Catherine, Arlington, Massachusetts

I was born in Rhode Island in 1950. I remember watching Salty's Shack very well. I loved him and his collie Jeff. One day I heard that Salty would be at Mal's Baby Store in Pawtucket greeting his fans and signing autographs. I was so excited! We lived right up the street from Mal's on Mineral Spring Avenue. My brother and I went to Mal's on the day of his appearance. We waited in line with what seemed to me like thousands of other kids. As we got close to the front of the line, I felt so excited to see Salty and hear his familiar voice IN PERSON! I was just as excited to see Jeff. I couldn't wait to pet him. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world when Salty said hi to us and let us pet Jeff. And then the big surprise happened: Salty said, "Well, you two must be brother and sister." I was shocked! How could he possibly know that? For years I thought that, in addition to being so kind and funny, he had magical powers! I thought that I was probably one of the few people who knew this, so I felt a special connection with him. After that, when I watched his show, I thought he could probably see me right through the screen!

Received via email, August 4, 2008.