Dad's Self Portrait

My father was a man of few words and he had natural talent for painting. Early in our family life, he painted a picture of an oyster shop on Solomon's Island that, to me, has a haunting quality. Later, while spending time on Midway Island during the cold war, he painted this self-portrait. I think it captures his quiet intensity. By this time he had become a Naval commander. This is the way he looked in my dream and the way I will remember him. Wasn't he handsome?

There is a man out there, who I wish would resurface. He knows who he is. We used to see each other around town fairly often. He resembles the way my father looks here and has a similar military bearing. Isn't it funny how the mind works? Although I can make the connection now, the attraction has it's own chemistry that's got nothing to do with psychology.