Sunday, July 19 The day started out right with a visit from the honey wagon! Those guys were fast, efficient . . . and they didn’t stink! The 10:30 Region 4 brunch was the best brunch I have ever had at an event like this: hash brown casserole, sausage quiche, fresh fruit (never frozen!) ham biscuit sandwiches, and a spread of sweets! Immediate NOVA past President Brad Briggs has worked his way up the ranks in Region 4 with a lot of service, and at this International Rally he is taking over the harnesses as President. NOVA also is proud to have Elaine Barrick serving as treasurer of Region 4. The Vintage Airstream Club held an open house to show off their trailers, and we wandered around admiring those gleaming beauties. In the evening they hosted a 60's dance . . . the VAC is such an active club and knows how to include everyone in the fun! Weather was threatening in the afternoon, again causing people to stash the awnings. The EZ-Up we were all sitting under was also lowered – leaving it perfect for sitting in the rain! When we ran out of room, some lined up under one of the narrow back-side awnings for cover. Rain did not stop the socialization! Tom and I used the weather as an excuse to go out to eat at Logan’s steak house. When we got back the get-together was still going on. Monday, July 19 After coffee we headed to the expo center to check out the Airstream Store that was to open at 9:00. The line was over 25 people deep – there was nothing I needed that bad. Tom snuck away for a little shopping spree of his own; he bought me a beautiful pair of Silver Trailer earrings with secure French clips. While we were on location, we checked out the snap shot contest and voted for our top three favorites in each of 5 categories. Out of the whole display, I liked the picture of the pup posing by a fairground cow the best. We headed back to the trailer to take Pippa out for walk; it was already steaming up with humidity, although the temperature was only 81 at 11:00. A run to Walmart was in order to make a few purchases for the evening dinner gathering. Inside the trailer we rested a bit –from the heat! At 1:00 we headed out to go hear a seminar: “Organize a Region Community Service Rally.” This was put on by NOVA’s Dan and Dawn Bihary who have spearheaded the Region 4 project for the past two years. Their presentation did NOVA proud! The afternoon heat and humidity gave way to a heavy downpour just as we gathered for happy hour at 4:30. Luckily there were two EZ-UP shelters to crowd under, and appetizers and drinks carried on without a delay, and the rain lasted just 30 minutes. Mike had spent all day pampering a pig butt in his smoker, and had invited everyone to come for supper! EVERYONE! As always happens with such a get-together, a full assortment of food appeared to accompany that pork butt! Thoughts turned towards our big event for the morning, and Suzie gave Penelope a bath and a tailgate trim, while Tom and I put Pippa in the Airstream sink for a soak and a scrub. Wonder why the dogs are getting the royal treatment? Check back in the morning for the details. Tuesday, July 20 HOT DOGS . . . see your HOT DOGS, here! A little problem popped up at 2:00 a.m. – the fan on the air conditioner gave out! Tom was up early and able to locate a Mobile RV repairman that would be out FIRST thing Wednesday morning! Today was the long-awaited pet contest. I organized 7 NOVA dogs, dressed up as Airstreams, to caravan around the arena for the costume show. Each dog represented a type of Airstream, with an accompanying write-up to accompany the parade. The problem was that the event moved ahead very slowly, and by the time the costume entrants presented, everyone (dogs, owners, and spectators) was hot and tired. The announcer quite announcing, and Tom grabbed the microphone and read our narration – but it just didn’t come across with the oomph I had anticipated. We won 3rd place in the costume division—almost not worth the misery. Later we found out that we had won the “People’s Choice Award” – the favorite act across all the different divisions! The afternoon temperature in the high 80’s combined with some heavy humidity. We had the Airstream built-in fans going plus 3 others for a good stiff breeze! When the Airstream reach 91 degrees the moving air felt like a blast furnace, so we moved outside! We survived! The other big event was a trip to the Grand Ole Opry. We left Pippa in Suzie and John’s trailer where Penny was designated as a baby sitter, and headed off at 5:00. There were 8 buses arranged to take everyone into the Opry. Since it was an easy drive, Tom and I just drove our truck. It had been at least 30 years since we had been, and it was fun to have an Opry update! It was a superb show; a great way to end the evening Wednesday, July 22 Our fix-it man was here at 9:00, climbed on the Airstream roof and had the fan out in short time. The problem was that he didn’t have a replacement – neither did any of the dealers in the area. We reconciled ourselves to putting up with the heat – it reached 92 degrees that afternoon. We made a run to Dollar General and bought a box fan and an oscillating fan -- to add to the 3 we already had running! Meanwhile, the saga of engine warning light (from day 1 of our trip) continued as Tom had a morning appointment at a local GMC dealership. It was indeed the DEF sensor, which was close to triggering the engine to shut down to 40MPH! The dealership did not have the part needed, but ordered it and gave us an appointment for Friday morning at 8:00 to have it installed. The only good news here was that everything is covered by warranty! Meanwhile we could not drive the van! As the temperature climbed to 94 degrees in the trailer we moved outside to the shade and were tolerably comfortable. We didn’t go down to the event center to the air-conditioned buildings because dogs were not allowed in and we couldn’t leave Pippa in the trailer! Pippa did not seem to mind the heat, she just kept finding a new, shaded piece of grass to stretch out on! Occasionally we would jump on the golf cart for a breezy ride around the fairgrounds! Eventually the heat gave way and sitting outside became very nice as dark descended. Snacks appeared and some cooked, but Tom and I made no big effort to cook dinner. An organized gig of musicians set up a performance that attracted a nice little crowd to our area. It was delightful to relax in the cool of the evening with a great and casual show! Showers were in line at bedtime, and with those fans still running at high speed, we chased the last of the day’s heat from the trailer. We were comfortable for the night’s sleep.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Archives
October 2021
We don’t go camping any more . . . we go ‘streamin’ ! The “SIlvermine and His” is our 2018 25' Airstream Serenity with Salsa interior and front twin beds., and ‘streamin’ is the name we use to describe our adventures. Stream along as we document everything from weekend trips to longer summer excursions and full-blown vacations. You know what they say: if you’re not in an Airstream – you’re just camping!
Tom & Ella Brown |