Hangin’ With Big Bird
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
Of the myriad of celebrities I’ve had the pleasure of meeting in recent days, one of the greatest thrills was getting to meet Carroll Spinney. You might know him better as the puppeteer and voice of one of the most endearing residents of Sesame Street, Big Bird. Although the costume was originally created by Jim Henson and his puppeteers, it was Spinney who stepped up in the plate and operated Big Bird from within and developed his voice and character. In addition, Carroll Spinney also voiced and operated Oscar the Grouch from within the trashcan – all the way back to his earliest days, when he used to be orange rather than green. Read the rest of this entry »
I knew that at least one aspect of our Guatamalan week-long excursion was going to be outstanding when Bob and I made our way down to our hotel restaurant first thing on the morning of Sunday, March 29, 2009. We were welcomed witha mammoth breakfast buffet which not only included the staples eggs, bacon, sausages, breads, cereals, fruits, yogurts, etc. – but also an omelette chef, cheeses, deli meats, and several latin delicacies such as plantains, chilaquiles en salsa roja, black beans, and an array of exotic juices: banana milk, cucumber orange, mango, and many others. And what would the kickoff breakfast be without me starting a small fire…thanks to a faulty toaster. Still, if the trip had included breakfast and nothing else, I would have nearly been satisfied. 
Dorinda Dohner (not to be confused with Debbie Downer) and I go so far back during our weeks at Camp Woodland Altars that I can scarcely remember just when we first met. She was two years younger than me so it is likely that we shared a lodge camp in 1983. We know from photos that she has that we were at lodge camp together in 1984. But it was not until our days in Eco-Adventures in 
I don’t frequently hand out gushing compliments regarding a female celebrity’s attractiveness, unless I am sufficiently open-mouthed, all-out wow’ed. And Nancy Allen was just such an example of a gal who had what it took to make me stutter over my words. I found her throughly attractive at age 58…and I told her so. She seemed genuinely grateful for the compliment and told me sincerely that it was a ‘very nice thing to say’ to her.