Road Trip For Kelly

When life throws you a curve.... just wait on it !!!! I am in Piney Point, Maryland with my brothers John and Kelly, for a real longtime I never thought I would be here at the Seafarers International School, but the long road my brother Kelly has been down over the last 5 years has led us here. Kelly has been struggling with alcoholism for a very long time and has made the decision to seek help from his union here in Maryland. This past Thursday I drove to Alpena, Michigan to pick up Kelly from the Sunrise Center, so are road trip began, John, Kelly and myself hit the road, and the SIU was gracious to accommodate us for the weekend at their training facility. Kelly enters the union's ARC program on Monday and will be there for a minimum of 6 weeks. I can't remember how long it's been that every time my cell phone rang from a 989 area code I had a sinking feeling as I have been waiting for the news that my brother Kelly was deceased. Well words can not explain how happy I was when Kelly finally said the words " I want to go to the farm" thats what the ARC program was called long ago, maybe at one time the was a farm where they worked while learning about alcoholism. As usual I can't go on a road trip without my camera in tow, here are a few photo's. Please keep my brother Kelly in your prayers.

Carl's 1968 Airstream Globetrotter

This past fall I went with my friend Carl to Waterford MI. to look at a '68 Airstream Globetrotter, well about an hour latter Carl bought it, This past Sunday I went to Charlevoix, MI. to visit Carl and I shot this photo of the Globetrotter where Carl has been wintering and working on his art for the upcoming shows along Lake Michigan. The second photo is the day Carl made the great purchase !!!!

MAKING CHANGES

My trailer is still at the factory, I decided to make a few last minute changes for a more enjoyable journey, I had the linoleum removed and a Wilsonart Laminate Flooring installed, to do this the tech had to remove most of the interior, and I also had the oven and cooktop replaced with a convection microwave and a 3 burner cooktop. I spoke with Rick March this week and I have decided to install a Kyrocera 85 watt solar panel on the roof (The biggest size that would fit this unit) to help keep the 12 volt system charged. I think that it's good to go for now.....

Looking Back

I don't know exactly when I contracted "Aluminum Fever" but as a youngster I traveled across the American highways looking out the rear window of my fathers 1966 Ford Country Squire station wagon. With my parents in the front row my sister had the middle and I had my own compound in the back, looking at the american landscape and taking pictures along the way, It amazed me to see the variety of trailers on the roads, the Canned Hams, the Spartan, or the Shasta with it's wings, all were so cool until the silver trailer at the Pennsylvania Turnpike fuel stop caught my eye, By the time we arrived in Butler, PA. my dad was tried of listening to me talk about the silver space ship that had two doors in one.   The next time I had seen an Airstream was on television and NASA's astronauts returning from the moon were getting into it. Well 40 plus years have passed and I still have not forgotten Airstream, and to all my close friends who have endured countless hours of listening to me carry on about this American icon, it's founder and the artisans and craftsman that build such a work of art... last week I went down to the Airstream Factory in Jackson Center, Ohio  to talk with Rick March. Well 2 1/2 hours later I bought Rick's 19' Safari Bambi SE,  Here is a photo of it in the service bay.