“the news”

UNIT OFFICERS

2016-2017 President Paul Wheeler, 604.209.7970 paul.jan.wheeler@gmail.com 1st VP Joyce Christenson, 604.809.9321 joyce355@icloud.com 2nd VP Position open 3rd VP Amir John Showrai, 604.598.1194 ajs79lincoln@netscape.net Recording & Corresponding Secretary Arlene Matches, 604.535.4237 matches7403@gmail.com Treasurer Jay Tuason, 604.583.5875 innotu@yahoo.com Past President Tom Akam, 604.538.4149 lighthouse13381@shaw.ca Directors - One Year (Term 2017-2018) John Millard, 604.536.6372 fmillard@telus.net Shelby Brennan, 604.290.8778 shel.brennan@gmail.com Directors - Two Year (Term 2017-2019) Dick Moffat, 250.495.2710 rsmoffat@shaw.ca Second director position open

British Columbia Unit #121 CHARTERED JUNE 26, 1965

www.airstreambc.com

BC UNIT

Editor: Arlene Matches Home Phone: 604.535.4237

Cell Phone: 604.202.7229

Email: matches7403@gmail.com

...PAUL’S PERAMBULATIONS...

Greetings fellow Airstreamers!

Sure hope this is finding you all well, as well as Janet and I. We just got back from a

swift trip to Merritt, BC, where we celebrated the 40th birthdays of one daughter and one son-in

-law as well as the 36th birthday of another daughter. We’re finding it hard to understand how

we could have children that old since we’re just kids ourselves. Oh well, time certainly seems

to fly.

Our lives are rapidly gearing up for the holiday season. Last week we celebrated

American Thanksgiving with our daughter and her American husband and he (Ben) did his

traditional decorating of our home for the season. Makes me very aware it’s time to wish you

all the very best and most blessed of the Christmas season. I hope you’ll be surrounded with

all you hope for. For us it’s family and friends.

So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year my friends. Remember, part of making

this season all it can be is brought about by getting together with your Airstream friends. To

that end I want to remind you of our upcoming Christmas dinner. It’s December 4 at 5 p.m. at

Pat Quinn’s Restaurant & Bar. If you haven’t already done so, you need to contact Joyce

Christensen (604 809-9321) to register right away. I apologize that Janet and I won’t be join-

ing you. We’ll be in Mexico. Have a GREAT time in our absence.

Also, remember that on January 14 we have our general meeting and Traveland

Luncheon at Traveland RV Supercentre in Langley. It’s at 11 a.m. I promise a short meeting

and then lots of time to eat, visit with friends, and learn more about what’s happening in the

Airstream world. Thanks Tom Akam (604 538-4149) for hosting this event.

And finally, coming soon is what I’ve really been waiting for—Janet retires at the end

of January and her final days of work are at the end of December. We’ll be with you all at

Traveland and then … we (oh JOYFUL day) hook up to our Airstream for two months travel

down the Oregon coast, into California, 2 weeks with the California Dreaming Airstream Cara-

van, down to Disneyland with kids, over to Arizona, and then home. Travelling, seeing new

things, enjoying new friends and re-uniting with old ones is what, for us, owning our Airstream

is all about. We look forward to this next stage of our lives together. We’ve got lots of travel

plans already laid out for the whole year and beyond. We keep modifying them as new Air-

stream Club chances become available.

What about you? Do you have your plans laid out? Are you anticipating all the fun

‘stuff’ for 2017? Look through this newsletter and make sure you include getting together with

all of us for some or all of the great things that are coming along. We want to spend lots of

time with each of you in 2017.

As you plan, let me say again, Merry Christmas and a

very Happy (and blessed) New Year.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 President’s Column

2 Community Corner and

explanation of solstice

3 New Members, Roster

Changes

4 Traveland, Committee

Chairs & International

Rally

5 Airstream ‘Wanted’,

Mobile Repairmen and

Website Request

6 Activity Schedule

7 For Sale

8 Miscellaneous

Paul

DECEMBER 2016

THE COMMUNITY CORNER

Bill Smith has been released from hospital and is resting comfortably at home (with Marie’s tender care). FYI, he is considering selling his 2005 30-foot Classic.

Tom Akam is undergoing cataract sur-gery and lens implant with the first eye December 21st and second one March 8th. Good luck on these two surgeries, Tom.

If anyone has news to share, please ad-vise Arlene Matches for an insertion into this column. Births, anniversaries, health issues, good news or bad...anything you wish to share with the membership is welcome.

We are so very thankful to everyone for their continued support of our charity and, in this regard would everyone please continue to collect pop and beer can tabs and bring them to the next luncheon or rally you attend. We will, in turn, give them to Sharon, our coor-dinator, who delivers proceeds to the Children’s Hospital charity.

For your generosity we…

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU

PAGE 2

"The Winter Solstice, also

known as Midwinter, oc-

curs around December 21

or 22 each year in the

Northern hemisphere, and

June 20 or 21 in the

Southern Hemisphere. It

occurs on the shortest day

or longest night of the

year, sometimes said to

astronomically mark the

beginning or middle of a

hemisphere's winter. The word solstice derives from Latin,

Winter Solstice meaning Sun set still in winter. Worldwide,

interpretation of the event varies from culture to culture,

but most hold a recognition of rebirth, involving festivals,

gatherings, rituals or other celebrations. Many cultures

celebrate or celebrated a holiday near the winter solstice;

examples of these include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa,

New Years, Pongal, Yalda and many other festivals of light.

The solstice itself may have remained a special moment of

the annual cycle of the year since neolithic times. This is

attested by physical remains in the layouts of late Neolithic

and Bronze Age archeological sites like Stonehenge and

New Grange in the British Isles. The primary axes of both

of these monuments seem to have been carefully aligned

on a sight-line framing the winter solstice sunrise (New

Grange) and the winter solstice sunset (Stonehenge). The

winter solstice may have been immensely important be-

cause communities were not assured to live through the

winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine

months. Starvation was common in winter between Janu-

ary to April, also known as the famine months. In temper-

ate climes, the midwinter festival was the last feast cele-

bration, before deep winter began. Most cattle were

slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the

winter, so it was nearly the only time of year when a sup-

ply of fresh meat was available. The majority of wine and

beer made during the year was finally fermented and

ready for drinking at this time. The concentration of the

observances were not always on the day commencing at

midnight or at dawn, but the beginning of the pre-

Romanized day, which falls on the previous eve."

- Winter Solstice - Wikipedia

MEMBER, WEBSITE, and ROSTER CHANGESMEMBER, WEBSITE, and ROSTER CHANGESMEMBER, WEBSITE, and ROSTER CHANGES

PLEASE WELCOME NEW MEMBERS:

BONE, Andrew (Andy) & Claire WBCCI # tba 4880 Duncliffe Road

Richmond, BC, V7E 3N1

Telephone: 604-241-4482

Email: abone2010@gmail.com

Airstream: 2017 27-foot FB International Signature

PLEASE MAKE THESE ROSTER CHANGES:

Charlie & Sharon WIEDER have moved from Rossland to

549 Pitt Road in Cawston, BC, V0X 1C1

Fred & Janet BOURQUE have bought a winter place in Surprise, AZ

and welcome BC Unit members to visit them if they are in the area.

Their winter address is 16501 N. El Mirage Road, Site #136, Surprise,

AZ, 85378. Call them on their cell to advise of a visit. That number is

1-208-964-0402.

PAGE 3

Don’t forget to carry old expired Blue Beret magazines

with you when you travel. There are future members all

over North American (and now Europe) who would love to

enjoy the Wally Byam Airstream Club lifestyle. Many

owners (new and old) don’t know of the club and an old Blue

Beret may be just the incentive to join us.

COMMITTEE CHAIRS:

Audit Committee Tom Akam plus volunteers Budget Committee Tom Akam & the VPs Caravan Committee McGills & Van Iderstines Nominating Committee Tom Akam with Joyce Christenson and one other to be named Community Service Alex & Arlene Matches Equipment Chairman Ron McQuarrie Hospitality & Sunshine Arlene Matches Membership & Mentoring Alex Matches Newsletter Editor Arlene Matches Roster & Handbook Tom Akam Safety Chairman Barry Hook Telephone Committee Joyce Christenson Unit Historian Alex Matches Webmaster Monty Sheldan

PAGE 4

FOR FUTURE PLANNING

The 60th WBCCI International Rally is be-ing held on different dates next year and is almost fully booked…!! Add July 22nd-29th to your 2017 Calendars. Why not get a group together for a caravan; then plan to visit lovely Escanaba, Michigan

where the 60th International Rally is being held.

However, if you miss the 2017 rally, we just learned that the 2018 rally is once

again going to be held in Salem, Oregon so keep July 2018 available to attend

THAT one.

Details can be found in all upcoming Blue Berets.

President, Paul Wheeler, requests new and affiliate members to please forward their info (photo

and bio) for inclusion on the BC Unit website. We also encourage our regular and affiliate

members who haven’t done so to add a picture and update their biographies as well. There is a

printable roster available from the website. Please contact our Web Master, Monty Sheldan or

Arlene Matches with regard to accessing the website (if you haven’t already done so). The email

address for Monty is: msheldan@mac.com and for Arlene use matches7403@gmail.com. Tom

Akam also has a printable and up-to-date version of our Mini Roster in Word format which he

will email upon request. Tom’s email address is: lighthouse13381@shaw.ca

PAGE 5

!!...SMILE…!!!!...SMILE…!!

In a recent email message I learned that Dan & Carolyn Stewart (a really

nice couple from Abbotsford we met at the Merritt Rally) are still searching for a later model Airstream trailer

with queen bed layout. It seems they just hear about one for sale and it is

snapped up too quickly. Maybe we can assist them in their search? They can

be reached at dancarolynstewart@gmail.com or phone them on their cell at

778-982-3731.

AN AIRSTREAM TRAILER

Here are cards for two technicians that are proven to be reliable (and who bring their garage to you…!!)

I have a Facebook friend

who is wintering at Weir’s

Beach RV Resort just west

of Victoria. She is looking

for someone on lower Vancouver Island

who could polish her Airstream. There

are lots of companies in the USA that

offer this service but we are not

aware of any in this area. If you

should know of someone, please get

hold of me and I will let my friend

Diane know.

Thank you.

Arlene Matches (my email address and phone number

are on first page of newsletter)

DATE/TIME EVENT HOST(S) December 4 Christmas Dinner Joyce Christenson 5:00 pm Pat Quinn’s Restaurant & Bar 604-809-9321 January 14 Traveland Meeting & Luncheon Tom Akam 11:00 am Traveland RV Supercentre 604-538-4149 Langley, BC February 12 Valentine’s Day Dinner Wayne & Jeannie Jeffrey 5:00 pm Ricky’s Country Restaurant 604-531-0092 and 2160 King George Blvd. in South Surrey John & Chris Millard 604-536-6372 March 18 St. Patrick’s Day Pot Luck Luncheon Alex & Arlene Matches 11:30 am Cranley Community Hall, 2141 Cranley Drive 604-535-4237 in South Surrey April 8-9 Maintenance Rally Bob Halliwell and crew Location to be advised 1-604-870-4850 April 28-30 Tri-Unit Rally Tom Akam North Whidbey RV Park 604-538-4149 Whidbey Island, WA (10 spaces reserved for BC Unit members) May 5-8 Fraser Valley Wine Tour Rally Tom Akam, Joyce Christenson, Details to be advised Paul Wheeler & Janet Soucy May 18-25 Sheridan Lake Fishing Rally Bob & Gayle Halliwell, et al Loon Bay RV Resort (15 sites available — 1-604-870-4850 $40 deposit — this rally fills up fast) June 8-11 Anacortes Rally Gerry & Judy Greth Cap Santé Marina 1-360-299-8489 August 12-25 Culinary Road Trip Caravan Doug & Debra McGill Southern Vancouver Island 1-250-338-6813 with Gene & Marilyn Van Iderstine 604-535-1688 Aug.26-Sept.2 Seal Bay Rally John & Jane Neilson Courtenay, BC 1-250-774-6760 September 2-6 Seafaring Adventure Rally Joyce Christenson Lund, BC 604-809-9321 September 15-17 Annual Installation Rally Alex & Arlene Matches Claybanks RV Resort in Merritt, BC 604-535-4237

British Columbia Unit #121British Columbia Unit #121British Columbia Unit #121 201620162016---2017 Activity Schedule2017 Activity Schedule2017 Activity Schedule

PAGE 6

I got a phone call from Don Reimer (a reader of RVTimes who got our number from the Airstream Club ad). Don wanted us to put

a notice into this newsletter about a friend who is looking to sell a 28-foot Land Yacht that needs total restoration. He didn’t have

details about age of unit or anything else. The owner, Orest Pyrch, is asking $5,000 or best offer for it

and can be reached at 604-888-3240. He is the person to contact if you want any other information.

Arlene Matches , Editor

PAGE 7

Here is another one. In a recent email I received information on this rig that is also for sale… Type Airstream Excella 1000 Length 34 feet Year 1989 Location Cloverdale Condition Excellent

Price $17,500 (note the reduced price!!!) For further information and to view please contact: Owner Adam Scriver Cell 604.818.3400 email adamscriver222@icloud.com

AIRSTREAMS FOR SALE

Ex-BC Unit member, John Walker from West Vancouver, is selling his 2003 25-foot Safari

for $30,000 . It is in beautiful shape although with a small amount of floor rot that John

has dealt with and I have attached a couple of photos he sent me. If you are interested in

this rig or want more information on it, please give John a call at 604-290-5572.

August Caravan Sneak Peek August 12—25, 2017

‘Culinary Road Trip’ This caravan will make a circle tour of south Vancouver Island with short

drives and extended stays allowing for individual and group tours

focused on food and beverages.

Limit 10 rigs — first come; first served — $100 deposit to hold your spot. Leaders: McGills & Van Iderstines (see Activity Schedule for phone numbers)

PAGE 8

A NOTE ON OUR ACTIVITIES

If you haven’t already figured it out

yourself, please note that the

Culinary Road Trip Caravan leads

into the rally at Seal Bay and then

THAT one leads right into the

Seafaring Rally at Lund, BC. You

may wish to plan the whole month

around these three adventures OR

attend one or two of the events

only. The opportunities for a fun

time are out there for your

choosing.

Closer to the dates we will advise

the best way to book/reserve BC

Ferry travel (a necessity at that

busy time of the year).