8 things I learned, am learning, or need to learn from my dad

Father's day is Sunday, and I surely will not have time to write anything about my father next weekend, because he is coming to vist. This means we will do a lot of shopping for things he can buy in Oregon to avoid sales tax. We will go to three or four different grocery stores because Costco has the best deal on fish, Safeway has good tomatoes and bananas, and Fred Meyer has a good bulk section for nuts and seeds.
My parents were divorced when I was about 8, and I lived with my mom after that. I spent a lot of time with my dad for the next 2 years while I still lived in Seattle, and my parents remained friendly, something I am grateful for to this day. After we moved, my dad and I talked on the phone at least weekly, and I spent some time with him in the summers. He would come visit when he could. Here is what I learned from him:

* Be afraid of snakes- Is it nature or nurture? Who knows. I remember being young and spending summertime at my Grandma's cabin at Lake 12, which should have been called the King County Center for Garter Snake Preservation. Those slippery bastards were everywhere. Once, my dad had me on his shoulders and was taking me to the outhouse. He stopped and refused to move... and that's when I figured out that he was afraid of snakes. We had to turn around and go back and get someone else to take me. I also remember another time when he was sitting in a lawn chair on the dock, getting sun. A snake swam under the dock, so dad had to get up and move his chair to land.

*Pay cash- Dad pays with green money. No credit or debit card. There are merits to this method- he doesn't pay interest except on his mortgages, and he doesn't have to write all his debit transactions down. Simple.

*Buy good stuff, maintain it, and it will last a long time- My dad has a Schwinn 10 speed that is almost 30 years old that he still uses. He has no need for the latest technology if the oldest technology is working. And really... how far have bikes come? The basic idea is the same now as it was then.

*Be fit- His father died when he was 28 of a heart attack. After that, dad quit drinking and started running. About 15 years ago, he discovered that the running wasn't doing anything to lower his cholesterol, so he put himself on a diet and lowered his cholesterol by 150 points using diet alone.

*There are different kinds of "smart"- Dad certainly isn't "book-smart." He's not sophisticated. However, he runs his own successful business and makes good deals. He's "people-smart."

*Live where you can see water- Dad has lived in some pretty nice houses over the years, he has a knack for buying low and selling high when it comes to real estate. One of his requirements for a home is that it be waterfront, or have a view of the water. It's a supply/demand thing- there is limited supply of waterfront, and there will always be a demand.

*Brand new cars are for chumps- Pay cash for a reliable used car.

*Everything is negotiable- If a seller won't come down on price, they may be willing to sweeten a deal with extras. Always ask.