How Her Father Became Known as ‘Handy Dan’
Household projects may not be the forte of Becky Harris’ dad, but his sense of humor keeps the family amused
In 1988, my family was house hunting for our impending move from Cincinnati to the South Shore of Boston. While walking through the barns and other Colonial-era outbuildings not found in our 1970s-era suburban Ohio cul-de-sac, my father would always declare, “I could put my shop out here.” A good spot for his tool shop seemed to be his No. 1 priority, and everyone humored him. But when the front-runner house offered no such shelter, action needed to be taken after Dad lamented, “But where will my shop go?”
About to lose her favorite house over Dad’s shop, my mom declared, “Oh, Danny, all you ever do in your shop is open paint cans and hang your tools on a pegboard!” To which he immediately reacted with laughter so intense that no sound came out while his whole body shook. She had absolutely nailed it.
About to lose her favorite house over Dad’s shop, my mom declared, “Oh, Danny, all you ever do in your shop is open paint cans and hang your tools on a pegboard!” To which he immediately reacted with laughter so intense that no sound came out while his whole body shook. She had absolutely nailed it.
My dad is a lot of things, but handy is not one of them. This probably traces back to his father, who was famous for bizarre household projects like lopping the footboard posts off four-poster beds to render them two-poster; painting beautiful antique wood furniture with thick, dark brown house paint; and cutting down the legs of dining and side tables to transform them into oddly proportioned and wobbly coffee tables. I’m told the bed in this photo had a lovely footboard with posts that fell victim to his handiwork.
But my dad loved hanging those tools on a pegboard, and he was not a bad house painter. And thanks to his shop, when he needed to open one of those paint cans, he knew just where to find the doohickey that does it, along with a wooden stirrer and apparently some wrenches that I’ve never seen him use for anything.
My favorite story about my dad’s home improvement efforts involves the start of a long tradition of in-jokes and gag gifts between him and his mother-in-law, Mimi. You see, there was a slight competition going on between Mimi and her husband, Pop (my grandparents), and Pop’s sister Tish and her husband, Frank (my great-aunt and great-uncle). The two couples were thick as thieves and even had vacation cottages next to each other in Maine.
While my grandparents Mimi and Pop were blessed with a son-in-law (my dad) who had many talents, including a great sense of humor, Tish and Frank were blessed with a son-in-law who was not only funny but also a gifted woodworker. Mimi and Pop had to listen to Tish and Frank go on and on about the beautiful paneling, closets and even custom wooden coat hooks that son-in-law Dave had put in their Maine house. Oh, how lovely those hooks were — almost too nice to hang anything on!
This living room picture shows Tish and Frank’s Maine cottage. Dave made the sofa.
While my grandparents Mimi and Pop were blessed with a son-in-law (my dad) who had many talents, including a great sense of humor, Tish and Frank were blessed with a son-in-law who was not only funny but also a gifted woodworker. Mimi and Pop had to listen to Tish and Frank go on and on about the beautiful paneling, closets and even custom wooden coat hooks that son-in-law Dave had put in their Maine house. Oh, how lovely those hooks were — almost too nice to hang anything on!
This living room picture shows Tish and Frank’s Maine cottage. Dave made the sofa.
As Mimi had been the first to have a place in Maine and was the one who told Tish and Frank to buy the house next door when it became available, she suffered a slight tinge of jealousy as Dave’s crafty improvements suddenly made their house seem superior to hers. This tickled my dad. So the next Christmas he decided to fashion her some special son-in-law coat hooks of her own.
On the “coat rack,” pictured here, each name has a crooked rusty nail in the middle of it, placed there to rival Dave’s beautifully carved wooden hooks. (Mike, by the way, was Mimi and Pop’s Irish setter.) Make sure your tetanus booster is up to date before getting too close to the “hooks.”
On the “coat rack,” pictured here, each name has a crooked rusty nail in the middle of it, placed there to rival Dave’s beautifully carved wooden hooks. (Mike, by the way, was Mimi and Pop’s Irish setter.) Make sure your tetanus booster is up to date before getting too close to the “hooks.”
That prank is how my dad earned the nickname “Handy Dan.” It kicked off an exchange of gag gifts each Christmas between Dad and Mimi that went on for decades. This photo is from the late 1980s.
Today, son-in-law Dave crafts everything from beautiful wooden kayaks to clever whale-shaped salad tongs in his spare time. Dad went on to build me a nice shelf in my closet for sweaters. My parents found a fantastic handyman named Bob to help with household projects. And, surprisingly, my brother Clark is very handy and earns his living as a contractor. We have no idea where his talent comes from, as Dave is related to us only by marriage and not blood.
Whale salad tongs: custom, David Twichell
More: The Beautiful Thing About Dad’s Chair
Whale salad tongs: custom, David Twichell
More: The Beautiful Thing About Dad’s Chair