Dad’s Day, Picnics & Hudson River Memories

Since my father was a farmer, he couldn’t take Father’s day off.  However, he enjoyed taking a picnic lunch, after the milking was done and we were home from church, and going for a Sunday drive with Mother and us  four children.  He had some of his favorite back roads to explore and often would stop where we children could run and play after we ate.

Image: sxc.hu

 One of Father’s favorite picnic spots was found at the top of a cliff overlooking the Hudson River and the mid-Hudson bridge across the river from Poughkeepsie.  (We lived in a farming town 15 miles east of there.)  Father would relax in his lawn chair, enjoy his lunch, and watch the boats plying the river. 

 Mother took us children for a walk around the area.  There was a place for cars to park and trails to follow.  As the sun began dipping into the western sky, we knew it was time to pack up and drive home again.  There was always the evening milking to do, even though it was Father’s Day.  And Sunday was the hired man’s day off.

Do you have Father’s Day memories?  Are you making Father’s Day memories that you and your children will recall?