Father’s Day 2020 was one of the strangest yet, but we celebrated my dad outdoors with steaks and social distancing.
The day started quietly with an espresso at dawn, but I couldn’t wait to get cooking. Jen bought steaks and corn. I love cooking and I especially love barbecuing. Cooking for my mom and dad is one of the best hobbies I have.
The morning was spent relaxing by myself on the patio, reading Gord Downie and Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel Secret Path, the story of Chanie Wenjack. I spoke about this book a bit on Saturday’s live stream. To say reading this book was an intense undertaking is to sell the experience short. I had to stop twice to catch my breath. This powerful, true story is made so clear, so intense and spiritual thanks to the words of Gord and the images of Jeff. A book/album review is absolutely forthcoming. (Even though the book comes with a download of the Gord Downie album, I still bought the CD individually as well.)
It was a hot afternoon but at least my parents have a back deck with some shade. I lit the gas and let the flames do their work. I incorporated some new techniques that I picked up watching YouTube videos over the winter. I let the steaks get up to room temperature, then patted them dry and seasoned with just salt, pepper and garlic powder. Nothing fancy and no marinate was necessary. I overcooked mine a bit for my liking. Everybody else likes them a bit more done than me. I forgot how hot my dad’s barbecue can get. But they were still juicy and flavourful, I just prefer them a little more red.
We chatted current events, the cottage, and Uncle Don Don. My mom saved for me what was left of his CD collection (I gave my sister first dibs and she took Frank Zappa’s Hot Rats.) Mom asked me to sort through the music, but I decided to take them home to do that here. The CD covers have the telltale yellowing of a smoker’s home and I didn’t want to handle them and have to prepare dinner too.
There are a few CDs here that I’ll have to keep. I’m missing several Tragically Hip. I don’t have that Lee Aaron (her debut). I could probably use some Johnny Winter, George Thorogood, Garbage, and Jane’s Addiction. A few of these are duplicates; I have all the Deep Purple and Alice Cooper albums. But those are two bands that Uncle Don influenced me to get into. “Child In Time”, he said. That was the song he praised. He has two versions of “Child In Time” in this cardboard box.
Looks like I’m going to be owning Jackyl, Haywire and Collective Soul too. Cool. I’ll go through the box in detail in the coming days.
My dad enjoyed his Father’s Day meal, and we had a nice visit. The first one in many months. It wasn’t hard to stay sanitised and distant, but it was different. Just something we have to live with for a while. Hopefully not too much longer. I’m starting to get tired of the same old scenery from my little patio at home. I want to get back to the lake. Because of various health concerns and vulnerabilities, we’ve all agreed that we can’t all be at the same cottage at the same time, so we’ll have to take turns. I’ll have to wait a little while longer to cook my dad a nice barbecue chicken dinner (skin on, of course). It’ll happen though — eventually.
I hope all the fathers had as nice a Father’s Day as my dad did.
mikeladano.com 
Meanwhile in Australia, yesterday was just the shortest day in the year
And I recognise a couple of those discs from my dad’s collection. Other than the Dire Straits, they don’t get played often, if at all.
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I have a different Dire Straits hits CD, but I certainly don’t mind a slightly different one!
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You didn’t have Ritual De Lo Habitual? Holy shitballz. My preference lies with Nothings Shocking, but Ritual is damn good stuff. You can tell they were really spaced out on that record. I can tell by the spine that’s the uncensored cover too. Three way booby wonder cover.
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That is the uncensored cover with the red spine. The censored one had a white spine. I am still not sure if I really like Perry or not, but I’ll give it a whirl.
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He’s a shitty singer with cool lyrics and good musical instincts. Better singer than Lou Reed though.
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Sounds like a great day Mikey. I’m sure your parents especially your Dad enjoyed the steaks.
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I have to assume so, we all ate outside and he ate inside! LOL
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ha!
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Nice day had by all it sounds like. Even social distancing, it is still nice to be around family. I miss my brothers and sisters in Georgia (& Florida). I am so ready to go down and see them as it has been quite a while. Hopefully soon.
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Hopefully soon, fingers are crossed for you.
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That book is moving. It’s been a while since I read it
Maybe someday soon.
Glad you got to cook for your dad. I got bacon, pancakes, coffee, a Def Leppard muscle shirt, and a big hug. In other words, all I could ask for.
We had chinese take out with my parents. Maybe steak or chicken next time. Maybe at the lake as well.
That collection looks pretty good. Funny how you were reading a book by Gord and got some Hip cd’s. Don Don would be happy. I am surprised you never had any Jackyl. They really resonated with me in early 90’s. I was living in Fort Erie then and listening to HTZ FM and Buffalo stations. The US stations played music months before it was played up here so I was cranking The Lumberjack early on. Jesse James Dupree has a wicked voice, and that chainsaw. So funny.
Also your first Haywire and Collective Soul. Surprising. That Collective Soul self titled blue album is awesome. I just ordered the 25th version on vinyl, and may even get the cd since it includes bonus tracks. The guitar tone on that album is so good. I will perhaps review them when they arrive later in the summer.
I bet your dad is proud of the man you became. You’re a good son, and a good nephew to Don Don.
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A few people are surprised that I didn’t own some of these discs before, but I always say better late than never! I was always interested in Jackyl, but I just didn’t get around to them until now!
Thank you for all those kind words :)
Secret Path is something I’m going to treasure.
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You’re in for a treat if that Thorogood album is his debut. That Johnny Winter album is one of his better ones and I’d like to give that Traffic one a spin too. Sounds like it was an awesome day even if it was strange!
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For this weekend’s live stream I intend to go through the box of CDs. So all your questions will be answered at some point!
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I’ll try to tune in!
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Sounds like a nice day. Looking forward to a day my kids start cooking for us….Sheryl Crow, Melissa and Amanda Marshall. Those can be found in my collection as well. Hey have u picked your cd for this summer yet?
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No KK I have not picked my CD for the summer yet. I hopefully will by the weekend. I intend to find out….
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The Secret Path really is a powerful experience – and those are some good hip cds in the box!
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Although I love the album I don’t think I have owned Day For Night before!
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Welcome to the Day for Night ownership club – on an LP, that side one is one for the books!
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That book is really good. I read it before a friend (STC Pod Bill, actually) found a copy at the junk shop for me, which, I eventually gave away in a massive house purge the very summer Kevin and I packed up his mom’s house…as much as I love the story, and I have MANY graphic novels on the shelves, the print book is way too big and wouldn’t fit anywhere on my shelves! I read it as an eBook through the library, and can probably access it again if I want to read it again.
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