I talked to my pop on Father’s Day as we were driving home from the husband’s parents’ house on the Eastside. My dad was watching Game 5 of the Celtics/Lakers finals, so we cut the call sorta short. When I was growing up in Hartford Dad and I watched LOTS of Celtics games. Man, that was a good time to be a Celtics fan. I had a near life-sized poster of Kevin McHale hanging on my wall that freaked my mom out if it was sorta dark.  Back in the day, it was all about Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, DJ, Chief, and my favorite (for some strange reason), Danny Ainge. The husband is puzzled as to why I liked Danny Ainge so much. Well, so am I, but he and DJ were my favorites.

Back in the day, the Celtics played 4 games in Hartford every season. One exhibition and three regular season games. I didn’t know it, but as I was watching an aging Larry Bird, I was also getting an opportunity to watch an up and coming Michael Jordan. Who knew? I loved going to those games! I’ll admit, I was much more eager to attend them when I was younger … middle school or maybe even younger. As I grew older, went to high school, and started doing high-school stuff, the games became less of a priority.

I left for college in the fall of ’93, and was heading to a new city with a fresh team. In Chicago, there was a bigger, better sheriff in town, and his name was Air. After growing up in the 80s with a string of Celtics championships, I was about to embark on another dynasty. 70-win seasons, three-peats, it was another great time to be a basketball fan!

I stopped watching basketball 10 years ago when I moved out here to Seattle. The Sonics are in a sorry state right now, with Clay Bennett trying to ship them to Oklahoma City. It’s a sad, sorry thing. While I don’t want them to leave, I certainly don’t feel like paying 100 bucks a ticket to see them play, either.

So, it’s with great pleasure that I can become a fan this time, of my old team, the Celtics. For real. Dad, thanks for taking me to those games. Those are days I won’t soon forget.

Go Celtics!

By the way, here’s a little sampling of what we had for dinner at the in-laws. At the in-laws it was all about Tiger and the U.S. Open. The husband’s father, at some point, deserted us in the dining room and pulled up a chair to the television in the kitchen to watch the last few holes. Then we all ran in to watch the replay of the 18th hole. Father’s Day was a good day for fathers all over.

The hors d’oeuvre: Melon wrapped in prosciutto; pearl onions with salami and cream cheese; a soft cheese with light crackers, and, my favorites, Cool ranch Doritos, Fritos, and guacamole. When has anyone ever called Doritos an hors d’oeuvre?

The Dinner: Grilled Salmon marinated in a ginger/sesame sauce with a pesto aioli; boiled potatoes and breaded zucchinni.

The dessert: Homemade apple pie (yes, as a matter of fact the mother-in-law and I did compare pie-crust experiences), with vanilla ice cream (not in the pic):

Way to go. A great meal.