Amish Guitar

I thought I'd share a bit about what I did with my dad on Father's day and how near tragedy brought us closer together.

I had no idea what to do for dad on FD and decided to really go out of my comfort zone. Dad loves horses. He raises Belgian draft horses just for the fun of it. So I decided to take dad to a place where we could "rent-a-horse" and go for a ride.

Now, understand that I do not like horses. Getting up that high on something that can buck you off and kill you is not my idea of a good time. But dad was pretty excited when I suggested it so I knew I had painted myself into a corner.

We got to the place and paid our money. I just hoped the beast I got was a tame and gentle killer. Little did I know it wasn't my animal that I needed to worry about. We got going at good pace when it happened--dad slipped out of his saddle and got his foot caught in the stirrup. This, of course, spooked his horse and she just took off. I was helpless as I watched my 62 (63?) year old father being pulled along by this powerful beast. No matter how much I tried I could not get my horse to go any faster and catch up. I just chased after him and hoped for the best.

I had no idea what to do. My heart was in my throat and I started tearing up a bit. Dad was screaming for me to help him while flailing around to catch the saddle horn. I've never felt so helpless.

Luckily, the manager from the K-Mart came out for a smoke and saw us. He unplugged the machine and told us we were to old for this kind of crap and to "get the hell away from [his] store." I got dad's foot untangled and we went to Applebee's.

And that's how I spent Father's Day with my dad.