Happy Father's Day.

Did your father ever try to bottle liquid manure, only to watch it explode in the sunlight while sitting in a store window display?

Did he ever bet the family's fortune on a machine he believed could extract gold from sand?

Did he buy horses before figuring out where to keep them, then decide the house would do?

Did he lose the rent, the car, the business, and occasionally the plot, but somehow never lose his love for his children?

Welcome to the unforgettable world of Dacker.

In my Father's Day special, I sit down with Lori Thicke, author of Dreamer's Daughter: Surviving My Childhood and Raising My Father.

Lori was only ten when her mother left. From that moment on, she and her younger brother Brad were raised by their father, a war veteran, salesman, dreamer, schemer, serial entrepreneur, and eternal optimist.

Dacker's ideas were often outrageous. His timing was questionable. His plans were usually missing a few important pieces. But his love for his children was never in doubt.

Lori's story takes us from Kirkland Lake to Paris, from childhood chaos to a life of purpose, including her role in helping create Translators Without Borders. Along the way, she searches for understanding of her father, her mother, her childhood, and ultimately herself.

This is a Father's Day episode with houses burning down, a car taking out three brand-new yachts, the Count and Countess of Albania staging a coup from Dacker's kitchen, plenty of humour, and a whole lot of heart.

Because sometimes the most imperfect fathers leave behind the most unforgettable stories and the most unquestionable love.

And at the end of the episode, I offer a personal tribute to my own dad, and to all fathers, the ones who are here, the ones we miss, and the ones who did their best with what they had.

To buy Dreamer's Daughter: https://www.indigo.ca/products/dreamers-daughter-surviving-my-childhood-and-raising-my-father