![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.andylangager.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/e52_1-2-1024x746.jpg?resize=590%2C430&ssl=1\")
<\/a>Craig Carey, Mike Olson, and my dad during their legendary Europe trip at 17 years old.<\/p><\/div>\r\n
One of the things my dad was most proud of was his adventurous trip to Europe at 17 years old with his friends Mike and Craig. He sold his drum kit and worked at a turkey processing center to raise money for the trip \u2014\u00a0$600 in all.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThey went over in a boat, which took two weeks. The first sign they were getting close to shore? Seagulls. In Brussels, he had eggs for the first time and realized he liked them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nThe trip must have sparked a love of travel because he never stopped. He took an extended Europe tour with my mom before I was born, repeated trips to the U.K., France, and Italy, and traveled all over the U.S. Hawaii, Arizona, Kiawah Island in South Carolina, New England, New Mexico, New York, Florida, He still reminisced about the family on a road trip to Yellowstone National Park where we stayed at Old Faithful Inn.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\nOne of his all-time favorite spots was walking down Klewenalp mountain in Switzerland, enjoying the breathtaking views of the Alps and Lake Lucerne. He even shared this experience with my sister and me when we did a trip there in the early 2000s. I didn\u2019t quite know how much the spot meant to him until he mentioned it again during a discussion about our favorite travel locations while he was in hospice.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\u2761<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.andylangager.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/hd-scans-230-229-1024x768.jpg?resize=590%2C443&ssl=1\")
Dad loved to read. He read every history book; you should see the bookshelves. From Alexander the Great to Winston Churchill and Martin Luther King, Jr., he read about every notable person and historical event. I\u2019m pretty sure he could have been a history professor just based on all the books he read. He also loved mystery novels, and books about plants, birds, and nature.<\/span><\/p>\r\nHe had a great laugh. He didn\u2019t joke around too much but had a great sense of humor. After the operation on his pancreas, depending on the size of the meal he had to take a pill or two before to help with digestion. When he was in the hospital, a nurse brought in a tray full of food. He looked at it and joked it was a two-pill meal.<\/span><\/p>\r\nOne of the shows that got him laughing the most was Fawlty Towers<\/em>. In college, I bought the series on DVD just so we could watch it together and I could hear that great laugh.<\/span><\/p>\r\nEven though he was pretty introverted, he was surprisingly social. Somehow he was always up to date with the latest news with random people, whether it was a neighbor in Duluth or up at the cabin, a former colleague, or a relative. He knew what was going on.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\u2761<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.andylangager.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/IMG_6172-1024x975.jpg?resize=590%2C562&ssl=1\")
Although he was a creature of habit and enjoyed his daily walk, reading, working in the garden, and relaxing after dinner, he also actively sought life experiences. Whether it was going to a play, concert, museum, or random sporting event, he wasn\u2019t content to just do nothing. I\u2019m grateful for all the experiences he gave us growing up, from downhill skiing to venturing off to random historical museums \u2014 even if we rolled our eyes and didn\u2019t want to do it at the time.<\/span><\/p>\r\nOne of his main \u201cduties\u201d (or maybe hobbies?) at home was keeping the floors clean. The floors were always spotless. We would joke about it and he admitted he was \u201cobsessed.\u201d When he was in hospice, I took up the task for a day \u2014 and it was not an easy one! He always stayed on top of chores, whether it was cleaning the floors and windows, or mowing the lawn. If something was broken or malfunctioning, he had a drive to fix the problem right away.<\/span><\/p>\r\nHe had a knack for directions. Wherever we were, whether it was Minneapolis or New York City, he could seemingly get us where we needed to go with barely a glance at a map.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\u2761<\/span><\/p>\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.andylangager.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/scan_redo256-1011x1024.jpg?resize=590%2C598&ssl=1\")
He was amazing with grandkids. He always was available to read, play games, take them to the playground, or just tell stories about his adventures.<\/span><\/p>\r\nHis advice for parenthood? \u201cLet the kid be their own kid. Don\u2019t be overly protective, [or] directive. Give them the means to succeed but don\u2019t point which direction it should be.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\r\n\u2761<\/span><\/p>\r\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.andylangager.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/IMG_E1765-edited-1.jpg?ssl=1\" "\\"IMG_E1765-edited-1\\"")
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