Just like the real universe, the Airstream universe continues to expand indefinitely. Little reminders of this cross my desk from time to time, and I forget to mention them here, so today I’m going to mention a few of the recent and most interesting developments.
Item: Airstream now for sale in Australia, if you’ve got the bucks. The Canberra Times reports that Airstreams are now being officially imported, compliant with Australian regulations. We’ve featured at least one Australian Airstream makeover in Airstream Life magazine, a restaurant trailer that sells gourmet hamburgers, but there really hasn’t been a lot of action in that country. Australia and New Zealand have been mostly motorhome territory. I know a few folks who have done some great tours in rented Class C motorhomes, and we’ve talked about doing it ourselves, but I’ve been waiting for Airstreams to become available. Maybe now we can start talking about putting together a caravan?
Or maybe not. Prices for the new Aussie ‘streams are running $115k-135k (Australian dollars). That’s a hunk of money, right up there with the cost of European-spec Airstreams. It may be quite a long time before an affordable used unit can be found.
Item: A new Airstream book has come out. We never get tired of Airstream-related books, do we? John Brunkowski and Michael Closen, who previously wrote a book about RV Toys, have written another great photo-rich book entitled “Airstream Memories.” It’s a collection of Airstream art and memorabilia, with an emphasis on postcards, that runs 127 pages long. It’s really fun to flip through it.
Full disclosure: I wrote the Foreword to the book, but I didn’t get to review the art until it was published. When I got my copy this week, I was surprised to see some Airstream Life covers and photo spreads in there.
Item: Another Airstream book seeks funding. Rebecca Chastenet and Carlos Briscenos jointly run an Airstream-based restaurant in Santa Fe NM. We featured that trailer with photos of Rebecca in the Spring 2012 issue of Airstream Life. Rebecca has since become a contributor to the magazine, writing for our new “Airstream food” section that you will see beginning with the Winter 2012 issue.
Rebecca and Carlos have an idea for a book about Airstream “pop-up” businesses. There are probably hundreds of them, all over the world. We’ve covered dozens in the magazine over the past few years. They’re all interesting, creative, and run by fascinating entrepreneurs.
They’re seeking funding to cover the costs of a tour to visit as many of these Airstream businesses as they can, which will then become material for the book. You can read their full proposal on Kickstarter, and chip in if you think the cause is worthy. I’m hoping this one takes off. Rebecca is a solid writer and I’m sure the result will be wonderful.
Item: Child starts blog. OK, this isn’t big news, and it’s not Airstream-related but I happen to know one of the two children who write this blog. “Sylvia Phenora” is the nom de plume of someone close to me. For a 12-year-old, she’s a pretty handy writer. She’s also producing Pokemon stories on a regular basis. I’m waiting for her first novel to come out. Hopefully it will be a best-seller so I can retire early and do more Airstreaming!
Item: We’re going to pitch in to help! The “superstorm” Sandy has really walloped the northeast coast. Brett & I decided that we are going to donate $10 for every campsite registration we get between today and Dec 31, 2012, to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts. So if you were thinking about going to Alumafiesta or Alumapalooza next year, sign up soon and $10 of your site fee will go to help others. Thanks.