The 18th International Sons of the Desert Convention Begins in Manchester
Thursday, August 9th, 2012
Dull care was left at home as I made my way to the final destination of our road trip. Bob and I had been on the road for two weeks, staying in different lodging each and every night, so I was ready to lay my head on the same pillow for the next four days. I was also really looking forward to the antics and camaraderie with my many old friends who had been part of the Sons of the Desert for many years. Bob and I rolled into the Radisson hotel in Manchester at 8:30 in the morning on Wednesday, July 18, 2012. This would be the first day of the 18th International Sons of the Desert Convention. So naturally the first thing I did was to plant myself in the lobby for the next three and a half hours. Read the rest of this entry »
Tarzan is one of those timeless heroes, who continues to show up in pop culture in comic books, TV shows, movies, and in the case of the band Baltimora, songs. Even though he didn’t have super powers like Superman or Batman, he did share one trait with them: the actor portraying him could and would be replaced time and time again. In fact, roughly 20 actors have portrayed Tarzan as an adult. Miles O’Keeffe was one of them, and probably appeared in the most notorious Tarzan film – the revival attempt of 1981 in the form of Tarzan, the Ape Man. 
I’d have to say that Amber Benson is the most down-to-earth of all of the cast members of the now-iconic and terrifically fun show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the Hollywood Show on February 11, 2012. Quite surprisingly, she didn’t have much of a crowd around her at all, so she was ripe for chatting at any given time. Amber had played Tara Maclay the Wiccan girlfriend of Willow, and one of the best singers in the Once More with Feeling musical episode of the series. 
My New England trip now officially holds the record for the longest vacation I have ever taken. Clocking in at 19 days, it was a magnificent trip that saw all sorts of bucket list items and checklists being crossed off of my life pursuit. If you have enjoyed reading about these types of road trips in the past, then this one will be one nice, long doozy for you. I not only enjoyed nearly every minute of it (except for when Don yelled at me), but I will look forward to writing and posting about it – which is about as close as one can get to actually living it over once again. 
My friend Bob had informed me that when Sherry Jackson last appeared at a recent Hollywood Show that I didn’t attend, she didn’t have any photos of her from The Danny Thomas Show (aka Make Room for Daddy). I was hoping that she might rectify this during her return engagement at the Hollywood Show on October 8, 2011. Fortunately for all of us she did, and I was able to purchase one for $25. I only went for this one because it was her most iconic sitcom performance; it’s not like she never did anything else of note.