I originally posted to this thread eight. . .almost. . .nine years ago. While times may change, other things remain much the same. . . . .
Quote:
Originally Posted by overlander64
My name is Kevin, and I am a member of WBCCI, the Free Wheelers, the Vintage Airstream Club, and the Computer Club. I am five years older than my '64 Overlander International. The Overlander was my introduction to camping when it was new and owned by friends of my family. The original owners sold the trailer in 1980 while I was in college, and I lost track of the trailer. In 1995 I decided that I just had to have an Airstream, and after months of searching ran across the coach via a blind classified advertisement in Mendota, Illinois. It was a year later that I learned that this was the same trailer that had introduced me to Airstreaming in 1964. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Teaching has taken me to three states and a number of different communities in Rooks and Osborne counties in Kansas, Grant county in Wisconsin, and Alexander and Mercer counties in Illinois. As a teacher in an agricultural area, we still have a 10 to 12 week Summer Break which allows me the freedom to travel extensively in either my Airstream or Argosy.
Caravanning and rallys are two of my favorite summer activities - - especially when a Vintage Open House is involved - you will always find
"The Long, Long Trailer" playing in my VCR during the Vintage Open House. My Chihuahua traveling companions will welcome visitors even without the 2-kibble toll that they get from some visitors.
As a Free Wheeler with no siblings and very few relatives, traveling becomes the focus of my leisure time. The friendships that I have developed through Airstreaming have helped me to feel like I have a giant extended family. There are many times that I wish it were possible to thank my trailer's original owners for introducing me to Airstreaming 38 years ago - - unfortunately, they both passed on less than 10 years after selling the Airstream in 1980.
Kevin |
I am still Airstreaming with the same two coaches and the same tow vehicles. Trading vehicles of any kind is among my least favorite activities so I tend to hold onto the vehicles that prove their worth and pamper them through the many years that they are with me. When I wrote my original message, I expected to remain a FreeWheeler for the rest of my life, but I met my soulmate about 18-months ago and we will be celebrating our first anniversary on October 4.
My spouse was widowed almost ten years ago and I was a bachelor . . . a love of RVing and travel was a large part of what brought us together. My spouse is a retired IBM representative who once sold word processors to the school where I was teaching . . . so we first met over 20 years ago. We haven't been able to get out and Airstream as much as we would like as my job search has taken so much of my time, and we have both had health issues that keep us closer to our known doctors than we would like.
As with so many teachers of elective courses, I have found myself unemployed for three years now. So many of the rural districts where I have taught have had to cut or eliminate their electives in order to have funds to support remedial efforts to meet No Child Left Behind initiatives. Having been through Reductions in Staff with three districts, I have little hope of being able to return to teaching . . . and while I hold out hope that I might eventually return to teaching that hope is quickly fading. Other than positions in sales, I find very little positive in the job market or the outlook for the near-term future.
Hopefully, 2012 will be much better than 2011.
Kevin
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