Meet My Dad

Ed Pilkington.  Husband. Father of 3.  Grandfather of 11.  Retired career professor of theater at Appalachian State University.  Professional equity actor (Blowing Rock Stage Company, Triad Stage Company, Temple Theater to name a few).  25 + years as Director of outdoor drama Horn in the West.  Playright. Poet. Wonderful to all he meets.  Doesn’t know a stranger.

That’s the public face of my father.  These sketches reveal a more personal face:  He loves his grandkids!  Dearly he does.  Every single one of them has enjoyed the pleasure of sitting atop his shoulders and riding around while he trots and sings a song…just like he did with each of us, his three kids, of which I am the oldest.  Pictured here is the “baby” of the family…my little sister with HER littlest.

My dad loves hats.  Did I say, he LOVES hats?  Well, he does.  Has every kind of hat imaginable!  This is one of his favorites.  I’m actually quite amazed there isn’t a “fly” (you know the kind you make for “fly fishing”?) in the furry brim…perhaps there’s one on the other side of the hat.  I have fond memories of sitting and tying flies with my dad at the kitchen table when I was a kid.

My dad loves his fat-free cookies!  Well, I’m sure if he had the choice, he would choose a fat-full one over the free kind…but alas, quadruple heart bypass surgery and a genetic propensity to high cholesterol and heart disease keeps him on his toes, minding his p’s and q’s when it comes to fat consumption and exercise.  Exercise…that brings me to the next thing about him:

My dad loves cycling!  The mug in his hand says RIDE…share the journey.  A lifelong, avid cyclist, dad has owned just about every kind of bicycle you could think of…perhaps even every brand offered:)  I think he loves to tinker with them just as much as he loves riding them:  Cannondale, Trek, Schwinn, folding bikes, touring bikes, and his current one–a recumbent bike!  My dad has helped many a person get their bike road ready, my husband being one of them!  This was before I even knew my husband existed!  Go figure that one!  I think of my father as a sort of Cycling Evangelist…spend just a bit of time with him and you’ll be wanting to go out on your bike touring the countryside!

There is SO much more I could say about my dad.  This will suffice for now.  I wish you ALL could meet him.

0 thoughts on “Meet My Dad

  1. Dad says:

    Dad says, “I am deeply moved”. This tribute humbles me and glorifies my God who is the original creator, It thrills me to see my Ballerina daughter blossom into such an expressive and loving wife, mother, artist and sharer of God’s grace to the world.

  2. Deborah says:

    You have me wanting to meet your entire family. What a wonderful gift – your family. You are very blessed, as I’m sure you know 🙂 Your sketches are fabulous!

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