Our Dad, the “Prince Jardinier”

With Father’s Day on Sunday, we wanted to write a special post for our Dad which combines two of our favorite childhood memories – working in the vegetable garden and touring the European countryside.  Since we lived in an old chateau on the outskirts of Brussels, it was easy for Dad to draw upon his Iowa roots by planting seeds and watching them grow.  While he fancied himself the king of his castle, we saw him more as a “Prince Jardinier”!

The little country chateau we called home was certainly not on par with the ones we visited in the Loire Valley, and our lovely vegetable garden was definitely not like the one at Villandry…  But our childhood was filled with wonderful adventures with our Dad, flying high in the sky on a swing that hung from an old oak, fending off imaginary dragons as we rowed around the moat or embarking on spur of the moment trips to explore neighboring countries.

So this Father’s Day, we’re grateful for the happy times we spend with our father (then and now) and for the wise words of Robert Louis Stevenson (one of his favorite authors): “Don’t judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”

Happy Father’s Day, Dad, from your little seedlings!

Photos: 1 – 6