FTCU Pirate FYI’s – February, 2015
April Unit Rally
Our next rally is scheduled for April 23-26, 2015 at Blueberry Hill RV Resort in Bushnell, Florida. Details and reservation forms will go out in late February or early March.
Short Caravan to 2015 Region 3 Rally, Charleston, S.C.
The Florida Treasure Coast Unit will host a SHORT UNIT CARAVAN to the Region 3 Rally in Ladson, SC (Charleston area). The caravan will leave the FTCU Spring Rally at Blueberry Hill RV Resort, Bushnell, FL on Sunday morning, April 26, 2015, spend Sunday night near Jacksonville (approx. 150 miles), Monday and Tuesday nights near Savannah (approx. 150 miles) and arrive at the Region 3 Rally (approx. 90 miles) on Wednesday afternoon.
Monday night we will enjoy dinner at one of the Savannah area’s fine restaurants. On Tuesday we will tour the historic area of Savannah, GA, and have lunch downtown. If touring Savannah is not your “thing,” there is a Tanger Outlet Mall a few miles north of the campground near Hilton Head, SC. Activities and meals are voluntary. If you would rather do something else on Tuesday, that would be fine. We will collect a kitty fee (TBD) to cover camping expenses. Meals and tours are on your own.
The FTCU rally and caravan is open to any WBCCI member. If you plan to caravan with us, we
encourage you to enjoy our rally beginning on Thursday, April 23, 2015.
Call or email Blair LittleJohn 561-373-4666 or blAirstream72@gmail.com if you plan to go on this
caravan. He needs to know how many to plan for.
Region 3 Rally Registration
Plans are underway for the “Low Country Reflections” Region 3 Rally. To register, go to http://
region3.wbcci.net; on the left side under the calendar, click on 2015 Region 3 Rally Registration. All
information is on that page.
In Case You Missed It
Several folks wrote us about the story on Airstreams which was on NBC Nightly News in January. We
had seen it, fortunately. If you missed it, this link was still active as of February 10, 2015.
Airstream Campers Help Give Economy Second Life – NBC News.com
Candidates Needed
At the business meeting at the upcoming rally we need to elect two Directors and a 2nd VP. If you are
willing to serve in either of these positions, please let Susan Taylor-Arens or Alicia Rafter know.
staylor-arens@hotmail.com or abrafter@bellsouth.net.
Friends,Fellowship and Food
The second BYOB&F picnic was a happy success last Sunday. Those in attendance included Tom Cotter, Eileen and John Frerking (Region 3 1st VP), Carol and Charlie Helm, Sallie and Blair LittleJohn, Mary Ann and Jack McLaughlin, Alicia and Mike Rafter, Jenny and Dave Southard,
Lea and Rob Stanton (new members to our Unit), and Jacqueline and Allen Strickland. The weather was sunny and breezy – just right for a picnic so long as you held on to your napkin and paper plate. Unfortunately, we did not get a group photo this year.
Jack and Joan Starr had planned to attend the picnic, but a cold has slowed Jack’s recovery from heart surgery and they decided not to come. Recent reports have been that he is doing well in general.
Charlotte and Ed Curran had also wanted to come, however a bridal shower for a granddaughter
conflicted with our event.
Gail and Don North emailed that they really wanted to come but had a previous commitment they
had to honor. They said to tell everyone “hello” for them.
Due to a bad cold, Eric and Susan Arens were also unable to attend the picnic. They sent good
wishes to everyone.
We encourage those of you in other areas of the state to hold a similar event. It’s an easy and fun
way to get together without being a burden on hosts. It could easily be done at a public park instead
of at someone’s home. Try it!
Thank you to Sue Wendt for recent updates to the website. We appreciate the time, effort, love and
frustration that goes into a job which most of us “don’t have a clue” about how to do. As the “keeper of the lists,” Sue is also working on updating the Unit Directory information. If you have a new phone
number, address, email, etc., please send to her ASAP. syeutter@bellsouth.net
Donna Rothery recently sent the following news to share about a lunch some “old time Airstreamers
had in Melbourne.” “Ed and Charlotte Curran contacted Bob Duckett (a former FTCU president) to
have lunch with him. Bob, in turn, contacted Donita, a former FTCU president, and Carroll Pyles,
Dan & Maxine McIntyre and Frank and me to have lunch at one of Bob’s favorite restaurants on
January 20. It was nice seeing Ed and Charlotte and all the others. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen
each other.”
Cheryl Uhrig-Rivard has posted on her facebook page that she fell at home a few days after her
back surgery. She is back in the hospital and had to have her back re-operated on. While they were
operating they found a MSRA infection from the first operation. Sounds bad but she was lucky she
fell so the infection was found. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.
The following are from the notes Blair LittleJohn received with dues and cancellations.
Chad and Suzette Tennant wrote: “Have been a member for 2 years and due to work and family
have not had time to caravan, not going to join until I have time.”
Dave and Pat Shaw are excited about coming to Florida!
Larry and Kathy Warren wrote: “Kathy and I have regrettably decided to cancel our affiliate
membership in the FTCU. It is sad I know but at this time we must sacrifice a bit. We hope to see you
in Farmington. However we can’t make the West Virginia one. We thank all of the FTCU members for all the good times. Perhaps we can renew at some future date.”
From Bill and Pat Herzing: “We sold our trailer in the spring and are not renewing. Had a great run
and now have wonderful memories the rest of our lives.”
Jim McCollough wrote: “We were quite active during the early 2000s and are disappointed that we
can no longer be active members because we have a lot of good friends and memories of those
years. We attended a number of national rallies as well as all the local Tampa Bay rallies.
Unfortunately our health has overcome our desire to participate. So we are sorry to drop out but there is no way we are going to regain our health and be able to participate. We wish the members of
FTCU all the best of success in your future activities.”
Maxine McIntyre wrote: “Dan just can’t ‘give it up’ yet. Doubt we will ever do much more camping.”
We regret that each year we have members who can no longer travel and find that they must give up
their membership, yet we understand that circumstances dictate changes we may not welcome. In
recent years, the Currans, the Helms, Jerry Honaker, the Mummas and the Riveras, among others,
have been in a similar situation. We do, and will, miss them and we wish them all well.
On a different and lighter note, be sure to read the old, but still funny, story on the next page!
Mark your calendars! Important events and dates coming up:
AlumaFlamingo in Sarasota February 24-March 1, 2015, put on by R & B Events, LLC
All Florida Rally at St. Johns County Fairgrounds in Elkton March 3 – 8, 2015, put on by the Florida Unit
FTCU Rally at Blueberry Hill RV Resort in Bushnell April 23 – 26, 2015, hosted by the Foremans and Rafters
Unit Caravan to Region 3 Rally April 26 – 29, 2015, led by Blair LittleJohn
Region 3 Rally at Exchange Park in Ladson, SC, April 29 – May 3, 2015
WBCCI International Rally in Farmington, NM June 26 – July 4, 2015
FTCU Rally at Sunshine Travel RV Resort Vero Beach November 12 – 15, 2015, HOSTS NEEDED
A charming, delicate, elderly woman was particularly elegant about the use of the English language.
When she and her husband were planning a trip to Florida, she wrote to a campground to seek a
reservation.
She wanted to be certain the campground was completely equipped, but she didn’t quite know how to
ask about the toilet facilities. She couldn’t bring herself to write the word “toilet” in her letter. She
thought about how to ask the campground manager about the availability of facilities for some time
before she decided to use the words “bathroom commode.” But, because she was so elegant and so
determined not to embarrass the manager, she wrote and asked if the campground had its own “B.C.”
The manager received the letter which left him totally confused. He asked everyone he knew if they
understood the “B.C.” abbreviation. Finally he decided the abbreviation stood for “Baptist Church,”
and he promptly wrote the woman this reply:
Dear Madam:
I regret the delay in answering your letter, but I now take the pleasure of informing you that a “B.C.” is
located nine miles north of the campground and is capable of seating 250 people at one time. I admit
it is quite a distance away if you are in the habit of going regularly, but no doubt you will be pleased to
know that a great number of people take their lunches along and make a day of it. They usually arrive
early and stay late.
The last time my wife and I went was six years ago, and it was so crowded that we had to stand up
the whole time we were there. It may interest you to know that right now there is a supper planned to
raise money to buy more seats. They’re going to hold it in the basement of the “B.C.”
I would like to say it pains me very much not be to able to go more regularly, but it surely is not from
lack of desire on my part. As we grow older, it seems to be more of an effort, especially in cold
weather.
If you decide to come down to the campground, perhaps I could go with you the first time you go, sit
with you, and introduce you to all the other folks. Remember, this is a friendly community.
Sincerely,
Campground Manager
– thanks to Carol Helm for sharing this