Mike Swanson of Vancouver had a nice start to Father’s Day — he slept until 10 a.m. while his 16-year-old son washed and vacuumed his car.
“We were going to go to breakfast, but I decided to sleep in,” Swanson said.
Instead of breakfast, the two had lunch, then dessert. They sat outside Ice Cream Renaissance on Main Street, talking, laughing and enjoying the sunshine.
When son Adam Swanson joked that he never wanted to wash his dad’s car again, dad kidded back that his son would if he ever wanted to drive it.
Vancouver’s Uptown Village bustled with activity Sunday as families celebrated Father’s Day. Some stopped for a moment to reflect on what they had learned from their dads.
“Making the right decisions,” Adam said. “What kinds of paths I should go down.”
About his own dad, Mike Swanson replied: “That he’s much more patient than I gave him credit for.”
Adam asked his dad what his favorite age was for kids. Children at each age present parenting challenges, Mike Swanson said, but he enjoyed them all. “Every year’s a good year for kids.”
Up the street, Nate Stanton of Vancouver grabbed a drink and some Taco City food-truck tacos with his two sons, John, 8, and Jack, 5. For the holiday, Stanton said, he just wanted to relax with the kids. Earlier they went swimming at a pool. Later they would visit the boys’ grandma.
On Father’s Day, “we usually just kind of hang out,” the boys’ dad said.
John said his father helped teach him how to swim, particularly how to come up for air, and one Father’s Day brought him to a local pow wow to celebrate their Native American roots.
Stanton said his dad taught him “to work hard and show up every day.”
Also taking advantage of the food trucks on Sunday afternoon were Greg Carlson and his son Luke Carlson. The father-son duo had just finished up their Thai food from the E-San truck and planned to visit the Vancouver Farmers Market.
Luke Carlson, who’s in his early 20s, said his father “taught me how to play guitar when I was a kid.” It’s a hobby he continues to enjoy.
What had Greg Carlson gained from his father?
“Encouragement,” he said. “To help me be all I am today.”
