Wee One helped me decorate…

Doodle Cakes furnished a completely fantastic cake, encompassing many characteristics unique to my Dad…

To explain this wonderful creation; My father is a super hero, leaping to the aid of anyone in our family who shows any distress (whether we want him to or not!). This apparently runs in the family.

He and my mother love red wine and travel often. They spend a lot of time in vineyards in Italy, one of which is owned by family friends. This is where the brick courtyard with grape vines comes into play. My Dad enjoys nothing more than to break bread and drink wine while having good conversation with people he loves. In Italy, my very Irish father becomes Italian, and his hands behave accordingly, joining passionately into the conversation. So anyone who knows him recognizes this in the spilled glass of wine on the white table cloth!

There were many giggles and knowing nods as the cake was revealed and exclaimed over. And then moans of ecstasy as it was eaten – Doodle Cakes knows her way around cake recipes. Oh.My.God.YUM. The wall was this amazing vanilla/peanut butter creation, and the base was the most delectable lemon cake with raspberry butter cream filling… lets just say there was very little left, and more than one person had a second helping.

My very young looking parents…

The birthday boy with his 4 gorgeous grandkids (I have the “bookends” – the oldest and youngest, the young lad and lassie are my brother’s kids)

As much as I loathe having my picture taken, I could not turn my father down this one time. But really, yuck. And someone needs to tell my brother to stop shaving his head!

A big thank-you to everyone who gave suggestions about what to get my Dad for this special milestone birthday. I ended up getting him a GPS/dash mount/extended warranty. It suits him best, because I often get calls from him asking me to look up addresses and directions as he’s driving in crazy, congested Toronto traffic, and that just isn’t safe. Plus, Toronto has recently introduced a ban on using a cell phone while driving, which I absolutely support. Too many idjits weaving all over the road while talking (OR TEXTING… OMG people?!) is just asking for a tragic outcome. Bravo Toronto!

A great time was had by all – Happy Birthday Dad!

I just have no idea what to get my Dad. The man has everything. It’s a special birthday, so clothes won’t do it. Tools, no. Besides, his closet is overflowing and he has every tool known to man! My parents already travel extensively and have every possible accoutrement for that, and due to recent health issues he is unable to go anywhere for the next 6 months anyway. (you may recall they’d been planning on a trip to Italy this month, but they had to cancel). He’s not a jewelry kinda guy. They go to the theatre often, and have seen everything worth seeing or already have tickets to what they haven’t seen. You see where I’m going with this.

Well, I could get them a weekend away. Maybe in wine country, complete with winery tours. Niagara on the Lake is gorgeous, and with the colours just about to turn, a weekend in early to mid October might be really relaxing. Trouble there is that my mother gave the “look” when I suggested it, which means it isn’t something that she might enjoy just now. She, of course, still has my grandmother to look after. Gran’s 98th birthday is on Tuesday, in fact. I would be left to take care of her, which is nothing I haven’t done before.

But I digress. Does anyone out there have a really special idea for a gift for this man??

Not a good picture of Dad. This was taken a couple years ago when they spent his birthday in Italy with friends. Why don’t I have recent pictures of him?? Best get that fixed.

I love my dad. He and I are like peas in a pod. We think the same way, we love our children ferociously, and believe that family comes first. We are protective (sometimes too much so) of people we love. We try to “fix things”, right wrongs, and rescue people in distress (whether they want it or not). A standing joke in our family is that my father goes into “Super Hero Mode” whenever one of us is in any sort of difficulty. He’s a great man.

Help me think of a great present for this great man.