She's A Rose, She's A Pearl

the best gift no one knew I was getting

A Published Daughter For Father's Day

it's the only book I've read since

Is It Lyrical Genius?

here is a little montage of some of the other performances she had prepared way back on Laura's birthday/Father's Day

I think we need to get her a wireless mic

And This Is How We Know

Yuula performed a few numbers for us last Sunday/Laura's birthday, Father's day. I think this was everyone's favorite.

Born On Father's Day

Have I Been A Father That Long?

For Father's Day we worked in the yard, planting tomatoes and Japanese maples, mowing the lawn and adding a few pollinators around the yard. It was a quick but effective morning. And Laura got me a croquet set as a gift. Can't wait for some sticky wicket.

There was no need to hold on to this tree. She just wanted to stake a claim. 

Went down to Trenton for the dinner of dads. Yuula and Dylan engaged in dinner conversation, probably about American intervention in Syria, or something. It was darling.

And the two had a good old jump in the bounce house. 

Then this happened. She's already 16.

The Gift Of Giving In

Today I got my Father's Day gift a little ahead of schedule. It was a cookbook. A cookbook specific to outdoor cooking. Outdoor cooking over an open fire. An open fire out in the middle of the woods. In the middle of the woods where we will be camping. Camping in a location of my choice over Father's Day weekend. A weekend I now need to plan out, hence the early giving of said gift.

But I guess the real gift here isn't a tent or hiking boots or even the book itself, but merely the yielding of a wife. A few years back we had splurged on all the necessities for an Appalachian hike when she suddenly got cold feet. Something to do with mosquitoes and upcoming wedding attire, I dunno. And then we had the baby and they didn't make hiking boots in her size. Once again, delayed. But now, Laura has conceded, Yuula has no say, so it's on. And it's made deciding Laura's birthday gift the week before an even easier decision. Mosquito repellent.

Vibrating My Brain

Laura was born very close to Father's Day, so every year her birthday falls right around the joyous occasion. This year in the birthday card she got from her parents she got a little suggestion as to what would make a terrific first Father's Day gift for me. It was pretty clear of the intention. The intention was highlighted in yellow.



Always one to take a hint I knew the time was soon coming that I had to break out the clippers, for a couple reasons.

• One: It was damn hot working out in the yard with all this fur, plus the NBA headband I been trying to sport was deemed ineffective early on and the hair was such a force to be reckoned with that hats would continuously be cast off my head in violent manner.

• Two: Maybe I can finally avoid those obnoxious comparisons to funny man Zack Galifianakis. Don't get me wrong, I like his comedy, but when I learned finally that I can't even get a free ice cream cone out of the uncanny likeness, it just became a nuisance.

For those of you who are so blessed to not have to lay eyes on me day in and day out and are unaware of how I've let myself go..



The main reason for the delay was that I fear for how Yuula will react to her newly buzzed father. We're in a good place right now and I don't want her thinking I'm some weird stranger. But I guess her memory center is still underdeveloped enough that I pretty much have to gain her trust everyday already. We'll see how it goes.

Here's this mess...



And the final product...

One Day Like This A Year Will See Me Right

Father's Day is better than birthdays. Birthdays just make you feel old and then you eat too much cake. Father's Day means that we watch Return of the Jedi instead of Housewives of NJ (even tho since I'm now on the computer the TV has mysteriously returned to terrible Italians). Father's Day means I get a back rub tonight. I think. I kinda need one.

I'll tell the day with photos...


gifts in black & white


pancakes of blueberry


a barn at sunset


a chair in the garden


a baby, a lady & a dog


a garden on wheels


foxglove and dogcoat


evening primrose


Yuula's first ice cream cone


she is an Estler


her best Colonel Sanders impression


sunshone child


a splash of color


a work in progress


a blank canvas


I don't feel like I've accomplished anything if at the end of the day my white v-neck hasn't turned to brown.

Happy Father's Day dads. Can't wait for next year.

Happy Father's Day Father's!!!

to Robert Travis Estler Jr. & David Lee Krupp...


Father’s Day
we love you