The Sons Convention in New Hampshire Continues at the Capitol and on Lake Winnipesaukee
Wednesday, September 5th, 2012
Business first. That’s my motto. Although I was ready to indulge in plenty of Laurel and Hardy frolics and frippery with my fellow Sons of the Desert, there was a historical location nearby that I needed to get under my belt. Although Bob and I had driven by the New Hampshire state capitol in Concord the previous Friday, weren’t able to go though it since it was after-hours. I had thus far only compromised going inside a capitol building one time, and visiting this this one would give me six on this trip that were fully toured. So that’s how I started my day on Thursday, July 19, 2012. Read the rest of this entry »
Sometimes I can place the face but don’t know the name. In this case, I really didn’t remember the face, but I let his name and list of credits speak for themselves. He had been in 18 episodes of Cagney & Lacey as the recurring character Detective Jonah Newman. He’d been Billy the Kid in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. He’d even had a small role as one of the deputies in Red Rock West. But it was on the strength of his Disney connection that I opted to pick up a signed photo of him. He had been the character RAM in Disney’s Tron – but without the blue glowing attire and dog bowl helmet, I’d have trouble placing him on the street. But rest assured, it was Dan Shor. Yes, I’m sure. 
Of course I had a crush on Annie. Of course I did. Although the movie Annie might have been a little beneath me in 1982 when it came out, or at least not one I’d want to admit to my fellow ten-year old friends that I enjoyed. However, we had video-taped the movie and my sister Denise watched it over and over and over again, so I had ample time to catch sight of that adorable freckle-faced redhead’s face as she bellowed out Tomorrow, It’s the Hard Knock Life, Maybe, and Dumb Dog. All of the music just stuck with you and at times, I still find myself singing it. 
I had planned on just staying home for the weekend after the intense schedule of traveling I had been enjoying for the past six weekends in a row, fully prepared to just hibernate in the house. But there was one thing that could rouse me to action and get me out – a celebrity encounter. When my former schoolmate Deborah Hileman posted a picture of herself standing next to Rob Schneider, my interest was piqued. He had played the Friday show at the Funny Bone comedy club, and when I checked I noted that he was there all weekend. I also sent her a quick Facebook note to ask if Rob simply came out to meet the crowd afterward. He did. 
Although Bob and I had been tooling around various part of Massachusetts, mostly just outside of Boston, and even occasionally inside of Boston, I really hadn’t gotten the feeling of experiencing the real heartbeat of Boston. That was rectified on Friday, July 6, 2012. Looking back, it is amazing how full this day actually was. It began when we woke up in Braintree and started as early as possible. The Adams National Historic Site didn’t open until 9am, so that was the best that we could do.