I know I’m very late in writing about Father’s Day. Juggling baby duty while trying to live a normal life is tough and I completely understand now why it took so long for my Mom to take down the Christmas decorations or to develop the film she had sitting in her camera: she was just trying to keep everybody appropriately clothed, our faces adequately wiped, and our vaccinations up-to-date. Accomplishing anything else on top of that was a bonus.

Father’s Day this year was memorable for several reasons: 1. it was the first time my family got together without my sister, who is in Hawaii, 2. it was Anthony’s second Father’s Day, 3. and it happened twice. Yes, twice. You see, I haven’t been keeping track of dates and things since I’ve been off for the summer. I always get really lazy about that. For some reason I thought the weekend before Father’s Day was Father’s Day. Anthony, who never keeps track of holidays like that, just went along with the flow. And why wouldn’t he? I kept saying things like, “We’ll do whatever you want! It’s your day!!” Who was he to question that? Especially when there was Piping.

What is Piping? Piping is something that originated organically within my group of friends years ago, but it is not unique to us. We found out that a whole bunch of people do it, and they have a different word for it (Boffers). Basically, it’s a game. It started with friends hitting each other with PVC pipe and grew to include insulation and duct tape. Some of my friends are into martial arts and some of them are into SCA. All of them enjoy running around and beating the crap out of each other with padded weapons. It’s a match made in heaven.

The day that I thought was Father’s Day was also Piping Day. Since my friend Dave was moving away we held a giant piping match in his honor. What better way to show our affection than to hit him repeatedly with PVC pipe?

It was Anthony’s day! Father’s day! He could do whatever he wanted! And he wanted to pipe all day. Which was fine by me. Isobel and I joined the festivities by relaxing in the shade and talking to Stefanie.

We were lucky that it was a relatively mild day for summer and not nearly has hot as it could have been. A nice breeze cooled us down and kept the day from reaching 100. We were lucky.

My friends have been piping together for years. People who started piping as children are now piping as adults. Almost a decade ago I used to go to the park with Anthony on Saturday mornings and think, “One day, we’ll have a little kid and I’ll bring he or she to the park to play while Anthony pipes.”

We spent pretty much all day at the park with Anthony while he ran around and hit people with a pipe. He was probably the happiest Dad ever.

Before he got bogged down with a shoulder injury Anthony was a major part of the piping scene. He organized weekly matches and really helped the sport it grow and gain momentum in our area. A lot of the younger guys that pipe now pipe because of him. It killed him when he had to stop participating regularly, but it couldn’t be helped: injury and responsibilities kept him away. I was glad to indulge him as a Father’s Day present.

Who could have known fifteen years ago that Aaron grabbing a PVC pipe from his Dad’s sprinkler repair would grow into a huge local hobby involving so many people?

I know Anthony was proud to have Isobel and I there to support him.

I had a great time even though I don’t pipe (please note my marked dislike of running around and being hit with things). Isobel had a great time at the park and I got to see some old friends, friends from out of town, and spend some quality time with Dave and Stef before the move.

That night I tried calling my Dad to wish him a Happy Father’s Day, but I couldn’t get a hold of him till the next day. Aaaand that’s how I found out it wasn’t actually Father’s Day till next Saturday. Well! There you go. I invited my parents and grandma over for a Second Father’s Day Celebration.

Anthony, of course, did not mind, and I have no regrets. It was nice to have a day just for Anthony to celebrate what a fantastic father he is. He is incredible Anyone who sees him interact with Isobel or kids in general notices this.

Saturday I’ll be posting Father’s Day, Part II to include our actual Father’s Day activities.

People of Voltaire (and anyone else that’s curious), see the full piping set here.