Guest Blog – Bob Abdou – Vacation, New England & Birthday

My birthday wish came true last week during our vacation to the New England states, especially in Boston, Mass. Besides my wife, there are 3 things that I really love in life, Ventriloquism, Baseball and Friends (ok really 4, I love Swedish fish candy). I got to experience the first 3 on my birthday last week thanks to the hospitality from Dan and Helen Willinger.

Everybody knows that Dan has an incredible collection but what really got my full focus is that Dan tells a story on each one. For the most part, Dan knows the original ventriloquists name, what they did, where they performed, what happened to them once they passed away. What made me cry ( I feel like weeping as I write this now) is seeing the dummy that Johnny Main Sr. was still holding in his hand the moment he took his last breath and died. The history that each dummy has and the way Dan tells it, is like listening to a master storyteller. The day of my birthday, Dan, Helen, my wife June and I got to visit Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox. The history at this ballpark made me become a Red Sox fan (still a Met Fan but don’t say that too loud in Boston).What fun we had when we both imitated Carlton Fisk’s homerun trot and being on top of the Green monster wall where the Fisk Foul pole is. That visit was a week ago and I still have my wrist band on my arm, I told my wife that I will never take it off unless it comes apart. Helen got me a Boston baseball shirt that is great to wear.

Having Ventriloquism and Baseball in my life can only be complete with Friends The night of my birthday we all went out to a special seafood restaurant with some of my wife’s friends from Lowell, Mass and having everybody together was a big treat for me. Especially when I had a 3-1/2 lb lobster (see photo).