.. we went camping at Lake Shasta for a week during the summer, had HEAPS of fun
The Things Dad Taught Me
How to hold the end of ANYTHING when he was working on a project.. I never learned to use the equipment but I learned how to push the end of the wood through the table saw, fetch what ever tool he needed and CLEAN up after carpenters.
I worked for Dad for 5$ an hour when I was in highschool, he used to pay me to just drive around with him and keep him company and carry his brief case prior to me being old enough to hold a broom and shovel. Dad was proud of what a hard worker I was... He prided himself on FIRING some laborers who were fooling around and getting me to come do the job quicker and better than the GUYS... Yep.. he raised me to be one tough cookie...
I learned to cuss on the job site but boy if I did that at home Mom would wash my mouth out with soap..... I complained about the pictures of the naked women in the outhouse at the construction site... I think what I said was... "I want to bring in pictures of naked men and hang them in the outhouse... Equal opportunity" All the pictures came down... I think I was only ?? 15 at the time.
Dad made me a pair of stilts for Christmas one year.... I was GREAT on them.. I could walk all the way down to the elementary school and look inside the high windows of the boys gymnasium!!!
Dad taught me how to be tough, suck it up and deal with it..
Thanks to his poor communication skills I had an internal desire to learn Non Violent Communication...
Dad would give the shirt off his back to anyone, and the last $100 bill in his wallet OR what ever else anyone needed. Generous guy to a fault.
Dad was a great example to me as far living by his GUT....Following his instincts... (I sure wish I would have also learned how to think first before taking action and evaluate a situation before jumping in feet first)
Good Bad and Ugly... we cant pick and choose what characteristics we incorporate into our lives from our parents... It's all a part of who I am.
How to hold the end of ANYTHING when he was working on a project.. I never learned to use the equipment but I learned how to push the end of the wood through the table saw, fetch what ever tool he needed and CLEAN up after carpenters.
I worked for Dad for 5$ an hour when I was in highschool, he used to pay me to just drive around with him and keep him company and carry his brief case prior to me being old enough to hold a broom and shovel. Dad was proud of what a hard worker I was... He prided himself on FIRING some laborers who were fooling around and getting me to come do the job quicker and better than the GUYS... Yep.. he raised me to be one tough cookie...
I learned to cuss on the job site but boy if I did that at home Mom would wash my mouth out with soap..... I complained about the pictures of the naked women in the outhouse at the construction site... I think what I said was... "I want to bring in pictures of naked men and hang them in the outhouse... Equal opportunity" All the pictures came down... I think I was only ?? 15 at the time.
Dad made me a pair of stilts for Christmas one year.... I was GREAT on them.. I could walk all the way down to the elementary school and look inside the high windows of the boys gymnasium!!!
Dad taught me how to be tough, suck it up and deal with it..
Thanks to his poor communication skills I had an internal desire to learn Non Violent Communication...
Dad would give the shirt off his back to anyone, and the last $100 bill in his wallet OR what ever else anyone needed. Generous guy to a fault.
Dad was a great example to me as far living by his GUT....Following his instincts... (I sure wish I would have also learned how to think first before taking action and evaluate a situation before jumping in feet first)
Good Bad and Ugly... we cant pick and choose what characteristics we incorporate into our lives from our parents... It's all a part of who I am.
THE GOOD KIND LOVING DAD
I went to sleep on my Dads lap every night of my life until he could not carry me to bed anymore because I was sooo heavy. It broke my heart when he made me walk myself to bed.
I LOVED laying on my Dads check and listen to him sing "Froggy Went a Courting"
Joanie grew up going to sleep on Dads lap too
Here we all are in New Zealand REMBMERING the good old days and attempting to do our best to SQUASH Dad.
I went to sleep on my Dads lap every night of my life until he could not carry me to bed anymore because I was sooo heavy. It broke my heart when he made me walk myself to bed.
I LOVED laying on my Dads check and listen to him sing "Froggy Went a Courting"
Joanie grew up going to sleep on Dads lap too
Here we all are in New Zealand REMBMERING the good old days and attempting to do our best to SQUASH Dad.
WHAT A GOOD SPORT
DAD as Santa Clause in New Zealand
DAD as Santa Clause in New Zealand
Dad has a "THING" about trapping the squirrels and relocating them to the local park.. He is wearing some shirt about WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE....
Dad has ALWAYS embarrassed us.. AS kids going to Q HING LOW Chinese restaurant in Mt. View... "Dad... DO NOT EMBARRASS US" What does he do??? First thing.... Embarrasses us.
To this day it continues...
He is an OAKY from Miscoky.. always has been always will be
AND WE love him... The Good, Bad and Ugly... All of him.
Dad has ALWAYS embarrassed us.. AS kids going to Q HING LOW Chinese restaurant in Mt. View... "Dad... DO NOT EMBARRASS US" What does he do??? First thing.... Embarrasses us.
To this day it continues...
He is an OAKY from Miscoky.. always has been always will be
AND WE love him... The Good, Bad and Ugly... All of him.