Aluminum City

Aluminum was the name of the game this week.

According to the singer/comedian who finished off the 5 evenings of entertainment, we are living in semi-precious metal.

Aluminum was all around us at this rally.  We were surrounded by Airstreams, about 120 of them. Big ones, little ones, old ones, new ones.

They parked us in the field of the Sarasota Fairgrounds. Being the shy, retiring types that we are, we learned our neighbors’ names in record time. On one side we had a couple from Michigan with their large, docile dog; an intriguing mix of standard poodle and Newfoundland. On the other was a couple from our own province, who live barely more than a ferry ride away from our summer site.   Ain’t life funny?

The utilities were scarce, as this was not a regular campground, but a fairground.  They hooked our entire line of 15 trailers to one water spigot with a technique called a “daisy chain”, requiring two hoses and a plumbing Y per rig.

 The first hose is attached to the source, the Y put on the end, and then another hose goes from one side of the Y to their trailer. The next trailer adds a hose to the other side of the Y, puts his Y on the end of his first hose and uses his second hose for his personal supply. This goes down the entire length of the line. 

Also, our electricity had to be shared among three trailers, meaning the 15 amp pedestal, divided up, gave us 5 amps each. That is not enough to run the coffee maker, but if you turn off the radio you can make toast.  Life is all about adaptation.

We didn’t have to make our own coffee anyway. Morning coffee was served each day from a little Airstream Café. It sure tasted better that way.

Seminars were held during the week on subjects like travelling and maintenance. I learned a few steps of Tai Chi, while hubby was shown how to make an old trailer sparkle in the sun. 

I see new tools in our future.

The organizers did their best to educate us on our chosen lifestyle. We learned about solar panels and batteries, the proper way to hoist your awning, and living well off the grid.

I’ve never met an Airstreamer who was not as proud as punch of their rig. So on the last day, they held an open house, where you could walk around and visit inside any trailer with their door open. These people are not modest. They are happy to brag about all the work they’ve done and any alterations they’ve made. Others are quick to point out all the original and “vintage” features on trailers as old as I am. One even had its first icebox still in it.

Guess that tells you how old I am, eh?

With all these goings on, we didn’t get much chance to explore Sarasota. But we did make the effort to see the winter training grounds of the famous Royal Lipizzaner Stallions. Despite a rainy day, these gorgeous animals were taken outside to practice their drills and ballet moves in front of an appreciative audience. 

We even got a chance to visit the stallions in their stalls.

Other than that little side trip, we lived and breathed aluminum all week. Even the entertainment was centered on trailer life, with songs and comedy routines frequently referring to it. Vendors pushed sparkly tops with Airstreams designs and Airstream jewelry was on sale.

Aluminum may only be semi-precious as a metal, but for this group, it’s as good as gold.

W