I was picked up by my airport shuttle right on time at 6 : 10 am . I was the second of 5 passengers for that shuttle trip . All went well ; everyone was friendly as we chatted each other up . We were on time , until the rear van door got stuck open on one stop that held us up for almost 15 minutes , until the driver could make it work . Minor panic ensued from a couple of passengers , who had very tight departure times . The driver was cool and calm and very professional . He did everything possible to get us there ASAP , and we did arrive at SeaTac airport within a couple of minutes of our scheduled time . Due to a recent accident that injured my legs ( on top of severe arthritis ) I was not able to stand or walk for any period of time , so I had made arrangements for assistance with the airline . Thankfully the wheelchair station was just inside the entry doors that we had been dropped off at , and I quickly received a wheelchair . For some reason , my boarding pass would not print correctly when I did it , but no matter , the gentleman who assisted me quickly wheeled me to a special line , got my boarding pass printed , and we were on our way . They didn 't make me stand up for the TSA screening . They put my jacket and backpack on the conveyer belt for x - ray and whizzed me through . We got on the subway to the terminal and arrived quickly at my gate , then checked in . My wheelchair assistant made me the closest chair to the gate , wished me a good flight , and then left . The agents let me board first . The flight attendants stowed my bag and offered additional assistance . I have to say that Alaska Airlines really came through for me . The flight was a bit of an adventure , we had a lot of turbulence and the roughest pancake landing I 've ever had on a plane . For once , I was glad that they tell you to keep your seatbelt on ! This time I was one of the last ones off , and the wheelchair was ready and waiting for me at the door . Again I was whisked efficiently through the airport , to the ground transportation doors . I was just about to pull out my phone to call Diane , to let her know that I had arrived at LAX , when I looked up and she was standing there ! We had never met before , but we recognized each other instantly . Dine told me of the issues she was having with our limo service . We had prepaid for a Lincoln Town Car to pick us up 45 minutes after my flight was supposed to arrive . They had already called her twice , telling her that she had to get picked up when her flight came in , but she told them no , not until I came in to get picked up , too . They told her that she would have to pay a $ 40 late fee for them to wait for me , to which she reluctantly agreed . Shortly after we met her phone rang again , and she said that they could come and pick us up now , even though it was still 40 minutes before the scheduled time . We waited patiently until a black car pulled up in front of us . It was not a Town Car , as we had paid for , but a Tesla . Lovely car , but not as roomy , and not as easy to get in and out of with my bum legs . Diane confirmed that it was our driver , he loaded our bags and we got in . We took off , and once underway the driver informed us that we would have to pay $ 80 extra , not the $ 40 Diane had agreed to . Diane quickly told him that she was told it was $ 40 , and that was all she planned to pay . The driver pulled over and stopped , and told us that he would not go on without the $ 80 . I couldn 't believe it . It felt like we were being hijacked for ransom , now that we were in the car , in his hands . Diane handled it better than I would have , demanding the number for their customer service department . She talked with customer service , to make the driver accept the $ 40 as had been agreed , and was polite but firm . At the same time the driver was on the phone with his boss , who was insisting on $ 80 . What a mess ! Eventually customer service talked with the driver 's supervisor , confirming that Diane had been told $ 40 , and the driver was told to accept that amount and get us to our destination . So much unnecessary drama to start our weekend with . After 10 minutes , we were finally on the way to our hotel . The hotel was very nice and very accommodating . Diane had reserved a higher floor room , to keep us away from the convention partiers . And when we arrived , we also asked for an accessible room , to accommodate my physical issues , and the hotel changed rooms for us without a blink of an eye . We unpacked . Diane had shipped books and photos to the hotel , and she had them brought up to the room . I had my laptop computer that had a built - in DVD player . I 'd also packed an HDMI cable ; that I hooked up to the big - screen TV on the wall . Diane emailed David , to let him know that we had arrived . We relaxed and played some Voyage DVDs that Diane had brought . Not long afterward , Sherry called to let us know that she had arrived . We decided to go to the convention center to scope out the place and get our badges , so we wouldn 't be waiting in a long line on Friday to get them . The contracted shuttle service from the hotel dropped us off at the convention center . It was not immediately apparent where we should go to pick up our badges , and the volunteers we asked were not particularly helpful , so we found a place for me to sit while Diane investigated . Diane went off in search of badge pick - up , and I think that she walked all the way through the convention center twice before getting the right location and directions . She finally got directed to where we were able to pick up our badges . It was approaching dinner time , so we took a cab to a downtown bar and grill . We were early enough to beat the crowd , so we got great seats and good service . The food was good as well . By the time we left , there was a line out the door , so we had obviously made a good choice . When we got back to the hotel we put a DVD on to play , Mach 2 . Sherry came up with us for a little while , checking out the books and photos that Diane brought . She purchased some , and then called it a night . After a little more DVD watching , unpacking and organizing , Diane and I hit the sack as well . We got off to an intentionally slow start on Friday morning . Since David wouldn 't be at the convention until Saturday , we figured that we had plenty of time to check out the other hall . The convention didn 't open until 1 P . M . , anyway . Diane went down to the free breakfast buffet . She brought me up a plate of food , before going back down to get her own breakfast . It was nice that they had a full breakfast , not just the usual pastries and fruit . We took away fruit and yogurt , so we wouldn 't have to buy lunch if we didn 't want to . I had also brought snacks ( oatmeal cookies , almonds , granola bars ) that I loaded into my backpack . After breakfast , Diane walked two blocks to Ralph 's grocery store for supplies for the table , after which we called Sherry . We went together on the hotel shuttle to the convention center . Once there , Sherry and I found a seat , while Diane went on the seemingly impossible quest to get a wheelchair for me to use ( the convention materials had promised that wheelchairs would be available to convention - goers . ) She was run all over the place , before finally locating the last wheelchair to be had . After swinging by to get my ID , to trade for the chair , she returned with a wheelchair that had seen better days . It also had no footrests . But it was better than nothing , so I limped aboard . Diane was amazing , pushing me everywhere I / we needed to go . I owe my entire convention experience to her willingness to help me out . We decided to find David 's booth before anything else , even though he wouldn 't be there , so we would know where to go on Saturday . After a little trial and error , we found row 19 and counted down the booth numbers . When we approached the booth where David would be , we were astonished to find him sitting there ! I had never met David , and the primary mental image that I had of him was his portrayal of Captain Lee Crane from the television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea . Fifty years ago . But even with his white hair , white beard , and glasses , there was no mistaking that this was David Hedison . He still had that smile that spreads all the way to his eyes , as well as that distinctive voice , even though it is a bit more gravelly with age . David 's photos were laid out on the table , ready to go . A woman that we didn 't know , Lauri , was seated next to him to assist him . Diane quickly took a photo of David to upload to Facebook , to let people know that he was there despite what the convention schedule had listed . She had some difficulty with the slow Wi - Fi , but she eventually got it to post . Diane told David that she had money for him and items to sign , back at the hotel room , and that she would go get them . He was obviously pleased to see Diane , and about the money she already had for him , but he told her it could wait until Saturday . Diane decided to go and get them , anyway . She introduced Sherry and I to David , and left . I started looking at the photos David had for sale . Even though I had a couple of signed photos of David , and had already purchased a couple of books for him to sign , I had decided to get a photo from The Fly at the convention . When David started talking , I thought that he was talking to Lauri , but when I looked up , he was talking to me . I hesitated for a moment - gee , if we didn 't agree , this could be awkward - but then I decided that David wouldn 't have asked me , if he didn 't want an honest answer . Thankfully , we were in agreement on the issues - that being wealthy is no excuse , that parents should raise their children to be responsible for their actions , that the court should have given him sterner consequences for his behavior , etc . It was a thoughtful discussion that I didn 't expect to have with him , but one I sincerely enjoyed . I eventually settled on the colorized photo from The Fly . As I purchased it , and David got ready to sign it , I asked him if he could sign it to Al from Al Hedison . " Al ? " he asked , in a puzzled tone . I explained my request to him . I knew that his given name was Albert David Hedison Jr . , and that he was listed as Al Hedison in the credits for the movie . I explained to him that my nickname from high school was " Al . " I once was playing poker with friends , when I was taking too long to make a decision , whether to bet or to fold . Someone called out , " Quit calculating the odds , Einstein , and make your bet ! " Everybody cracked up . After that , my given nickname was Al , or Albert , after Albert Einstein , the late genius . David laughed at hearing my story . He carefully signed my Fly photo : Dear Al . . . " Help Me ! " . . . Al David Hedison . He grinned at me as he handed it to me . I grinned back , after I read it . I thanked him and told him it was perfect . Which it was . I told him that I have played poker since I was young , and that I had a little success at playing tournament poker , but that I didn 't play much anymore . I also told him that any time he was up in my neck of the woods ; he was welcome to come and sit in on my home game . He laughed at that as well . Diane had told me that David 's family all enjoyed playing cards , and it was nice having something in common to break the ice . David has the ability to engage with you and make you feel comfortable talking with him , a skill which I admire . Having attended other conventions and interacted with actors and sports celebrities , believe me when I say that , they don 't all make the effort . David does . Diane came back with all of her materials , within the hour . She quickly opened her rolling suitcase and began unwrapping books and photos for David to sign . David was somewhat bored , it wasn 't that busy , and he was impatient to start signing . He pressed her as she was setting up the book box and sign on his table . She eventually took out some money and set it down on the table in front of him to keep him quiet . David looked at me , grinned and winked . " Now I can retire . " He tucked the money into his pocket . Within minutes Diane was helping him with photo signings and personalizations for the pre - orders that she had taken . Apparently David had left his hearing aids at home , so Diane was speaking loudly and clearly as she helped him through the pile of signings . David seemed a bit frustrated , but he did fine . I tried to help Diane organize and stow away the signed materials as he finished them . Diane gave David some almonds to snack on . He doesn 't take a lunch break at conventions , so she knows to provide him with snacks to get him through the day . Although he initially set them aside , it didn 't take long for him to open the bag of nuts and start eating . Gary Lockwood , co - star of the science fiction classic movie " 2001 : A Space Odyssey " was in the booth right across the aisle from David . He and David obviously knew each other . Gary came over to visit with David when it was slow , and vice versa . Gary ended up walking away with David 's package of almonds , so we didn 't know how much David actually got to eat . I pointed out to Diane that Gary had made off with David 's almonds , and she provided David with a granola bar and an oatmeal bar that he quickly stashed in his leather bag . It wasn 't very busy Friday afternoon , so Diane had a chance to catch up with David , and we all chatted each other up . Diane was kind enough to push my wheelchair around so I could see more of the convention . She really gave of herself , pushing me around multiple times so that I would have a great con experience that I couldn 't have all on my own . Sherry came and went a couple of times , returning to sit on the floor at the back of David 's booth because there were no extra chairs . I felt bad that she was sitting on the floor , but there was nothing that I could do about it . Back at David 's booth , I tried to take pictures of Diane and David . They seemed very comfortable with each other , the result of years of working together . Diane wasn 't making it easy for me to snap her , but I eventually got a couple of shots . She was terrific , explaining many of the odd costumes that I didn 't recognize on the convention - goers that wandered by David 's booth . The only other celebrities at the convention that I really wanted to get a signed photo of were Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood of " 2001 : A Space Odyssey . " Fortunately , they directly across the aisle from David 's booth . I went over to meet them , starting with Gary . I told him that I had enjoyed his performance in " 2001 , " that it was one of my all - time movie favorites . And that , in my opinion , it was one of the best sci - fi movies of all time . Gary thanked me , but then immediately challenged me as well . He told me that " 2001 " was not only ONE of the best sci - fi movies of all time , but that it was THE best . He was quite garrulous , challenging me to name any sci - fi movie that was better . I was a little taken aback , but we had a lively conversation about the best sci - fi movies of all time while I was deciding on a photo . I decided to purchase a very nice 11 " by 14 " photo of him and Keir from a pivotal moment in " 2001 . " It was also the photo that was blown up to make the banner that hung on the back curtain of their booth . Gary tried very hard to " upsell " me , to get me to purchase a similar photo that was of better quality but also more expensive . I turned him down , as I only had so much money for the weekend , but I let him know that I would have happily purchased it if I had a different budget . After Gary signed my photo , he got Keir 's attention in order to get him to sign the photo , too . Keir was a bit more reserved than Gary . He shook my hand and asked my name , so he could autograph it to me . Keir was very polite and professional . Both Gary and Keir consented to a photo with me . They wished me well as they returned to their seats . I returned to the back of David 's booth . It was interesting watching David with his fans . He was very gracious , giving each one his undivided attention and chatting with them as long as they wanted . David tried his best to personalize photos exactly the way the customers wanted , and was careful to be sure that the Sharpie ink was dry and didn 't smear before handing the purchased photo to the customer . If someone asked for a photo with him , he never hesitated to get up out of his chair for the picture to be taken . David even told the customers to look and be sure that the photo came out all right , or he would take another until one came out right . Not every celebrity would do that . Occasionally David would get up and leave for a few minutes , to stretch his legs or go to the bathroom . As he came and went , he seemed to make a point to chat or joke with us in a friendly , easy manner . He was pleased to have people he knew around , especially Diane , of course , whom he 's known for years . He and I had never met , but Diane had told him a bit about me ( about my accident and who knows what else ) . I 'm sure that had a lot to do with the way that David and I seemed to hit it off right away , and why we had a comfortable comraderie all the weekend . The convention was open until 7 : 00 pm , but David didn 't plan to stay that late . It started slowing down quite a bit around 4 : 30 or so , and he decided to go . By the time he 'd gotten organized and on his way , it was closer to 5 : 00 . He told us that he was looking forward to dinner with his wife , Bridget , and that he planned to enjoy a nice glass of Cabernet . I wished him a good dinner and a good evening , and he headed off , accompanied by Diane . Diane returned 20 minutes later , having seen David safely off . She packed up David 's photos into his rolling case , to take with us to our hotel room for the night . Since Diane had both her suitcase case of books and photos and David 's suitcase to manage , Sherry was kind enough to push my wheelchair to the aid station where we turned it in . We caught a cab back to the hotel , and got everything stored up in our room . For dinner , we walked to a nearby diner that Diane had spotted earlier in the day on her way back from Ralph 's . Again , it was perfect timing , the place got packed quickly and there was a line out the door within 30 minutes . It was a place where locals hang out , and our waiter was a real character . The food was plentiful , inexpensive , and good . We walked back to the hotel well - satisfied . Diane 's friend Sue was waiting for us in the hotel lobby when we arrived , and came up with us to our room . She stayed and visited with us for an hour or so . Diane worked on getting all three of us ready with our outfits for Saturday , which happened to be Halloween . We would be representing The Fly " David 's classic sci - fi movie . Lab coats , t - shirts with ties on them , bug - eyed goggles , a fly mask , black gloves resembling claws - we would be a sight to see . Sue had to go and check in to her B & B , so she took off . We put a Voyage DVD in to play , while Diane reorganized and repacked her case for the next day . I repacked my backpack as well , so I could get my two books signed by David . Diane also emailed directions to David so he could park in the right place next time . We didn 't stay up too late , as we needed to get up and running early in the morning . Saturday morning arrived way too early . Neither of us had a great night 's sleep , but we got up and going . Diane again , brought me a wonderful breakfast plate from the hotel breakfast buffet , as we got ready to go . We wanted to be sure to get there in plenty of time to pick up a wheelchair for me and get David 's case to his booth to set up on time . Sherry joined us , and we took the hotel shuttle to the convention center . Diane set off to pick up a wheelchair for me , and again , there was only one available . This one had footrests , but didn 't want to roll smoothly . When it did roll , it pulled strongly to one side . Diane did the best she could , and did an amazing job pushing me when needed . I think that she got a week 's worth of exercise that day . I felt horrible that she had to work so hard and tried to help push when I could , but it was not pretty . Before going to David 's booth , we had fun taking pictures of us in Fly garb , as well as of other costumed con - goers . I had been to other conventions , but not a " cosplay " convention . I don 't know if it was because it was a cosplay con , or because it was Halloween , or both , but the number and style of the costumes were amazing . Star Wars costumes seemed very popular , with the new movie coming out soon . We arrived around 9 : 30 A . M . , in good time to unpack and set up before David arrived by 10 : 00 . Diane put out a few items that she knew David would use , like hand sanitizer and throat drops and bottled water . She also set up her book display , as well as setting down her Fly mask on his table . We looked at each other at 10 : 00 A . M , , wondering where everybody was for the scheduled 10 AM start , then looked up to see David on his way in . David had apparently not parked in the right spot again , and was not happy about it . His assistant for the con , Lauri , was not there yet , so David asked Diane to go ahead and start setting up his table . She did so , even though she had been told not to by Carol , the woman who had booked this con for David . Carol and Lauri showed up a few minutes later , and Carol asked Diane to stop and let them do it . Diane quickly did so , even though she was only doing what David had requested . Once the table was set up , Sherry and I got our books signed by David . I was quite surprised that David greeted me by my nickname , " Al " - I expected that he would have vaguely remembered me as someone he had seen before , but not my nickname . I didn 't specify how I wanted my two books signed , but he signed them in a lovely and personal manner . I know that I was grinning from ear to ear when I read his signature / personalizations on my books , and when I looked up , he had a warm smile , too . He seemed genuinely pleased that I was pleased . Diane took a photo of David signing a photo , to post to Facebook , to let everyone know that David was there and signing . She was able to get that posted fairly quickly . It appeared that there was nothing left for us to do for David at that time , so we left to check out other parts of the con and try to find a couple of Diane 's friends who were supposed to be there . Sherry also left , to see other parts of the con and attend a couple of panels . We went to the main stage ; there was a panel of people talking and answering questions . I didn 't recognize any of them , so we moved on . Diane pushed me down " autograph row , " where we spotted Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig , from Star Trek , and Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada , from CHIPS . None had any line to speak of . Carrie Fisher ( " Princess Leia " from Star Wars ) had a bit of a line , but you could not see her unless you paid , she was hidden behind a curtain . I believe her autograph fee was $ 100 . The con website had advertised a Babylon 5 " reunion , " which I was interested in because I had known one of the actors for years and had hoped to say hello and catch up . There were two of the minor actors there , that 's all , so I was disappointed and didn 't seek them out for a photo or autograph . To be honest , the autograph signings in the South Hall did not seem to be well - organized or well - advertised , more like an afterthought to the con . I 'm sure that David was disappointed that he didn 't get more business . When we returned to David 's booth , four of Diane 's friends were there - Sue , Amanda , Janet and Charlotte , as well as Sherry . They all caught up , chatted each other up , and chatted with David . The ladies purchased a number of photos for David to sign . Multiple photos were taken with David , who patiently complied with each request . I saw that Amanda had a Voyage calendar that she showed David , and that he seemed to enjoy . I later got a copy of that calendar . It had very nice screen caps from Voyage . Diane really enjoyed the reunion with her friends , and they were a lovely group to meet . After a while , the group broke up . Sue had to leave to catch her flight , some wanted to see other celebrities , and some wanted lunch . Diane wheeled me , with great effort , to the Food Court , where we eventually all met again for lunch . Most bought some overpriced food , I just ate some of the snacks that I had packed for the day . Saturday was definitely busier , and David seemed happier . Diane 's friends had brought him a lot of business , and the hall seemed busier in general . When it wasn 't busy , David would go across the aisle to chat with Gary Lockwood or Keir Dullea , or they would come over to visit him . He would also chat with me , Diane and Sherry as he was coming and going , when there were not customers waiting . I tried to take a lot of pictures of interesting convention - goers in costume , as well as of David in action . David and I shared some observations on the costumes that we had seen ; he has a great sense of humor and made me laugh more than once . I rolled over to the " 2001 " table across the aisle , to see if they had any new photos out and to say hello to Gary and Keir . Gary immediately tried to sell me the same " deluxe " photo that he had tried to sell me on Friday . I laughed and reminded him that I had already purchased that photo the day before , just not the expensive version . I also told him that I couldn 't blame a guy for trying . Gary sighed in disappointment , but thanked me for buying the photo . Since it was slow right then , no other customers at his table , he started up a conversation by asking me where I was from and was I enjoying the convention . I told him that , yes , I was enjoying the convention , and that I was from Washington State . Apparently Gary had lived in the Pacific Northwest for a while , on Vancouver Island , British Columbia , Canada . I told him that I was familiar with the area and had visited there several times . Gary proceeded to regale me with stories about living in the Pacific Northwest , what he thought about Canadians versus Americans . . . Gary liked to talk . Eventually , some paying customers came to the table and I politely excused myself , returning to my corner . There was a voice actor across the aisle , right next to Gary and Keir 's booth that I had chatted with as I was waiting to look at their " 2001 " photos . Dino Andrade was his name , and he had done voices in quite a few projects , movie , TV and commercial . The only work of his that I was familiar with was the Rice Crispy commercials , in which he was the voice of " Pop . " He came over to David 's booth , introduced himself , shook David 's hand , and told him that he was a big fan . They chatted for several minutes , during which he purchased one of David 's photos ( I think The Fly ) which David signed for him . Then he returned to his booth . I think it was a highlight of David 's day , to have another industry professional say that he was a fan . I had brought oatmeal raisin cookies for a snack , as Diane had told me that they were David 's favorite , and I pulled them out of my backpack mid - afternoon and offered them to everyone in David 's booth . Diane offered a broken piece to David , which he quickly consumed . She then gave him a bigger cookie piece that he complained was too much , but which he finished off anyway . I was glad that I brought enough to share , they were delicious . At one point in the afternoon , I was alone with David in his booth for a few minutes . I think that Diane had gone to refill my water bottle , and Lauri was taking a bathroom break . I wheeled up beside David , in case he wanted any help with customers . He picked up the small bottle of hand sanitizer that Diane had left for him on the table and asked , " What is this ? " David opened the bottle , reached for my hand , and said " You should have some of this , too . " He proceeded to pour a bit of hand sanitizer into my palm , then his own . Maybe not a big deal , but a small act of kindness that tells you a lot about the man that David is . There was a representative from the soon - to - be - opened Hollywood Sci - Fi Museum that visited David 's table and seemed to be trying hard to get David 's participation in their opening . David consented to visit their display at the con , and walked over to get his picture taken sitting in the captain 's chair from Star Trek . I 'm not sure how their discussion turned out , because the HSFM rep came to David 's table multiple times , to the point that David appeared irritated with his persistence . There were a lot more people there on Saturday , and a lot more people in costume . The people - watching was amazing . These people were serious about their costumes ; many would not have looked out of place on a movie set . I was parked in my wheelchair in the very back corner of David 's booth , halfway in the aisle , to be sure that I was not in the way , and watched the con go by . As the day grew shorter , I only wanted one more thing to make my con experience complete . I wanted a photo with David , standing up . It might sound insignificant to some , but after my accident I had done so many hours of painful rehab to even be able to stand up and walk for a short while unassisted , that this would be a reward for all of that hard work . Diane asked and David , of course , graciously consented . I pried myself out of the wheelchair , to the concerned looks from everybody watching ( including David ) , hobbled over , and stood next to him for the photo . I was a bit wobbly , having pushed my physical capabilities to their limits several times that weekend ( when I didn 't have the wheelchair ) , but I was careful not to hold on to David too hard . The last thing I needed to do , if I lost my balance , was to pull David down with me ! I got my photo and thanked David profusely . He gave me a soft pat on the back as we separated and I returned to the wheelchair - from - hell , and went back to my corner . A definite highlight of the weekend was Kevin , who came to David 's table in a full Fly outfit . He was amazing . His Fly mask was eerily similar to the one that David wore in The Fly , and he was dressed in lab coat and all . David and Diane were both thrilled and impressed . He took a picture with David and compared notes with Diane on how he had made his mask so similar to the one in the film . It was great . As the late afternoon wore on , David got chilled and asked Diane if she had a jacket . It was chilly in the building , I was cold as well . The outside temperature was in the low 80 's , and the Convention Center had the air conditioning on max . Perhaps they thought that the crowds would warm the place up sufficiently , but that didn 't happen in the South Hall . Diane gave him her white lab coat to wear , and he wore it over his shoulders for the rest of the day . Around 5 : 30 or so David decided to call it a day . He was not planning to return to the con on Sunday , so Diane helped him load up his case with his pictures and he paid his table help . I felt bad that David did not have a more successful convention weekend . The convention didn 't seem to do a good job promoting or presenting autograph signings in the South Hall . Carol , the woman who booked him for the con , didn 't have a banner of any kind for the back wall of the booth , like most booths had , nor a table display that showed potential customers who David was . And it was a very young crowd that attended , more interested in selfies than autographed photos , and who had probably never seen David on movies or TV . As he was leaving the booth with Diane , who was going with him to bring his bag and make sure that he got off safely , David bent down and gave me a kiss on the cheek goodbye . I was totally surprised , as Diane had told me that David was not a particularly kissy - huggy person unless he knew you . I told him that it was very sweet of him , and that I hoped that we would meet again . He gave me a lovely smile and said , " I know we will , " and walked off down the aisle . This was the first time that I met David , and I can see why Diane so enjoys working with him . I found him to be kind , generous , thoughtful , smart , funny , and , of course , charming . I do indeed hope to have the opportunity to meet and spend time with him again . Diane came back from seeing David off and we packed up to leave . We returned the awful wheelchair and called a cab to get us back to our hotel . At the hotel , Sherry went down to the lobby to see what she could find for dinner from their snack food offerings , no restaurant or room service at this hotel , and returned with a boxed salad . Diane and I decided to make dinner from the doggy bags of leftovers , yogurt and fruit that we had in the refrigerator since we were leaving on Sunday . We all ate while another Voyage DVD played on the big - screen TV . Diane organized the books and photos that David had signed , for mailing . We were all tired , and Sherry left not long after so she could get up in the morning for the church service that she planned to attend . Diane put another Voyage DVD on to play , and we both crashed before it was over . Diane was tired and sore from pushing me in the wheelchair - from - hell . I was tired , stiff and in pain from pushing myself to do more than I should have when I didn 't have the help of a wheelchair . We both got more sleep Saturday night , the sleep of the exhausted . Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast as usual , then organized and packed our bags , to check out . We left our bags in storage at the hotel and headed back to the Convention Center to check out the halls that we hadn 't seen yet . The wheelchair that I got Sunday was far superior to the ones that were available the first two days - it was larger ( I 'm not a small person ) had footrests , and rolled easily and straight . I was very relieved . I didn 't want Diane to work as hard as she had for the first two days pushing me . We visited the West Hall , which was mostly full of vendors . Lots of comics , lots of Funko vinyl pops ( little dolls in costumes of well - known TV and movie characters ) , fake weapons for cosplay , costume items . I took a number of pictures of great costumes . Diane did an awesome play - by - play , explaining various costumed characters to me that I was not familiar with . I had decided that I wanted to purchase a small memento of the convention . The " mascot " of the convention was an octopus , it appeared both on the program and on the convention website , and is apparently a familiar figure in Japanese anime . We came across a booth that had crocheted octopus figures in various sizes and colors . I purchased a small one that now sits on my desk at work . I told Diane that I was done , didn 't plan to spend any more money in the West Hall , so we returned to the South Hall for one last pass . Diane wanted to go and say goodbye to Keir and Gary , her husband John is a big fan of Keir 's . Keir was polite and gracious as he was when I met him . We made one more trip down Autograph Row , and I didn 't see anyone that I wanted to spend more money on . The convention was winding down . Diane decided that she wanted to get her photo taken with Casper van Dien , of Starship Troopers fame . He was very nice and the photo came out very well . The car that Diane and I had scheduled and prepaid for came on time . Unfortunately , my flight had been moved up at the last minute . We had planned to have dinner at the airport together , but we barely had time to get my wheelchair and get me to my gate in time to board . I wished Diane a fond farewell , thanking her for making it a wonderful weekend and con for me . After the interminable length of time that it took for boarding ( the flight was overbooked ) , the pilot informed us that we were on a ground hold . The weather in Seattle , our destination , was so bad that the airport was closed . The airlines ' rule was if a safe landing could not be guaranteed , your flight could not take off . I called Diane to let her know that I was not leaving , at least not yet . We chatted for a few minutes , and then I told her that I 'd call her again in the next hour , if I was stuck there . I knew that she had a few hours wait for her flight . Fortunately , the weather cleared a bit , and we took off less than an hour late . We arrived at SeaTac Airport about 45 minutes late . I had already contacted my shuttle service , and fortunately they had one last shuttle trip available for the night , otherwise I would have had to wait 5 hours for the first shuttle the next day . Again , the Alaska Airlines staff was terrific . They had offered all of the passengers extra snacks , because of the delay . They pulled my luggage down from where it was stowed , and already had it stowed beneath the wheelchair that was waiting for me when I disembarked . The gentleman that assisted me got me through the airport and right up to the desk of my shuttle service quickly and efficiently , so I wouldn 't miss that last shuttle . I ended up getting home only about an hour - and - a - half late . All in all , I had a terrific convention weekend despite my physical issues . I thank Diane Kachmar ; for all that she did for me . And , of course , I thank David Hedison , who I already knew was a talented actor , but who I now know is a lovely human being as well .