Rain was pouring down yesterday. Rather than engage in my customary pass time of exercise and photography and walking on the campus of Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale…I decided to drive to Cape Girardeau, Missouri to to attend Comic Con at the Ramada Inn and meet Tony Dow, Wally, and Jerry Mathers, the Beaver. So I plugged into the Subaru’s GPS the address of the Ramada…and I was on my way. Rain is peaceful and soothing and soon…I had to find a restroom. Before me was Von Jakob Winery with a packed parking lot. I entered with the intention of purchasing a cigar…as I did not have time for a glass of wine. When I finished necessary business…there was such a que that I took off for the SUV and was thankful for the Winery hospitality.

The Ramada’s parking lot was full. Luckily I found, around the back of the massive hotel, several vehicles parked in a stripped area…and I joined them. After I hiked around the building to the front entrance I entered and paid my $15 for Comic Con. As I walked through the displays I noticed the absence of the Beaver and Wally. I exited the main display room and asked the nice man who had earlier showed me where to pay my entrance fee…and he said just walk straight ahead and you will run right into them. And so I did…and there they were. I visualized a large group of people such as I had just left in the display room. Indeed that was not the case but rather just a few folks with only one gentleman ahead of me in the line in front of Jerry Mathers.

The first episode of Leave It To Beaver was, October 4, 1957, 20 days later I was born. So, I watched Leave It To Beaver in prime time on television in the early 1960’s. I told Jerry Mathers that I write a blog and that I often refer to my early life as ‘Leave It To Beaver…like.’ His response was that I must have had a wonderful life.

Now I have an 8+10 glossy photo of Wally and the Beaver and the actor, Hugh Beaumont, who portrayed their father on the show. I did not have time to…’Give them the business’…but I thought about it…

I even received a Mystery Photo…in my phone…along with the 5 photos that Jerry and Tony’s assistant took…

I believe that the two men in the middle are two of, ‘My Three Sons,’ which was a popular television show of the 60’s.