New chick

Welcome!

Gary Lewis wrote

So, what are your degrees in?  Where did you study?

As for the camper, we aren't just about Bullnose trucks.  Several have acquired RVs and have reported on them.  So how 'bout starting a thread about your camper?  We'd love to see your progress, and you might even inspire us to do the same.

I'm a journalist so my degrees are in journalism/mass comm. I have others that don't involve my profession ... I'm rather addicted to learning. I graduated from Texas A&M. And I taught journalism for a few years at our local branch, A&M-Texarkana. I've been an editor at my current paper since 2004.

This blasted virus has interfered with my plans as well. My partner lives in Europe and we haven't been on the same continent since October. I hope this mess is behind us soon. My grandfather used to talk about the Spanish flu (it wiped out a pretty big chunk of my family in 1918) and I couldn't imagine the things they had to do. It's actually the reason that branch of the family moved to this area from South Carolina.

As for the camper, when I get a little farther along I will definitely start a thread. Thanks for letting me know that's OK. For now, though, I will attach a photo taken on the day I bought it. That's one of my friends in the doorway.

Speaking of threads, I'm going to start one on my truck as we have come across a bit of an issue with the distributer.

85lebaront2 wrote

Welcome to our forums. As for ages, I am a year older than Gary and my daughter turned 55 in June, older son will be 53 on August 20th, younger son (has an Excursion and Harley) was 43 in May. I am 74.

I have had Ford trucks for a while, Darth is my 3rd, first two started as 6 cyl models and were converted to V8s.

As for the forums we have a lot of very knowledgeable people on here and plenty of resources.

Thanks for the welcome!

Thanks!

Is that an Amerigo camper?  I've always liked them.  I do hope you'll start that thread on it.  

Ok, so you have degrees in journalism/mass comm.  Cool!  (In spite of it being from College Station.  )

Seriously though, might we get you involved in this website?  I'm sure it could use a whole lot of improving.  I'm basically an engineer and know that I don't know how best to do a website.

Is your partner the one from The Netherlands?  And where else did you study?

Gary Lewis wrote

Is that an Amerigo camper?  I've always liked them.  I do hope you'll start that thread on it.  

Ok, so you have degrees in journalism/mass comm.  Cool!  (In spite of it being from College Station.  )

Seriously though, might we get you involved in this website?  I'm sure it could use a whole lot of improving.  I'm basically an engineer and know that I don't know how best to do a website.

Is your partner the one from The Netherlands?  And where else did you study?

The camper is a 1986 Play-Mor II. It's basically the same as a Scamp, Casita or Boler. I will help with the website in any way that I can. Though my web skills are limited to the newspaper's site, as I am more of old-school, ink-in-my-veins type. I still know how to develop film.

Yes, my partner is Dutch. I studied in Belgium, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and Hungary. Most of my time was spent in Budapest. I even picked up a bit of the language.

An engineer? That's fascinating. My uncle was an engineer for 50+ years and I'm enthralled by his brain. He builds instruments and model airplanes now that he's retired. I'm drawn more toward the arts (I'm a landscape photographer in my free time ... I'll include a photo I shot in Oklahoma) but I've always had an interest in the more technical side of things as well. I guess you could say I'm a moderate.

Wow!  That shot is stunning!

I've read a whole lot about photography, so I understand things like f-stop vs shutter speed, and the fact that it isn't completely linear due to reciprocity failure - although that varies by film type.  And DoF.  Composition and the rule of thirds, etc.  But, I can't do anything but replicate what I've seen others do.  I don't have "the eye".

Anyway, I don't know what I'm asking for on the website.  But please look around and if you see things that should be improved, please get back with me.

On the trailer, I've seen those different brands from way back when we were into RV'ing.  They were very popular.  And easily-pulled.

As for Europe, you've been around!  Of the countries you mentioned the only one we've not been to is Slovenia, although that and Croatia are on the bucket list.  And, while our boat docked almost under Chain Bridge, we didn't really pick up any of the language.  

Thanks! I shot that north of Fort Sill in the Wichita Mountains. My dad was stationed at Fort Sill before Vietnam.

Getting the balance down between f-stop and shutter speed can be fun, especially when you add ISO into the mix and your light meter doesn't work. The inner workings are also interesting. I dabble in restoring 100-year-old cameras from time to time. They look cool sitting on the shelf, but I take pride in getting them back to working order was well. (I was raised in an antique shop ... that might explain the obsession with restoring things.)

I bought the camper because I can pull it with my 4-cylinder Chevy Malibu. I still need to hook the hitch up and get the wiring straightened out, though. The camper is so light you can just pick up the tongue and move it anywhere you want by hand. I imagine that will come in handy in some campsites that are harder to get into.

I have been to a lot of countries. I think I'm up to about two dozen or so now. I highly recommend Slovenia and Croatia. The Adriatic coast is unbelievable. And as of the last time I visited, the cost was significantly lower than the more western countries. Also fewer tourists. If you get a chance, check out Piran and Lake Bled.

I hope you enjoyed the Danube. I spent a lot of time on Margit Island during my stint in Budapest. I needed a break from all of the concrete and crowds. The island was as close as I could get to "country" near the city.

I've not spent much time around Ft Sill.  But that's a stunning shot.

On antique cameras, I have a few, inc a 1/4 plate one I got while in the UK.  But, I've not used it.

We may be ahead of you on countries, but some of them came in rapid waves, like during the Baltic cruise two years ago, and the Med cruise probably 10 years ago.  And we ticked off another one on the Danube cruise, Hungary, although we'd been to all of the intervening countries many times before.

But we did like that cruise.  We liked the smaller boat, although even it seems way too big right now with the virus running rampant.  We are thinking near-term travel will be by car/truck, and our years of doing even that are probably limited.

Having said that, with a vaccine we do hope to get to go abroad a few more times and have several things we'd like to do.  One is to travel Switzerland via train.  Another is to visit Tuscany again, having just seen Made In Italy.  And another is to take one of the barge cruises in France.  So, perhaps the Adriatic coast could be squeezed in on one of those?