Happy Birthday Daddy Grumpa Max!

See this handsome young lad here?

Well, it's his birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

(I know he's reading this and giving me exactly this face right now! Or this goofy look.)

You know what? I don't care. We came too close to honoring this birthday in a completely different manner so I'm going to put up all the photos I like. That I'm conveniently an entire country away so you can't swat at me is of no matter.

I love that we stay in touch through all the new technology, that you try so hard and send me articles, and book links/suggestions, and have me order stuff from Amazon.com for you even though you obviously are tech-savvy enough to do it yourself, and we get the train-of-thought-middle-of-the night odd e-mails, and we have our weekly chats on the phone (when Mom shares the phone lines). I know that even if we don't talk every day that you are thinking about me. It goes both ways.

But I'm really glad that we get all the in-person quality time when I come out to visit for the long winter holidays. Thanks for leading the way up "hills" (easy hikes, my foot!), through calm still waters,

through the rocky valleys of trials and tribulations, for being there when we need to shoot off our mouths and let off some steam, for teaching us how to stand up and protect ourselves,

but mostly for being a great dad, grandpa, help-meet and healer.

I know that you're up the creek without your paddle right now, and that you are "rudderly" sick of momentary restrictions on your normal natural way of relaxing, but patience. Please. You have to stick around down here with us for a long long long long time - so in the eternal scheme of things, this isn't even a tick of a second. You need to be better for our next date on Sand Hollow. Maybe we can paddle further out than the shallows this time?

You are my rock and my heart.

Happy Birthday!

Here's to many more.

Photos from Dec. 2011-Jan. 2012 trip out West to Utah: kayaking on Sand Hollow, hiking in Snow Canyon, Johnson Canyon, and Temple Quarry, and shooting in an undisclosed location