Dad

We were so lucky to have had this Dad.   Friends have said the same thing, to have had this friend.   Patients, to have had this Doctor.

Memories are wonderful.    Sometimes hard to paint with words, so I’m going to revel in photos. 

 

This is the Dad I remember most:  thoughtful, kind, and generous.    I also remember this photo more than most as this is also one of the very first photos I ever took, during a youth retreat:

Another one I remember clearly, New GrandDad on the first visit to a New Dad:  

It was Dad who gave me my interest in technology.   Here we are in our element:

This is the Malcolm most will remember, and good friend and colleague:  

These were some of Dad’s early and cherished memories, now also etched into my memory via pixel magic:

An overwhelmed medical student:

A young Air Force Captain, looks a little Elvis Presley in his Army photos:

A young husband with a beautiful bride.   I inherited that shirt … was one of my favorites until I wore it out:

Now with a growing family:

Family dressing up in two styles:  Sunday Best -vs- Oriental.   Scott and Malcolm clearly prefer oriental … I didn't like either:

And then Susan appears.  Us boys were excited, but Susan looks like she is having 2nd thoughts about joining this crazy family of mostly boys:

One year, after a growth spirit, all us boys sprouted sporty glasses:

Yearly Christmas photos were a tradition:

Another admirable tradition were nightly family dinners.   In our younger years, Dad would read fun stories, like The Adventures of Tom Sawyer,  after dinner:

We started reality TV back in the ‘70s:    The Winter Family, live on Miles City Television

We had lots of fun adventures.   Here Dad was the pilot of the maiden voyage of our unsinkable glass bottom boat.   Boy did we try to sink it … rather lots of Boys tried to sink it:

Another notorious Dad activity was to take anyone and everyone out on adventurous 4 wheel Scout rides.   Here the Mottram family is getting indoctrinated:

The best of those Scout adventures was when Dad got thoroughly stuck, which he seemed to do on purpose so he could play with the winch:

The best-est of those stuck Scout adventures was when it was 30 miles in the middle of nowhere:

Fortunately, motorcycles don’t come with winches, so Mom was relatively safe during the motorcycle years:

Hiking was another Dad sport.   Here in ties with a young Uncle Tim:

And with friend Bill and a slightly older, this time tie-less Uncle Tim:

Dad’s most favorite outside sport was fishing.  

He taught all of us how to fish:

Dad lead us on many family backpacking adventures, often to remote and scenic Montana lakes:

Some of the trips were more adventuress than intended, making them even more memorable:

We also did quite a bit of mountain climbing, conquering many of Montana’s highest peaks:

 

This is the snow bridge on Granite peak, Montana’s highest mountain.   It took us a few tries, but it was one of Dad’s proudest victories:

This was the trickiest pitch:

Dad often came back from summer vacations with a beard, which he kept on to scare patients for a few days:

Genealogy was another of Dad’s hobbies.  Mom and I once spent a week hunting gravestones with Dad in New York:

One last photo.     This one was Dad’s greatest passion:    

Love you Dad

Bruce