When is it actually over?

I have often spoken of Airstream Spirit. There seems to be a way of being that affects Airstream owners. They tend to be more open, more gracious, more generous than most. They tend to commit many selfless acts for the betterment of the entire group. The Birthday Bash was a good example of that. Everyone understood that by just giving a little of themselves, everyone gains a lot. To everyone that gave of themselves, THANKS.

The Spirit seemed to be with us the entire time. I was shown examples of this over and over during the 8 days we spent at Baker's Acres.

These two guys understand Airstream Spirit in a major way. Both of them are very dear friends of mine who's friendship I am proud to have in my life. I will first focus on the ugly mug looking at you. That is Dale "Ace" Goldberg. I call him Ace because it is such a cool name.

Ace did the fly over of the Bash site and took the photos that have been circulating widely in the Airstream community. The skeptics of the Bash are, I am sure, very shocked to see such a wonderful display of so many trailers. I just wish all 85 trailers had been there when we took these shots. I am still very grateful for the incredible show. Not only did Ace take care of aerial photography, he also put up the money needed to have mugs, baseball hats, and T- shirts made for the Airstreamer's Club. He did all of that with his own money and priced it all to just cover his own expenses. Ace, THANKS...

Steve Klohn is my other dear friend. He always gives a certain amount of balance to every situation. He always works very hard serving the bigger good without ever really stepping into the spot light. Without him, the Bash would not have been the success it was. He was there and ready to cut potatoes, wipe down tables, fry bacon, what ever needed done every morning at 5:30am. Solid as they come, Steve served others continuously all week long. Steve engineered the water tower so it could be built to withstand the weight of three tons of water. Steve also used satellite pictures of Baker's Acres to layout the wagon wheel on paper insuring it all worked out on the ground. If you thought the space you had was nice, you can thank Steve for that. I had wanted to make it 18 feet, and Steve insisted on 24 feet. He showed it could work and it did. Steve was the brains behind the hand cranked ice cream also. Steve, as always, THANKS.

Another person that always flies under the radar for the tremendous giving she does, is Deborah Bede. She also, always escapes my lens. I had to actually steal this photo from Sarah. I looked all through hundreds of picture and the only one I found was of her and I relaxing in beach chairs at Southwich Beach State park. When I published it last year, she was not so happy, so I stole Sarah's. Hope neither of them object. Beautiful photo I might add...

Deborah has been my right hand woman at every breakfast I have done, at every gathering, such as this. The one time she left early, I was so lost at the last breakfast. She not only helps with every breakfast service, she also lovingly bakes bread for french toast. Her guinea hens lay the eggs, the ingredients are all natural, and you can taste the love she puts in it. She selflessly serves others in this way. She knows what needs to be done and takes care of it. You might want to also keep an eye on her when she puts something out for Happy Hour. Her contributions are always sublime. The best seasoned roasted pecans on the planet, hands down. Deborah, Thank you, thanx, THANKS

I regret not having shot my usual 150+ photos a day. There were some awesome photo opportunities and I only caught a few of them.

The few times I did relax did not have me thinking of taking pictures. The large campfire in the center was a great place to sit in someone else's chair, suck down a beer, sip a little of someone's creek water, and have some great conversation. I apologize to all for not doing more of it.

The view though, of all that aluminum had a serious smile on my face.

Sun rise, sunset, it was always beautiful.

Every time I walked up the access road to the center I was blown away. I was blown away a bunch of times daily. The wagon wheel was absolutely beautiful.

Seeing everyone together was also beautiful. To everyone who attended the Bash, THANKS.

Can you see the rainbow in the upper corner? You know what was at the end? A very golden series of memories. Again, to everyone, THANKS.