We need the iron qualities that go with true manhood. We need the positive virtues of resolution, of courage, of indomitable will, of power to do without shirking the rough work that must always be done. – Theodore Roosevelt

My List:
1. The way his eyes twinkle when he tells a particularly clever joke or play on words.
2. The way he uses his hands to hammer a nail, open a jackknife, hold a paintbrush, start an outboard motor, reel in a fish, change a tire, and shave his face.
3. The way he slalom water skis from a flying dock start, raises a spinnaker, and ties knots.
4. The way he holds a baseball in his glove just before throwing it.
5. The way he can skip stones with practically any shape or size of stone he finds along the beach.
6. The way his legs stick out from under a car when he changes the oil.
7. The way he can take apart any computer, electrical or mechanical device and actually fix it.
8. The way he knows who covered practically every song ever written.
9. The way he plays the harmonica to Howlin’ Wolf songs while driving.
10. The way he falls asleep ten minutes into a movie that he’s been wanting to watch all day.

Photograph: © David Dodds