Storey Staff Picks: Father’s Day
Take a stroll down memory lane as Storey staffers share childhood memories and their picks for Father’s Day fun.
Earth Almanac: Growing up, I was always outside helping my dad. Here I am at three “helping” him rake leaves into a pile, which we then dragged to a tarp and put in the brush pile to be burned, only on the approved brush fire days, and with a permit from the town fire department (of course). Earth Almanac will be the perfect Father’s Day gift this year, to remind him of all our outdoor adventures.
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— Alee Moncy, Publicity & Marketing Campaign Director
Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail: My father, Charles Burch, was a college botany professor in California (where I was born), and in New York (where we moved when I was 11). Most of our relatives were in the northeast, so each summer we would drive cross country in our VW microbus to stay with our grandparents in the Finger Lakes. My childhood was one long continuous field trip. Everywhere we drove, hiked, biked, canoed, picnicked, or camped was an opportunity for dad to lecture us on some interesting plant, tree, flower, bug, or geologic feature. Dad would have loved Backpack Explorer: On the Nature Trail, and I think of him whenever I see it.
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— Caroline Burch, Production Director
Dishing Up Maine: Here’s a photo of me (left), my sisters Maggie (2nd left) and Erin (right), and my dad Joe. We grew up visiting family in coastal Maine. So many of my all-time favorite memories involve sitting on the beach doing music trivia, seeing which sister could last the longest in the frigid Northeastern waters, building drip-castles in the wet sand—and, of course, returning home to lobster rolls, potato salad, grilled corn, and a big strawberry spinach salad.
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— Colleen Mulhern, Publicity & Marketing Campaign Manager
Strawberry Love: Early summer was a special time in our household. As the days grew longer and warmer, and all our beach and boating adventures had just begun, it was time when dad would gather us all up in the big old Bronco and head over to the local farm for strawberry picking. Scouring the fields for the biggest juiciest berries became quite competitive between my sister and me (bushels and pecks oh my!). By the time we got home bellies full of berries, my dad would take us out to the front porch to hull what was left from our haul for preserving. To this day every bite of a fresh berry takes me back to the good ol’ days.
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— Dave Morrison, Art Director
Storey’s Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills: Here’s a photo of my father (that’s me struggling to hold my younger sister!). The book I would give my Dad, Jerry Balmuth, is Storey’s Curious Compendium of Practical and Obscure Skills. While he would periodically pick up a hammer or paintbrush with gusto, his main occupation was cultivating curiosity about the world and life as a professor of philosophy. Our dinner table conversations often focused on how we perceive and understand the world—like what makes this table a table? Some might consider that question obscure, but to my dad, curious and thoughtful questioning was an essential life skill.
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—Deborah Balmuth, Publisher
A Landowner’s Guide to Managing Your Woods: My father, pictured center, was a historian, professor, and writer who spent mornings and evenings at his typewriter but devoted afternoons to errands, physical work/play, and the outdoors. Most of all he loved being in the woods (especially with his kids and his dog)—clearing brush, building trails, walking, XC skiing, and cutting and stacking his winter firewood. He admired the English woods, which are kept free of underbrush and not allowed to grow up in tangled thickets of brambles, nettles, poison ivy, and invasive species the way ours often are. So, the book I once gave him for Father’s Day was A Landowner’s Guide to Managing Your Woods!
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— Deb Burns, Acquiring Editor
Tag, Toss & Run: 40 Classic Lawn Games: Most of my childhood memories take place in our backyard, surrounded by my parent’s beautiful gardens. Always a big fan of sports and games, my dad could (and can) often be found throwing a frisbee, playing horseshoes, or making up a game (like the family favorite “wheelbarrow game” pictured). This tradition of playing on the lawn has continued as my brother and I have grown up; whenever we’re all home together, we’ll find ourselves in the backyard, playing some game by the beautiful gardens. Even if the wheelbarrow has long been retired.
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— Emma Sector, Publicity & Marketing Campaign Manager
American Axe: I learned to swing an ax at a young age (that’s me on the left)—a skill that still serves me well today. We didn’t have central heat in our farmhouse when I was growing up. We relied on three woodstoves to heat the whole house. I have many fond memories of heading into the woods to help my father, Randy, split wood and stack our pickup truck full, preparing for the winter ahead.
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— Kimberly Thompson Panay, Marketing Communications Manager
The Beginner’s Guide to Hunting Deer for Food: My dad, Tom, has been a hunter almost his entire life. When I was born, he bought me a rifle, hoping that one day I might join him on one of his hunting trips to our family’s camp in the Vermont woods. Little did he know that by the time I was old enough to shoot that gun, I would be a bratty teenager who was against hunting. My dad slowly changed my opinion, however; he got me to see how shooting a deer for food was more humane than letting the animal starve to death. I still have never fired that rifle, but I have developed a fondness for venison and an appreciation for the care that hunters like my dad show.
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— Sarah Guare, Editor
Plus, you can’t go wrong with these Father’s Day favorites:
- Hot Sauce!: Techniques for Making Signature Hot Sauces, with 32 Recipes to Get You Started; Includes 60 Recipes for Using Your Hot Sauces
- Smokehouse Handbook: Comprehensive Techniques & Specialty Recipes for Smoking Meat, Fish & Vegetables
- Skoolie!: How to Convert a School Bus or Van into a Tiny Home or Recreational Vehicle
- The Secrets of Master Brewers: Techniques, Traditions, and Homebrew Recipes for 26 of the World’s Classic Beer Styles, from Czech Pilsner to English Old Ale
- Tasting Whiskey: An Insider’s Guide to the Unique Pleasures of the World’s Finest Spirits
