YAKIMA -- With Father's Day approaching, now is the appropriate time to thank my Dad for all that he has done for me over the years. Without his guidance and support I wouldn't be where I am today. And because he set such a great example of what a good father should be, I have had the perfect person to pattern my life after. My love for the outdoors started with my father, and through the years we have shared a number of great hunting and fishing trips. I am pretty sure my desire to fish and hunt would have been there whether Dad enjoyed the outdoors or not, but it was his nurturing and encouragement that got the flames burning and kept them growing over the years. As a child of the '60s and early '70s, there were many other things (most of them not very healthy) that could have grabbed my attention and taken me down the wrong path. Luckily, hunting and fishing were always there for me, thanks in great part to my father. I still fondly remember walking with my dad and my grandfather on pheasant hunts in the lower Yakima Valley when I was only 7 or 8. And fishing with my Dad on the Naches River during the summers when I was about the same age. Dad was the person who taught me how to cast. He taught me how to tie a lure to my fishing line with a knot that wouldn't break. He taught me how to string a nightcrawler on my hook. Always a believer in my siblings and me working and paying for, at least in part, something that we really wanted, Dad arranged the odd jobs for me to earn the $20 I needed to buy a single-shot shotgun I desperately wanted. It was during the fall of my 12th year, the first year I was going to get to hunt, and I had my heart set on a shiny new shotgun sitting on the shelf at Jed's Sportsland. As he did with many other purchases made by us kids, Dad paid for the other half of the $40 the little 16-gauge shotgun cost and was with me later that year when I shot my first pheasant with it. I truly believe he was happier for me at that moment than I was for myself. He was with me for many other firsts -- and, as it turned out, I was with him for a few of his firsts too. Dad was there when I caught my first fish. He was there when I shot my first duck. He was there when I shot my first deer. And he was there for me when it came time to field dress and clean those firsts, tasks I never would have made it through without his guiding hand. I can still remember pestering my dad during the weeks of October and November and December when I was in junior high, trying to get a commitment as to whether we were going to get to go bird hunting on the weekend. Even though he was busy with a growing business, and a growing family, he almost always found time to take me out. As time passed, my love and desire to be outdoors outpaced his. Luckily, with a driver's license and the keys to Dad's hunting rig in my pocket, I was able to go pretty much whenever I wanted, even if he couldn't. But we still found time to get out together and over the years we have fished in some great places. I was with Dad when he caught his first steelhead, his first king salmon, and I was with him when he caught a 54-pound chinook at River's Inlet in British Columbia. We have shared a number of wonderful hunts over the years, too. But the one that really sticks in my mind is Dad's last hunt, a trip to North Dakota for pheasants. The birds were plentiful and he made some great shots. It was not long after that that Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease. During the early stages of his illness, he would always like to hear about my different outings and you could tell he could picture being there. We would discuss past hunting and fishing trips and relive those great times. As this terrible disease has progressed, those moments have become fewer and farther between. But I still like to tell Dad about my outings, and even though now he doesn't always comprehend, there are times when he does. Those are special moments. We will discuss some of those past outings on Sunday, I hope, and I will definitely thank him again for all that he has done for me. I have learned a lot from my dad over the years. I know I will never be able to thank him enough. * Rob Phillips is a freelance outdoor writer and partner in the advertising firm of Smith, Phillips & DiPietro. He can be reached at rwphillips@spdadvertising.com. YAKIMA -- With Father's Day approaching, now is the appropriate time to thank my Dad for all that he has done for me over the years. Without his guidance and support I wouldn't be where I am today. And because he set such a great example of what a good fa Outdoors, LOCAL

2008-06-10T14:57:34Z

by Rob Phillips

2008-06-13T08:54:52Z

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2008-06-14T11:52:33Z

Northwest Sportsman -- Dad was inspiration for love of outdoors 4902 northwest-sportsman-dad-was-inspiration-for-love-of-outdoors Web Story

PHILLIPS

Yakima Herald-Republic

For the Yakima Herald-Republic

2008-06-12T07:00:00Z

6225295

061208 Phillips column published Web Daily

2009-03-20T02:26:49Z