My Dad is Awesome, But We Already Knew That!

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January 29, 2014 by Amie M

Thank you to all who supported my Pops by watching Canada’s Handyman Challenge last night. Wasn’t he fantastic? Not only did he blow the judges away by building a rocking horse using only wood and glue with a little rope for the mane, he propelled past the audition competition with his slingshot and then a go-cart style land canoe.

If you didn’t get a chance to see my old man in action, HGTV Canada has the episode available online.

I really enjoyed how the show edited Dad and his time on camera. They are doing a great job portraying him as the humble, thoughtful and really intelligent man that he is. Dad never tackles a project without a plan first.

That’s why as soon as the judges said that they would have to toss a bag of salt, I knew exactly what Dad would build: a wooden balloon launcher. Two sturdy supports, a lightweight cargo basket and a lot of spring in the bungees (also one of Dad’s favourite things, bungees are, along with long underwear) were a given in his design.

Dad is always thinking of safety first, and that has a lot to do with his history as a 4-H member and 4-H woodworking leader. He is always considering the safest way to make something and how to teach someone how to be safer at what they are doing. He cares a lot.

When he put together that land canoe, I knew Dad would have the safety of the judges in mind. I also knew he would pull on his shenanigans as a farm boy with Uncle Brad, Uncle Doug and his best friends Uncle Jim and Uncle Cliff. He definitely made a much safer version of what they would have put together out of farm scraps in their teens.

I think it helped solidify how awesome my dad is in their minds over how they could not break his land canoe. Yes, it had no steering, or brakes, but Dad told me how all of the judges tried to break it and just couldn’t do it.

I am excited to see what kind of projects and challenges Dad and the other final 16 contestants will have thrown at them in Toronto!

*All photos are from Canada’s Handyman Challenge