WBCCI - One Man's Positive Opinion

[Ed Emerick]

Originally Posted by byamcaravanner

Ed, Sounds great as long as I don't have to wear a tie to do it. I agree that you sure meet folks with some great stories... just think of the club we'd have if the "powers that be" understood the varied extent of their membership.

Not worn a tie in years, and only one time at a WBCCI function. No tie as WI Unit President, no tie when I was VAC President. No ties at this year's WI Unit installation or elections, no ties at the Doing the Door Rally, and I will not wear a tie when I winterize my trailers this weekend.


I wore a tie and nothing else once........................

Remember the ones that do get it don't wear a tie, just learn to stay away from the members that have 2 or 3 in the trailer. But I will go on to say I have run into some very cool tie wearers.

[wheel interested]

Was that you in the beret?

[azflycaster]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

But had we not gone to the rally, I wouldn't have gotten the chance to snap the shot of "somebody...uh, somebody from AZ who likes to drown worms" (but who's naming names) kicking up their heels line dancing with their lovely wife, either!

Shari

Thanks for posting the picture. Jan loves to dance and even with her foot in the plastic boot, she really enjoyed the western line dancing. I'm not that good of a dancer, but had a lot of fun with it as well.

BTW, fly fishing does not include worms...

[Ed Emerick]

Originally Posted by wheel interested

Was that you in the beret?

I would say that I'm not THAT heavy! Where is his tie??? Where is his shorts????? Never mind I don't want to know

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

The weather was miserable!

FWIW...one week later and it's 82-degrees! Perfect weather for winterizing the yard...took care of the trailers last weekend!

Shari

[47WeeWind]

Originally Posted by 65GT

Fred! I just figured it out. Now I know why the POSITIVE opinion thread doesn't have anywhere near the activity of the NEGATIVE thread. There aren't that many non-members that have positive things to say about the WBCCI. SMACK -- now I get it. ... Yeah, non members don't have a lot of positive things to say about that kind of frequency, or variety of events, I guess. So folks, what's your annual activity schedule look like? __

Hi Leo:

It shouldn't take a head-smack to realize Train Wrecks get far more attention than dull Trains-on-Schedule. For 10 days, hundreds of balloons rise and land daily in Albuquerque and only locals notice. But one saucer shaped balloon leaves Fort Collins without its 6 year old passenger and the Whole World tunes in. Sick attracts 9:1. People slow down and rubberneck at wrecks, but traffic flowing on time barely creates a ripple. It's just human nature.

I've been working my bumper off at the day job this year, so haven't got out rallying as much as I would have liked. But I did squeeze in some Front Range travel, flowing down to Albuquerque in April for the FCU Restoration Rally. Then up "somewhere west of Laramie . . ." in August for the 9th Annual Rocky Mountain VAC Rally. Lastly to Fort Collins for our "Christmas in October" winter weather rally. Just more dull fun and joy with happy friendly positive people. And not one rally was a bitch-fest; for that I gotta come here to listen to the non-members moan and wail.

In fact, so many non-members here do such a great job of finding fault with the WBCCI that I've decided to outsource my complaining to them. Heck, they work for nothing; they're on the job 24/7; and I don't have to listen to them bitch around the WBCCI campfires. It's a win-win situation!

[Jim Foster]

Our unit, the El Camino Real Unit, has a rally scheduled every month except June, July and August, from now through December 2010.

That, plus the International Rally in Gillette WY, other unit's rallies, other vintage trailer events, Street Rod events and Kite Festivals around the country, has our calendar very full.

We will be spending most of our nights in one of our Airstreams.

As for ties, I wore one last weekend at our son's wedding. Next time will probably be at our unit Installation Rally in December when I become President of El Camino Real. That will make twice this year, a new record for me.
The next time will be at the International Rally in Gillette. Our unit has a red tie that keeps getting passed on to the next President. Good thing. I would hate to have to buy one.
I think ties are OK for dressy affairs, if that's what someone wants to wear. Otherwise, who needs a dozen layers of cloth around their neck? Maybe to keep warm if it's cold?

In the 60's I worked at a computer center for a large bank as a programmer. The computer techs (IBM guys) were supposed to wear ties. There were machines that were dangerous to wear ties around, check sorters, large printers and the like, so they wore bow ties. You could sure spot the techs. Who wore bow ties in the 60s? Come to think of it, there was one programmer who wore bow ties, but he was a strange fellow. Not that most computer programmers in the 60s weren't a little strange.

[JimmyT]

Well, Gang, this has been an interesting read for sure.
In the past couple of days I've read some bashing about the loss of A/S quality in recent years; the recent loss of membership (a quarter of what it was in 79?) and now about the unique entertainment. This reading itself has been so much fun, I'm seconding our motion to join WBCCI. Which we did, right after attending the DenCO unit event outside Loveland a few weeks ago. We were the couple that took off on our bicycles Saturday and had a wonderful time (as always) on our bikes.
The club is what we choose to make of it, in my opinion. I think somebody mentioned this in the thread above, too. Maybe there's an opportunity to chair the entertainment committee next year and bring your own jug band. Or yuke, accordion, guitar, sax, whatever. Maybe there's room for bringing the club into the "modern age" - whatever that is (each has his/her own definition I'm sure). But (as was noted above) what brings people into the club is something that's sometimes forgotten in this digital age of instant entertainment and gratification and satisfaction: it's the people and our interaction with one another. The stories. The facts. The tips. So if we need to "recommend" that we manage the entertainment a bit differently then hey, why not pursue that? Or am I too new and naive? Maybe there's some sort of "Regional Event Bible" that comes from Jackson Center that declares exactly how it's to be scripted? Not likely; I'd guess we have more control over our own events than that.

We enjoyed ourselves at the Loveland event and the people we met were so much fun. We realized that not every event or seminar is to our liking, and we figure that's fine; just pick what you want to participate in and leave it at that.

So we joined WBCCI (No. 4328); are poring over the list of events searching for someplace warm to go in the spring; and hope to get this beautiful trailer out of storage that much sooner.

Cheers. It's all good. Make the life you desire.

[PeeWee]

I wish to present a few credentials. I do so not out of vanity, but out of the knowledge that the WBCCI is a sound organization. Like any organization that is international and made up of units or chapters, there will always be some differences from one to another. It is also true that each of us are individuals and seek the associations that best suit us.

1 Born into the Byam and Schwamborn family
2 1st Caravanner, 1951-52 Mexico and Central America
3 1st Caravan to Eastern Canada 1955
4 Charter Member of the Wally Byam Caravan Club
5 WBCCI Headquarters 5 Years in the Schwamborn Family Home
6 1st Caravan to Europe 1956
7 2nd Eastern Canadian Caravan 1957
8 Wally Byam Caravan to Africa 1959-1960; African Scout
9 Numerous rallies, local and International
10 US. Army 1962 to 1968 (2 Active, 2 Inactive, 2 Reserve)
11 Airstream Employee 1964 to 1969
12 1965 Lynda Bird Johnson’s Tour of the West (see National Geographic)
13 Owner of the Byam Gold Trailer 1969 to 1977
14 During the 11 points of interest I knew 100’s of Caravanner’s, Club Members, and Airstream employees.

However it is cowardly, rude and destructive to express oneself with the goal to disrupt, destroy or demean any organization. I was taught at a very young age; if you have nothing good to say about something, then don’t say it all.

I’m a fuddy duddy. Well, if I am to believe what the antagonists are saying, I’m almost 71 and don’t fit in with what they are looking for in Club associates.

Upon my Mother’s death in 2004 I have returned to the WBCCI and Airstream World. I find that nothing has changed in over 50 years, with the exception of too many pessimists and unwilling Airstream owners that should be working for the best in the Club, and not deferring their energies to idle, negative talk and deeds.

1 I worked closely with Russ Banham, author of Wanderlust Airstream at 75 years
2 2005 attended the 50th Anniversary International Rally in Springfield, MO
3 2005 Kentville, NS, Canada the dedication of monuments to the 50th Anniversary of the founding of the Wally Byam Caravan Club
4 2006 Began work with the Sierra Nevada Unit on a concise and comprehensive history website.
5 2007 Rocky Mountain Vintage Rally, Breckenridge, CO
6 2007 Fred Coldwell and I worked on sorting out pictures and documents
7 2008 Dead Horse Rally, Four Corners Unit
8 Denver, CO PBS History Detectives
9 2008 Bozeman International Rally
10 2008 Labor Day Rally Williams, AZ Four Corners Unit
11 2008 Arizona State University, African Caravan Project with their Engineering Department
12 Two VAP Podcasts
13 2009 Vintage Airstream Rally, San Antonio, TX
14 2009 Dead Horse Rally, Four Corners Unit
15 2009 Arizona State University, African Caravan Project with their Engineering Department
16 2009 Caravan from Great Falls; VA Washington D.C. Mall; Mt. Vernon, VA to Upper Marlboro, MD
17 2009 Cherry Blossom Rally, Washington D.C. Unit
18 2009 Airstream Dealer Homecoming, Missoula, MT
19 2009 Pittsburgh, PA to Madison Caravan with WDC Unit and VAC members
20 2009 International Rally Madison, WI
21 2009 Cape to Cairo Caravan Missouri to Illinois
22 2009 Cape to Cairo Rally Missouri
23 2009 the Wilds Rally Ohio
24 2009 Airstream Jackson Center, OH 7 days data gathering
25 2009 I spent many hours working with pictures and text posted with the Sierra Nevada Unit, and Airforums.

My travels this year began January 31, 2009 and ended September 26, 2009. I spend 64 days away from home. I traveled 19,738 miles. I spent time with nine different families, slept in 22 separate beds (8 different Airstreams), 13 different air flights, and an excess of 15 hours in speaking engagements. This does not include hundreds of personal minutes talking with Caravanner’s.

Since 2004 I have made hundreds of new friends, not just acquaintances but friends for life. I have shared potlucks, campfires and happy hours. No, the best is yet to come. But to sustain the Club all Airstream owners and Club members need to work together to make it a better Club for all members.

Too often people bring Wally into the picture. Wally would be pleased to know that he is remembered. But that’s where it stops. There are too many Airstreamers that have suppositions about what Wally might do, say or feel. I guess you had to know him, to be able talk about him.

I have taken three sections from Wally’s Ten Commandments written for the first African Caravan mailing. I think it tells us that he would not be pleased with negative voices, those that can’t use their talents to constructively make the Wally Byam Caravan Club a better organization.

(1) THOU SHALT LOVE THY FELLOW CARAVANNERS AS THYSELF AND DO ALL IN THEY POWER TO AID AND ASSIST THEM

Since this Caravan is going into a rough country on an adventurous journey, we must all realize that each must rely on his neighbor. We all must be ready, willing and anxious to help each other in every way possible

(2) THOU SHALT CONDUCT THYSELF FOR THE GOOD OF THE CARAVAN AND NOT FOR THY SELFISH INTEREST.

This is a one for all and all for one Caravan. The whole of the Caravan is more important than any one individual; privileges should be available for all.

(9) THOU SHALT ALWAYS ABIDE BY THE MAJORITY VOTE

Democracy is a distinguishing factor of America. We realize that the members of the Caravan are all rugged individualists, but where it is necessary for the good of the Caravan individualism must be subordinated to majority rule.

[wheel interested]

Originally Posted by Ed Emerick

I would say that I'm not THAT heavy! Where is his tie??? Where is his shorts????? Never mind I don't want to know

OHHHH, my mistake...wrong file!

The one with the tie... here it is... See sometimes even formal ties can be worn attractively. Just skip those polyester jackets... I guess I didn't notice if he was wearing a beret though...

I agree, you've got to accentuate the positive!!