Growing up in small-town Saskatchewan, one of my earliest memories was driving down gravel roads in my dad’s old Ford truck. He had an acreage on the edge of the Qu’Appelle valley and there were times we’d go driving on roads that were little more than tracks in the grass. On the top of the valley, Dad used to occasionally let me, the oldest child, sit and steer the truck across his property. I started out sitting in his lap and then, as I got older, was eventually allowed to drive on the acreage roads myself, with Dad beside me keeping a watchful eye on me!
For many children in Saskatchewan, those times spent out with our fathers were our first driving lessons, often started a decade before we would be eligible to actually take driving lessons and get that coveted Learner’s License. Any child whose parents owned a farm or acreage had so much open private property that it just made sense to take advantage of it. And those bonding moments with my dad driving around in that old Ford truck remain some of my favourite memories of time spent with him to this day.
Now Father’s Day is just days away and I can’t help but find myself reminiscing about those times spent driving with my dad. And Ford Canada knows that I’m not the only one! That’s why the company has put together a fabulous Father’s Day giveaway. One lucky Mommy Kat and Kids reader is going to win a Ford Genuine Parts Bar Stool with Back Rest, a Ford ball cap and a Ford Genuine Parts Pint Glass Set containing a 5 qt. Metal Bucket, four Pint Glasses, 12 Coasters and a Bar Towel, a total value of $250! To enter to win, just leave a blog comment about a favourite memory of spending time with your dad!
This Father’s Day, I’ll be heading out to my dad’s acreage with my brother and sister and all our kids to surprise our dad and enjoy a little time together. We’ll enjoy the warm Saskatchewan spring, cook up some burgers on the barbeque and let the kids run around and spend time with their grandpa. And chances are pretty good that Zackary and his cousin Anna, at eight and seven, will get the chance to drive with Grandpa in the truck just like we all did as kids. It’s one of those traditions that I hope will continue for generations to come, because I know it’s one that creates memories that last forever!
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After I got my learners permit, my dad offered to let me drive up to my grandparents house; about 45 minutes away from where we lived. I made him promise that we’d only take back roads, and he agreed. When we were almost there, he directed me to turn and after I did, I noticed the sign that we were now merging onto the intersection. I started yelling “Dad, this is the highway! We’re going to die!” and he just laughed and said, nope, you’ll be fine – this is the only way to learn! It took me awhile to forgive him for that, but it definitely got my confidence up and took away a lot of my fears over driving.
The first time he took me to his fire station and let me ride in the truck
My favourite memory is the year my Dad took me with him to visit family in Holland. I did not originally want to make the trip, but he insisted I go. I do not regret it at all.
When my first boy friend and I broke up, my dad sat beside me and told me everything was going to be ok. We sat together for over an hour. :)
When I shot my first deer
LOL not learning how to drive stick. Still haven’t learned to this day it was that traumatic! I loved planning and planting a veggie garden with my dad, instilled in me a love of growing my own food!
Dancing at my wedding with him.
I remember fishing trips, riding the lawn tractor, and taking our old plow truck onto our back 40 acres to catch crayfish.
Summer vacations and camping
Fishing at my grandpa’s trailer is a great memory.