Sean Connery

Sean Connery

“Bond… James Bond.”

007

As a kid, I was a big James Bond fan. I saw all the movies, and Sean Connery was easily my favorite of the Bond guys. He was everything my twelve-year-old self wasn’t — suave, debonair, self-confident, good with a gun or the ladies, and could fly or drive any type of vehicle. I must admit, though, I was pretty good at driving the Autopia cars at Disneyland.

One year for my birthday — no, it wasn’t last year — I received a James Bond briefcase that shot plastic bullets and had a secret camera. I spent a lot of time saying, “Bond… James Bond…” OK, fine, I still do that.

To me, James Bond was the coolest guy on the planet, and to top it all off, my uncle had a friend who worked as a big cheese for Harry & David, whose name, believe it or not, was James Bond. I had fun talking to him, all the while hardly believing he wasn’t at least some sort of secret agent. All my friends thought I was flat-out lying when I told them I had met James Bond, until I flashed his business card before their disbelieving eyes. Oh man, was that fun!

A few years ago, my wife and I took a brief trip down to Carlsbad for a little break from the mad dash of life. On the day of our return, we had breakfast at The Naked Cafe, one of our favorite places in Carlsbad Village, pretty much all organic with a few bad things thrown in just for the fun of it. The day was warm, so we sat outside under umbrellas.

At the next table, though I didn’t know it at the time, as he sat facing away from us, was none other than Sean Connery. He strolled over and said hello by kissing my wife’s hand. Well, that was a surprise! We chatted a bit with him and the people he was with. I was taken aback a bit by his forward manner, let alone seeing him there, in a restaurant in Carlsbad.

And, what’s up with the endless parade of dogs in restaurants? Some people will take their pets just about anywhere. So, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to see a small white poodle at breakfast in Carlsbad, by the name of “Sean Connery.”

-Hank