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Editor’s Page
Airstreams Mixing Work and Play We spent the Fall months traveling down the east coast from Vermont to Florida while I worked on the Winter and Spring issues of the magazine. From that experience I can tell you two things with assurance: First, anyone who thinks people are RV’ing less should try to get a state park campground site on a weekend. Everywhere we went, the campgrounds were jammed on Friday and Saturday night, and in some cases they were booked months in advance. That’s very different from the experience we had while full-timing for three years. Weekends have always been busy, but since the economic downturn, the state and national parks have gotten to be so popular that driving up impromptu and hoping for a “walk-in” site has become a risky proposition. While people may not yet be buying as many RVs as in prior years, they are certainly still using the ones they have! I hope you are continuing to enjoy your Airstream as well. The second thing I can tell you is that the print version of Airstream Life and the next one to come are both loaded with great articles that you won’t want to miss. As you’ll see, we’re adding more practical and how-to content to Airstream Life, in response to reader requests. The big hit lately has been Andy Thomson’s series on towing and hitching. This series started with our Spring 2010 issue and already people are calling it their favorite part of Airstream Life. Our printed Winter 2010 issue has the fourth installment, explaining why “The Weakest Link,” of your towing setup may be the factory-installed receiver hitch. This informative series is another good reason to collect all the back issues! We’re also looking more closely at late-model Airstream floorplans, starting with a discussion of the rare Safari 30 “bunkhouse” trailer. Part buyer’s guide, part analysis, this department of the magazine is designed to help you understand why a particular floorplan might work for you, and what recently-made Airstreams offer the features you want. Want more practical advice? Check out Renee and Fred Ettline’s article about tires. We all have ‘em, we all depend on them, but how much do you really know about your tires? The Ettlines have put together the answers for you. “eBay Watch” has gone on hiatus, while Roger Johnson takes a welldeserved break after five years of great work. But don’t be alarmed: Roger is planning his return in a future issue. In the meantime, we’re running more articles with ideas and suggestions to make your Airstreaming more fun, plus inspirational stories like that of Marty Shenkman and Patti Klein. Marty and Patti are using their Airstream in a great way, educating people about chronic illnesses. Airstream Life magazine is proud to be an official sponsor of their Airstream tour, called “RV4theCause.” Rhonda Coleman chimes in this issue with a very interesting look at the technologically savvy folks who are traveling in Airstreams and working from just about anywhere. They’re called “Technomads,” and you may know some of them already – in fact, you may be one someday soon! Airstreams like to mix work and play. As evidence, “Airstreams At Work” introduces you to six unique Airstreams, from a mobile eatery in Connecticut that hits the summertime festivals, to a solar-powered Base Camp, and a custom 34-footer that chases the snow. In the print edition, we’ve also got a separate "Mabel On The Move" dishes up healthy eating
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AIRSTREAM LIFE ONLINE EDITION • www.airstreamlife.com
The official Airstream lifestyle magazine Editor and Publisher: Rich Luhr rich@airstreamlife.com Layout and Design: Ellicott Design lisa@airstreamlife.com Advertising Sales: Brett Greiveldinger brett@airstreamlife.com (802) 877-2900 Ext. 2 Editorial Illustrator: Brad Cornelius Chief Financial Officer: Eleanor O’Dea Customer Service: Lisa T. Miller Associate Contributors: Tom Bentley Becky Blanton Jody Brotherston J. Rick Cipot Fred Coldwell Renee Ettline Bert Gildart John Irwin Roger Johnson Forrest McClure Charles Spiher Contact Airstream Life 411 Walnut St #4468 Green Cove Springs, FL 32043 Telephone: (802) 877-2900 Fax: (802) 610-1013 www.airstreamlife.com Airstream Life Online Edition You can get Airstream Life online, for free! Each issue we select 15-20 pages of the upcoming magazine and make it available on the Internet to readers who sign up at www.airstreamlife.com/online. It's a sneak peek, with no cost, no obligation! CUSTOMER SERVICE Airstream Life’s world headquarters are the dinette table of a 2005 Airstream Safari 30 We’re always glad to hear from you, but if you have a simple question, please check our website for help first. There you can subscribe, renew your subscription, change your address, get advertising information, download writer’s and photographer’s guidelines, notify us of an address change,and get answers to frequently-asked questions. See www.airstreamlife.com or call (802) 877-2900. Airstream Life (ISSN 1550-5979) is published quarterly by Church Street Publishing, Inc., 411 Walnut St #4468, Green Cove Springs FL 32043. Subscription price is $24 per year. Periodicals postage paid at Ferrisburg VT and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Airstream Life, 411 Walnut St #4468, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043 © Copyright 2010 by Church Street Publishing, Inc. AIRSTREAM ® is the property of Airstream, Inc. Licensed by Global Icons LLC. All rights reserved. Printed in CANADA.