SOAP OPERA ICON ENJOYS THE GREAT OUTDOORS

"Don't get married to this guy," Katherine said from the screen. "You know nothing about him."

"But I love him," I said to my wife, Garnet, sarcastically mocking the cast as I walked through the room headed for the computer.

"But I love him," Jill said from the screen. "I know everything I need to know about him."

"See," I told Garnet, "I could write this stuff."

"Humph," was all Garnet could muster.

Followers of the Soap Opera "The Young and the Restless" know there has been a constant feud between two of the main characters of the show; Jill Foster Abbott and Katherine Chancellor.

Actress Jeanne Cooper has played Katherine on the show since Nov. 1973. Jess Walton has been in the role of Jill since 1987 and has won two Daytime Emmy Awards for her work on the program.

Before securing the role of Jill, she appeared in several television shows including: Gunsmoke, Starsky and Hutch, Kojak, The Six Million Dollar Man, Baretta, plus several others.

Recently Walton made two appearances at The Steakhouse at Moses Pointe, but these appearances were unlike any Garnet and I have experienced while meeting and visiting with a celebrity.

What I didn't know, and neither did Garnet, was Walton enjoys the outdoors and participates in or wants to participate in hiking, wildlife viewing, overnight camping, outdoor cooking, planting a vegetable garden and raising her own beef. This Soap Opera Icon was a delight to meet, visit with and get to know.

When meeting other famous people, they are usually seated at a table with publicity photos in front of them to sign and hand out or they are standing in one spot, so people, one or two at a time, are allowed to walk up to them, shake hands, visit a bit and get a photo taken. As indicated, these are called meet and greet sessions or opportunities.

Walton approached the concept of meeting her fans on an altogether different level; she wanted to get up close and personal with each of them. She visited each table of people who were at the steakhouse to visit with her.

An assistant was always close at hand, guiding Walton to the next table and making sure she had a supply of publicity photos. Walton would greet the people, shake hands and then the assistant would arrive with a chair for her to sit down at the edge of the table for the visit.

Garnet and I were able to overhear the conversation at a couple of tables before she arrived at ours. Because people had been watching Jill on the show for up to 24 years, there was an instant bond between Walton and her fans.

Jess Walton has the particular knack for solidifying a friendship in a matter of seconds, a skill she didn't waste. Some of the people were interested in her life off the screen, but the vast majority wanted to discuss the story line of the show. And not all were women, as many people might think.

"Now is Cane really dead?" one asked, referring to a cast member who was shot during a recent episode.

"Oh yes," Walton said. "There was blood pumping out of his body and everything."

But as we who have maintained even a passing knowledge of the show know, a person shot dead one episode, can make an appearance in future shows as a ghost or as a twin brother or..., and such is the story line of a soap opera. I could write this stuff.

When she arrived at our table, I stood up and asked her to sit in my chair, next to Garnet.

"Of course," Walton said.

And she and Garnet began a spirited conversation about the show.

 "Do you get to choose your wardrobe on the show?" Garnet asked.

"Most of the time the wardrobe people pick out our clothes," Walton said.

"Your latest wedding dress was messed up because of the blood from Cane being shot," Garnet said.

"Yeah, I hated that dress," she said.

Then Walton changed direction.

"Tell me a little about you," she said.

"I've lived here over 50 years," Garnet said. "I am a registered nurse, worked as a nurse here for 45 years and retired over six years ago. 

"Now Dennis and I write outdoor stories about fishing, hunting, camping and other outdoor activities."

"Did I hear Dennis mention you were a turkey hunter?" Walton asked.

"Yes, he taught me to hunt turkey and we shoot as many as four each in a year," Garnet said.

Next week: Walton discusses more of her outdoor experiences.