Region One News – November 2011
Published: November 1, 2011
By J. Rick Cipot
I was asked the other day how long is the camping season in New England. Well that isn’t as easy to answer as one might think. Many folks in our area are what is know as Snow Birds, and they travel south with their Airstreams for the winter months. I never really did like the tag, Snow Birds; not sure what it really means but just doesn’t sound right to me. A snow bird is probably a penguin and as we all know we prefer flamingos around here. Back to the original question, there are plenty of folks in New England who close their camping season the weekend after their units Fall Business Meeting and then there are those who will keep their Airstream on the road till the first snow. Then there is a handful of us who go into the snow season, that would be us. There is just something magical about laying three Pendleton wool blankets on your bed, scraping the frost from the inside of your windows and listening to the constant whining of your furnace burning up thirty pounds of propane a day. SO how long is the camping season in New England? As long as you want it to be!
This past camping season in Region One has been a very busy one and one with wonderful memories for all. All of our units had a full schedule of events ranging from small rendezvous rallies to the great Region One in Canada. From pine forests to riverside marinas, there was a rally to meet anyone’s tastes this past year. And from what I have seen so far from the Region One units, next year will be another bumper crop of rallies. What is a bumper crop anyway? In the 17th century a bumper was a very large glass of beer or wine. Now that brings me to Happy Hour! Over the past several years I have seen our traditional Happy Hour go from cheese and crackers to only what I can describe as extravagant displays of culinary delights. From sitting in your Zip Dee chair to decorated Shangri-La’s! Unit tents decorated with lights, disco balls, bunting, and themes to heighten the event. One thing is very sure, Airstreamers love to party, eat and drink well and are a very creative lot of folks. I have to admit, some of my best friends own Airstreams. OK, my only friends own Airstreams.
As I look at the few remaining events for this year, there are still a few Holiday parties to attend and one or two not listed events to attend. During this time of year we tend to stay home indoors, afraid to venture past the end of our driveways. I would like to make a proposal for each unit in Region One to plan a few extra events for the cold dark months ahead to keep the spirit warm; host a rally at a local pub, favorite restaurant or how about a open house party? I would love to see a few events like these show up in the next rally schedule just to keep the promise of spring and a new camping season just around the corner. For those strong souls camping for Thanksgiving, keep your fires warm and your friends close. All you others, please have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving and lets all be thankful for the family and friends we hold so dear.