This will be the sixteenth Father’s Day without my father.  It seems each year different emotions arise with different memories about him. Last week thoughts about boats and airplanes flooded back into my mind as I volunteered to help with maintenance at the St. Helena Island lighthouse in northern Lake Michigan.

I was riding in a boat helping to place boat moorings near the shore when I recalled riding in my dad’s boat as a kid. Here I was on a remote island attaching moorings to submerged chains in chilly Lake Michigan water and enjoying it. I thought about how  much my dad would’ve enjoyed the moment. That’s when it occurred to me my sense of adventure came from my dad.

My dad loved boats. He was a World War II navy veteran. During my childhood we spent many weekends on boats. He also liked airplanes and was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association. He and my uncle owned a plane for a time and he built a grass runway at our farm. One time he booked us a flight on a Ford Trimotor—a 1920s era plane.

My dad often had his nose in a newspaper searching for that next adventure. He was never shy about traveling, whether in the U.S. or other countries. As a kid, we took many road trips to other states. He and my mom also traveled overseas to many far-off lands. When I was in fifth grade he seriously considered moving our family to Australia to start a business. Years later I discovered how serious he was about that move when I discovered letters between him and the Australian embassy. 

Last week those thoughts about my dad resurfaced on that remote island in Lake Michigan. It’s easy to focus on the negative things about my childhood, but last week I was reminded about the good things my father instilled in me. I think I like hiking, traveling, kayaking and trying new things     because of him. That might also be the reason you’ll see planes, boats and remote islands as part of the adventure in my books.