Archive for Uncategorized
February 26, 2007 at 9:03 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
These days Tampa is like my second home. I hadn’t expected to be here this long, but hey … enjoy it.
However, today is Monday and that means plenty of work to be done. Brett & I parked ourselves in his home and spent the day pounding the keys of our computers. It seems like a million projects needed to be addressed: new products in the web store, article editing, planning for the Fall issue, tax returns, customer service issues, bills, etc.
I was asked last week at the rally how people can become full-timers and still make a living from the road. I get this question a lot. It’s a tough topic because the answer is so dependent on the person asking the question.
Basically my answer is that you need to look inside yourself, decide what you like and what you are skilled at doing, and then follow your heart. Going full-timing is a choice made by people who are willing to take a chance at their dream. It’s only one step further to do the same with your career.
The second thing I tell people is that they need to consider whether their goal is to make money or to travel. It’s hard to do both well at the same time. Many full-timers I know choose to alternate working and traveling, two or three months at a time. Others work casually on small background projects all the time.
I rarely meet people like myself, who work every day and try to wrap travel around a “regular” day job. It’s a difficult arrangement. It works for me because I really like what I do and the feeling of growing a small business is a big reward. Also I have an essential asset: my family is supportive of mixing work and play into one seamless lifestyle.
So now you can see why I say, “It depends on you,” when someone asks me how to make money on the road. There’s no simple answer. But — it can be done.
Tonight we decided a nice break from work would be dinner and a movie. Here in Tampa you can get both at the same time, at the Pitcher Show. Tonight’s flick: “Ghost Rider” with Nicholas Cage. It was actually much better than we expected … nice escapism from a long day “in the office.”
February 25, 2007 at 9:14 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Last night when we got back from the campfire Brett commented that Sunday would be a good day to sleep in. But there was no chance of that. The crowd departs this rally early. At dawn we were awoken by the sound of rattling diesel engines, spouses calling to each other, the squeaking of awnings coming down and hitches being tightened.
I rolled over and managed to sleep to 8 a.m., then got up to watch the load-out. It’s fun to see hundreds of Airstreams slowly ambling along the dusty fairground roads, before hitting the highway.
Before they get to hit the road, however, most stopped at one of the three dump stations at the fairgrounds. The line runs about 45 minutes at the peak time, which is between 9 and 10 a.m. By 11, the fairgrounds are mostly empty.
It turns out that Emma has a cold and so we have delayed her flight home from Vermont until next Sunday. Since I don’t have any particular reason to run back to Tucson and have plenty of friends here, I also set my flights back a few days, so the blog will continue from Tampa until Thursday.
In the picture above Emma is by the frozen lakeshore, but Eleanor reports from Vermont that the ice on Lake Champlain has broken up. I like getting these pictures but each one makes me glad for the sunshine and swaying palm trees of Florida.
February 24, 2007 at 9:55 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Saturday is always the big day of the rally, with a couple of really good events on the schedule. This morning we loaded a golf cart with back issues of the magazine, a pile of Airstream Life shirts and hats, and headed to the Flea Market.
The Flea Market is a great chance to buy and sell all kinds of Airstream-related stuff. Mostly people sell old parts, but you’ll also see books, crafts, household goods, electronics, and apparel. It’s also where I usually see all the folks who didn’t happen to cross paths with me during the week.
Someone happened to swing by with a VW Thing this afternoon and it made a nice visual combination with Bill & Wendy’s “Health Chic” Airstream.
In the afternoon the other major event of the day was the Vintage Open House. It’s always a great chance to learn something. Two of the newer members were Nikki and Steve, who have a very nicely redone 1956 Safari with a polished interior. That’s Nikki below with her son Chandler.
Of course Colin Hyde was busy at the Vintage Open House, educating people about vintage trailers and restorations. He has a photo album of restorations he has done that always amazes people. He also has samples of aluminum used in Airstreams over the years, which allows people to compare how the aluminum has changed.
Tonight we are out around the campfire with a crowd telling stories. It’s a nice wrap up to a good rally. Tomorrow we’ll slowly pack up and head home.
February 23, 2007 at 7:12 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Last night when we got back to the motorhome we found Doug Rowbottom and Colin Hyde sitting outside in the dark under our awning, poking away at their laptops and using our open wi-fi signal. Colin came in for a while and ended up staying until 11:30 … and it had already been a long day … so today I slept in until 9.
Susanne Brown and Colin Hyde at the Vintage Club potluck dinner
Colin, poor bald guy, was not sufficiently aggressive with his sunscreen, and after two days at the beach with a baseball cap on, now looks somewhat like a lobster that was boiled with half its head out of the water. He has a good sense of humor about it.
Today was mostly a flurry of social events. Terry & Marie showed up in time to join Brett & I for the Florida Springs Unit lunch out at Linger Lodge. (Linger Lodge is an end-of-the-road fish camp and RV park that has a decent restaurant on the edge of a little river.)
We spent a chunk of the afternoon comparing stories with David & Denese Lee, Bill Reilly (the Health Chic husband), and others who randomly walked by until the all-important Happy Hour period began.
Hunter Hampton in pink
At every major rally I’ve ever attended, there’s always a zillion Happy Hours. They start up all over the field, organized by intra-club, unit, common interests, Internet discussion groups, etc. If you can’t find one to crash, you’re just not trying. We dropped in on Hunter Hampton’s first, which she holds at every rally for members of her Yahoo group, called “Airstream List”. Then we headed off to the Vintage Airstream Club’s potluck, which is large enough to need its own building.
This evening I finally got on a roof to take a few shots of the rally grounds. This picture doesn’t begin to capture the entire field, but you can get an idea. Plenty of rigs. I’ve had a bicycle to provide transportation for me all week but still haven’t had a chance to tour every row.
Tonight I’ll head over to the nightly campfire that Colin & Susanne light in a metal pit by their trailer, but try to get to bed earlier. Tomorrow is the big day, the Flea Market and then Vintage Open House, and those events will keep me very busy.
February 22, 2007 at 10:36 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
A great day at the Florida State Rally! First off, my ear cleared up, which made me feel a lot better. Second, spectacular clear warm weather. Third, 475 Airstreams parked in a field together. It has been a nice day to hang out and share comradery.
Everywhere things were hopping. Above is the Airstream store. The service guys were roaming around fixing things, the new product showcase was filled with cool trailers, and I kept running into people I knew.
There are several vintage tow vehicles pulling Airstreams here. This one is a 1956 Cadillac with a modern 454 engine under the hood. Plenty of vroom (450 hp, 500 ft-lbs torque) and a classy ride to boot.
This afternoon Brett and I presented our seminar called “How to get online while mobile,” to a packed room of abut 85 people. That one always seems popular, especially since we provide a wi-fi hotspot in the room during the seminar. Everyone brings their laptop so they can check their email during the talk. There’s a real desperation among rally attendees to get online, so we’ve left our wi-fi open for people to use if they want. (It’s at the Argosy motorhome #5501.)
We’ve also had the usual revolving door of friends and curious passers-by dropping in, so the rally feels in full swing and everyone seems to be in good spirits. But what’s not to like? It’s Florida, it’s February, and it’s sunny.
Up in Vermont, Emma made a friend at Uno’s when she was at dinner last night. Heather Paine, the waitress, discovered Emma’s interest in snorkeling … and on the spot made her a custom aluminum foil mask complete with breathing straw. Heather has her own company called Dragonfly Gifts of Vermont, which makes candles and gifts. Thanks, Heather!
February 21, 2007 at 8:18 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Last night I flew into Tampa and drove down the highway to Sarasota for the Florida State Rally. Pulled in around 12:30 a.m. local time to a fairground packed full of sleeping Airstreams, all gleaming in the dim moonlight.
I’ve been told that over 400 trailers are here so far, but that’s not the official count yet. All I know is that they are now parking them outside the fence in an overflow area. It’s a big rally. Surprisingly there’s not much vintage participation this year (maybe 20 rigs so far?), but I expect more to arrive tomorrow.
This is a quiet, relaxing rally, and I really like the mellowness of it. Soft sandy grass underfoot, sunshine above, comfortable temperatures in the 70s, and not much on the schedule. Well, technically there is, but I’d rather sit in Brett’s motorhome with the windows open and the awnings out, feeling the warm breeze and sipping a cold tea. Once in a while I put the laptop away and rode around the grounds on a bicycle to meet up with people.
With that technique, I missed the Opening Ceremonies and a lot of vendor seminars today. Ah well, I’ve seen them all before. I’m here to reconnect with people: friends, Airstream personnel, potential advertisers, and future interviewees. That’s best done at a relaxed pace, dropping in on Happy Hours and sidling by vendor booths.
I have another reason for laying low today, too. Despite not having a cold, I had some trouble on the airplane (equalization again) and now have a left ear full of fluid. It is clearing on its own but in the meantime I can’t hear much on that side. That made it a good day to park myself and do some work. I am going to have to restrict my flying in the future, which will make the Airstream (and occasionally Amtrak) more important as my primary modes of travel.
Emma is still having the time of her life up in Vermont: Disney On Ice, sledding on a Hammerhead sled, skating, and visiting friends. I’m glad she’s getting winter activities … and I’m glad I’m not! It’s a good deal for both of us for the moment and I’m sure we’ll be happy to re-connect next week. PS: Eleanor, I miss you too!
February 20, 2007 at 3:44 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
Here I am with a two-hour layover in Las Vegas. There’s free wi-fi here so I was able to check my email and get this picture from Emma’s morning.
Quite a contrast to sitting in the desert. I’m glad she’s having fun with her grandparents.
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