EDITOR’S PAGE
Welcome New Airstreamers!
ABOUT OUR COVER Our cover image, entitled “Road Trip USA,” was painted by Elizabeth Jose, a British artist living and working in Taos, NM. She first came through what was to become her high desert home in 2005 on a road trip with a muchloved Airstream International CCD. A classically trained portrait artist, Jose enjoys creating portraits of classic vehicles, delighting in shiny surfaces. She says; “I get so much pleasure from beauty and hope to share that pleasure, through my vision, with others”. www.elizabethjose.com
It’s always an exciting time to be part of the Airstream community, but I think these past three have been exceptional. Earlier this year Airstream announced that 2012 was the best year for sales in the company’s 81-year history, then announced in June that this year’s sales are “significantly ahead of last year’s record pace.” That means hundreds of new Airstream owners are joining our community each month—all over the world. In June I got to meet with quite a few of those new owners, first at Alumapalooza in Ohio, then at the “Euro 13” gathering of European Airstream owners in Germany. (I was surprised to find that the group in Germany was the largest gathering of Airstreams since the Wally Byam caravans of the 1950s, and that Airstream’s expansion of international dealerships now includes a location in Naples, Italy.) At both events I was reminded that Airstreamers from around the world have quite a bit in common. They’re all interested in travel, meeting new people, having fun with friends and family, and appreciative of good design. And fascination with Airstreams themselves never seems to fade. This summer two new books have come out that celebrate Airstreaming in different ways. First is “Airstream: The Silver RV” by Tara Cox (Shire Books, $9.95 softcover). This earnest little book is sort of a scaled-down version of Airstream’s encyclopedic tome “Wanderlust: Airstream at 75.” Tara breaks Airstreaming down into short sections discussing Wally Byam, the Airstreams, the community, the iconic nature of Airstream, and the pop culture phenomenon. Along the way she has laced her book with photos collected from Airstream archives and current-day Airstreamers, making it a good starting point for anyone interested in understanding the Airstream phenomenon. I’m particularly excited about the second book, written by Pulitzer-prize winner Phil Caputo. In a borrowed Airstream, this world-class author made an epic journey from Key West, FL to the Arctic Circle, interviewing ordinary Americans along the way to try to answer the question of what holds America together despite our incredible diversity and challenges. The essays and
WHAT’S COMING • Towing: Vehicle Weight Ratings • Custom Airstream Car Hauler • Canyon Country • The Amazing Airstream Interstate
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