Introduction and hello

[Alice&Billis]

We are Bill and Alice, residing in Tyler, Texas. I grew up camping but Alice never camped so I've taken her from tents and beyond. I fell in love with Airstreams about the age of 9 when family friends pulled up in front of our house with this enormous silver trailer. I never forgot the inside tour and like a lot of material things in life...you swear someday to own one. We looked at rigs for about 15 years and suddenly realized it was time to invest so we ordered at the 2005 Dallas RV Show. Never being really impressed with the myriad of SOB's, Alice walked into a 30 foot Classic, set down on the couch, it was cool inside, the music was on and she proclaimed, "now I know what you've been talking about all these years." We try to get away every other month even if it's just 30 miles away in our 2006 25ft Safari. At around 50 years old, we look forward to a retirement that will be vastly different from our parents, but still hope to see the country and put away a lot of miles.

[Janet H]

Hi and welcome to the forums. I agree with Alice - that's EXACTLY the reaction I had the first time I stepped into an Airstream.

[Foiled Again]

Ah, Aluminitis... how lucky you are to have a wife of such impeccable taste... of course it was only to be expected, she married YOU didn't she?

I understand the appeal. I fulltime and work full time. So most nights I just go home to the Airstream like you go to your front door. After 2 and a half years I still smile to see the Airstream by moonlight as I drive into my campground space. Life is good, enjoy. Weekending in the Airstream waiting for retirement is good too. Here are a few more activities that will help your DW become even more bonded to Airstreaming:

• a weekend at a discount mall - do all of your Christmas shopping in 2 days boondocking in the parking lot - no long hauls carrying 50 lbs of packages, no trying to find a bathroom in a mall, and when your feet give out, instant relief and comfort. Will your wife mind if you stay "home"? (Not if you make a quick run or two to relieve her of excess packages and have a foot massage, dinner and wine waiting when she's done.)
• going to the opera, a live theater performance, a Nascar race or a sporting event - Tailgating can be done anywhere! Two friends and I recently set up the grill and did a football style tailgate party before going to the local theater. The looks on the other patron's faces - priceless! Sitting in comfort with our shoes off after the event was great too. No anxiety to get out of the lot and fight the exit traffic - an hour or so later after noshing, relaxing and and changing clothes we left at our convenience.
• Church - now there's a "come to Jesus" moment. Notice how many "church friends" you meet after church and plan to get together later, but never do? Why not attend together then lunch in the parking lot?
• Same for social clubs. Do you belong to the Moose, Eagles, Chamber of Commerce, Kiwanas? Why drive home after the party? Ditto for a New Year's Eve party - enjoy without risking driving even slightly impaired.
• Driveway camping - never to be underestimated - Airstreaming is a state of mind as much as a place
• Local campgrounds - here in Va beach we have Seashore State Park - on the dunes where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic - and it's 10 miles from work so I can stay a weekend or a week. It feels like I've had a vacation even though I go to work every day.

Always nice to meet a new member of the forums. Welcome

Paula

[Fyrzowt]

Hello Bill and Alice,
Welcome! My wife and her family is from Texas and I always pay attention when I see anyone from there.
I like your outlook on life/camping, etc. Nice to have you here.
Dave

[dieterdog]

Welcome Bill and Alice,, you seem to be of the same frame of mind,, happy you found this site,, Happy Trails,, donna

[juel]

Welcom from Oklahoma. If you get up this way to see old Route 66, send me a PM and come on by.

[TBRich]

Welcome to the AS party, Bill and Alice...youi're in good company! We all l ove our Airstreams and find all sorts of excuses to enjoy them. Others may think we're odd, but we are happy campers, for sure...

Enjoy the Life...and maybe we'll see you down the road...
TB

[GStephens]

Welcome to the forums Alice and Bill. Its always great to hear of other TEXAS Airtreamers.

If you would ever be interested in attending a rally with a bunch of other TEXAS Airstreamers, just drop me a private message, or post to this thread and I will see to it that you get a personal welcome and invitation. I'll make sure that we treat you so many different ways that you are bound to like one of them.

Some of us get together somewhere just about every month. Last month we had 22 trailers down in Bellville, just north of Houston. Next week, we will be in Fredricksburg for a Christmas Rally. We will arrive on Thursday, December 6th and leave Sunday, December 9th. During this rally you'll be provided a chillie supper on the 6th, breakfast on the 7th and a catered Christmas luncheon on the 8th. You will be able to shop till you drop in Fredricksburg, take a tour of the popular Fredricksburg Herb Farm, or perhaps the Nimitz Museum. The Nimitiz Museum whose sole purpose is the preservation of our efforts in the Pacific during World War II will be an especially great place to be on December 7 as they celebrate Pearl Harbor Day at the museum. On the morning of December 8th, we'll have a towing and safety seminar conducted by John Erwin, one of the moderators of this forum known on the forum as Pahaska. John is also a contributing member of the the staff of Airstream Life. That afternoon we'll hold a whacky auction of new and used white elephant items as a fund raiser for some Texas charity, the specifics of which we'll decide at the auction. This is always one of the most enjoyable things we do each year. Sometimes the items up for auction themselves are odd or off beat such as a bottle of Viagra, or sometimes wives might bid against husbands for a pair of plastic flamingos. Its always one laugh after another. Last year we raised $800 for disabled children of our soldiers serving in Iraq. We'll then leave for home on Sunday, the 9th, after eating another hearty breakfast together with the opportunity of attending a non denominational Christmas worship service led by someone from our group. There will be plenty of time set aside for just plain old visiting. For some of us, visiting is about all we do.

If you or anyone else reading this post is interested in attending, you won't have to be a member of anything to come join us, nor do you have to participate in any specific activity. Just let us know you want to come so that we can make reservations at the Oakwood RV Resort where this rally will be held and let us know what meals you might be interested in eating with us to insure that we have plenty of food for everyone attending.

GStephens

[GStephens]

Bump

[moosetags]

Welcome to the Forums. We're glad to have you with us.

We have a 25' Safari FB, named Lucy. We have spent 194 in Lucy in the last 18 months, and absolutely love it.

You have made the right choice. The more you use her, the better you will like her.

Brian

[Don Cook]

There's nothing like an Airstream. See you down the road
DC

[ROBERT CROSS]

WELCOME TO WALLYWORLD.....GLAD YOU COULD MAKE IT.

[rmpray]

Welcome aboard,
You came to the right place...oh yes, there are o few of us from TX too Hope to see ya on the rod!
Rob n Terry

[Jimarq]

Another welcome from fellow Texans. Ditto to all that GStephens said. He is the one who introduced us to Rallys and taught us tons of useful information about Airstreams and introduced us to some of the nicest folks in Texas. The Rally next weekend in Fredericksburg would be really beneficial to new Airstreamers. Anytime you can get an opportunity to listen to John Erwin you know you're going to come away with some really good and helpful ideas.

Private message us if we can ever do anything to help or if you just want to talk Airstreams. Welcome!

[Alice&Billis]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome! We spent last Christmas on family land at Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) and we have reservations at Dinosaur Valley State Park, the middle of January 2008. Should be quite different from the August 2006, 106 degrees in the shade temps.

[10brink]

Hi there! Great to see more Texas folks. Nice, helpful people on the Forum.

[SharonIvey]

Welcome to the forums. Our Airstream is at Holiday Villages of Fork in Quitman. You can visit their campground (possibly for free) if you can deal with a 30 minute sales presentation. So many good folks here that if you have time, you can learn a lot and add stops to your list.