Happy Birthday Dad - You're The Best!

Today is my father's birthday.  I never know what to get the guy since he has every toy in the book so I figured I'd write a post about him to honor his birthday.  Leo Costantino (dad) turned 67 today!  Old as dirt.  He isn't like a typical old guy though.  You ought to see him ski!  he looks like an 18 year old!  Check out this video of him skiing the bumps at one of his favorite haunts - Cannon Mountain.

As a kid I needed no idols or role models to look up to.  I had my father.  The damn guy was awesome!  He was the envy of all of my friends.  We did all of the cool stuff together.  We went out and road dirt bikes (motorcycles) together.  I got my first dirt bike when I was 5 years old!  We fished together, we hunted, sailed, skiied.  You name it we did it.  We weren't the type to sit around watching TV.  We were out having our own adventures!  As far as having someone to look up to I aspired to my father's intense zeal to do the best he could do at all of his activities.  My father is intensely competitive, and when he takes on a task, he takes it on to win.  When he raced his sailboat it was never half ass.  Our boat always had the fastest bottom, a highly trained crew, and everything was perfectly tuned for speed.  My father didn't pay someone to do all of this for him.  He faired the whole bottom of his boat with his own hands and sprayed the noxious racing paint on himself.  He wet sanded it until it was baby bottom smooth. Dad trained his crew tirelessly until tacks and jibes were like second nature.  And he did it all while having fun and making friends!

      My father also did a ton of bike riding and racing when I was in my teens.  I watched him kick the ass of guys that were half his age on a regular basis!  He is one tough dude.  I once saw him win a race in Jamestown - when they called him up to get his award he was so beaten up that he could barely climb the stairs to pick up his trophy.  He spent absolutely everything in his body to win that award over guys that probably should have beaten him, but for the pure grit and determination he displayed - a Marine's dogged determination.  I remember watching him proudly as he managed to finish up in the top 3 riders of a large group ride that he rode yearly in RI.  The guy is just like nails and his will to overcome and kick ass has become famous to me and everyone who knows him.  My own personal zeal for riding is a direct result of cycling with my father.  My will to conquer large rides for charities was born from my fathers spirit and tenacity.  I learned by watching and listening that there just isn't anything a man can't do when he set his mind to it.

     I remember one day when I was a young kid we were at an event at the local sailing club.  One of the older staff gave a woman who was pregnant a hard time for no good reason.  I remember peeking around the corner as my father took this guy (who happened to be a good guy having a bad day) into another room and chewed his ass so hard he was pale and shaking when he walked out of there. There wasn't a soul within a mile that didn't hear him!  Most of the time you couldn't make my father mad but disrespect was something he would not tolerate from anyone, especially not disrespect toward a pregnant woman!  God bless you if you gave him the bird in the car!  Madman!  I learned that certain things are black and white from dad.  There aren't shades of gray when it comes to right and wrong.
   I could go on for days about my father's exploits but that isn't really what this post is about.  It is about my fathers inherent toughness.  It's about his will to kick ass and take names against even the steepest odds.  I am looking forward to watching my father face aging.  I know sometimes the fact that he isn't 18 anymore gets to him.  I'm sure it gets to everyone as they climb up in years.  I know my father will have the determination and tenacity to fight on as he always has.  I know even old age will shrink from his indomitable spirit and his can-do, kick ass mentality.  I can see father doom getting dressed down by my old man and walking away pale and shaking just like the guy at the club that day when I was a kid.  Dad you will always be my idol, my mentor, and my best friend.  No matter how old you are, you will always kick ass in my book!  Happy Birthday you old shit!


Love and Semper Fidelis!


Eric (aka Wacky Dad)    



By the way if you like this post please visit please visit http://www.circleofmoms.com/top25/daddy-blogs to vote for me and help me get recognized as one of the top 25 Dad Bloggers on the web!