Dad just made it to 49, I was 20. His family moved from Wyoming to Philadelphia and Mom got starry eyed over a tall (her fantasy) cowboy. He was a machinist, essential job, got into the Navy late in the war and was in California in electronics school with his new wife as the war ended. They took a surplus heavy truck to Alaska and homesteaded - I was first baby born in the new hospital in Valdez; sister was born at home in the house they built three years later. Moved to Oregon, Dad opened a machine shop, they worked hard, sold everything and took a VW bus trip with clamshell trailer (and 6 month old brother) around the States and Canada with a little air hop to Cuba (1959), then down through Central America.
Sold the Bus and Camper and took a tramp freighter through the canal back to Oregon. Dad started fresh, and by working back to back machinist jobs started clawing his way up through property. They wanted to raise their kids in the country on a cattle ranch. The houses were kind of habitable if Dad made them so in his spare time after the two jobs and stringing fence and caring for the cows. The places grew from 20 acres up to 140.
Then he was diagnosed with lymphoma, so he had to kick it into OD. Started another machine shop with a partner and had day and night shifts working.
I remember him when he was home, building a cattle squeeze with his welder with a burned out roll yer own stuck on his lower lip asking what I had done that day - he did NOT like to see me with my hands in my pockets.
Remember gathering some steers and getting them on a truck on a school morning - thought sure I'd be skipping, but no. He said school - and I should drive - his 1957 356 Porsche. Remember him sitting with his hands in his lap as I was losing it on a gravel corner. Remember the hint of smile as he said to drive it out after we came to a stop with the back end in a ditch, me shaking.
Another time remember him putting an arm on my shoulder and saying "You are my son". Demonstrative he was not, but a few words or moments carried a bunch of value for me. Lucky guy I am