Category: Airstream Rally

Abingdon, Virginia Farmer’s Market

by Greg • May 29, 2022 • 2 Comments

Saturday, May14, 2022

One of the highlights of the Virginia Airstream Club’s Silver in The Streets rally is the farmer’s market at the end of Remsburg Drive. It is one of my favorite farmer’s markets. Seemingly small, there is a lot of good stuff. One guy is so well-know for his strawberries, they are usually sold out within an hour. Some people order in advance. Martha was right there at 8:00 and there was a line behind her. People were buying cases! As I watched the show, a young boy standing in line told me there is a great bakery on the other side. “Is that your bakery?” I asked. He nodded and smiled. I went over and bought a few things and told the ladies of the little salesman. I think his name is William. They just raised their eyebrows and continued their busy orders.

Since we were traveling, we had to pass up lots of beautiful produce. A cider shop had all their varieties out. There was a great coffee stall with a line of people. A woodworker displayed butcher-block tables and cutting boards. At 8:15, the place was hopping. I spotted Martha talking to a man who made pork rinds. Behind her was William talking to a lady. I walked behind, listening to his great pitch. He was so nonchalant and engaging – the perfect salesman at 9 years old.

From 10-12:00 we had an open house, where anyone from town can come look through Airstreams. I was surprised by the turnout. Lots of people were asking questions and going through trailers. During breaks in the action, I went into other Airstreams. It’s a great opportunity to see how people do things. Mindy had a great solution for shoes, which are often stacked by the door. Pat McLemore did some great things with pictures. He has a similar solar system, also done by Lew Farber. I liked Jeff’s bedspreads.

In the evening we went with Gary and Lynn Brink to dinner at the Tavern, which started as a tavern in 1779. It is one of the oldest buildings west of the Blue Ridge. It has served as post office, bank, bakery, antique shop, hospital and once again, a tavern. Maybe I was still in New Orleans mode, but I ordered Jambalaya in Abingdon, Va! It was excellent! Everyone enjoyed their dish in a very pleasant, outdoor, environment.

The only available time for seating was 5:00

Martha ordered soft-shell crabs, also excellent

Then on to the Barter Theater to see “Kentucky Spring”. From https://bartertheatre.com/history/

June 10, 1933

Barter Theatre opened its doors, proclaiming “With vegetables you cannot sell, you can buy a good laugh.” The price of admission was 40 cents or an equivalent amount of produce. Four out of five theatregoers paid their way with vegetables, dairy products and livestock.
To the surprise of many, all the seats for the first show were filled. The concept of trading “ham for Hamlet” caught on quickly. At the end of the first season, the Barter Company cleared $4.35 in cash, two barrels of jelly, and a collective weight gain of over 300 pounds.
Today, at least one performance a year celebrates Barter’s history by accepting donations for Feeding America Southwest Virginia. Barter Days happen in the month of June as a birthday celebration for Barter Theatre, and we will list those performance times on our Ways to Save page.

The theater is in great condition. We have been to another play across the street, a smaller, intimate venue. It was a very enjoyable play, receiving a standing ovation at the end. I hope to be back for many more. Maybe I can coordinate with Cadence’s softball games.

Abingdon, Virginia, Anthony's Deserts, Abingdon, VA, Silver in The Streets, Abingdon, VA, Virginia, Virginia Creeper Trail

Abingdon, VA

by Greg • May 28, 2022 • 0 Comments

Friday, May 13, 2022

18 Airstreams lined Remsburg Drive in downtown Abingdon for a Silver in The Streets Rally. Coffee and breakfast sandwiches brought everyone out on the street on a beautiful morning. It’s interesting to see how other Airstreamers do things. I enjoyed talking with Bruce Campbell and seeing how he had setup his bikes in the back of his truck.

Peter Davey has a great truck-top tent by IKamper, so I checked that out. It would be great for fishing the backcountry of British Columbia or Montana. He has also recently installed an impressive solar system.

We walked one block to the new Visitor’s Center, once a beautiful brick home, and now so nicely restored. A nice young lady gave us some history and advice on where to go and what to see.

One of the great attractions to Abingdon is the Virginia Creeper Trail, a wonderful rails-to-trails that follows beautiful Laurel Creek. The usual ride is from White Top Laurel down to Damascus or Abingdon, but Martha is getting ready to walk the El Camino Trail in Spain, so she opted for an out and back from Abingdon. It’s a beautiful trail that we have walked and ridden a number of times. My bike got a tune-up after this ride, and the technician advised me to clean the braking part of the wheels, as my brake pads had worn a lot. The cinder of this kind of trail will surely collect on it, especially in the rains we got.

That evening, after a shower and some rest, we walked two blocks too Greeko’s Grill and Cafe for a greek salad with chicken. Then to Anthony’s Deserts for some home-made ice cream.

Bristol, VA, Silver in The Streets, Abingdon, VA

Silver in The Streets, Abingdon, Va

by Greg • May 27, 2022 • 2 Comments

May 12-15

Virginia Airstream Club hosted a rally in one of my favorite towns, Abingdon, Virginia for three nights. In an agreement with the town, we parked 18 Airstreams on Remsburg Drive, one street down from Lee Highway, or Rt. 11, which is the main street of Abingdon. It is easy walking access to restaurants, shops and the Barter Theater, a great venue.

Arriving Thursday, we went to see a high school softball game where our friend, Amanda Rose’s daughter was playing short stop. Amanda was working and she would be a bit late. We found the field in Bristol, pausing at the top of a hill above the field to try to determine the best spot to sit. We opted for a small bleacher on the third base line that was not quite filled. I am not used to doing sports photography, but I took a 70-200 lens on my Nikon D850. As Mark had told me, I set it to Auto ISO and Auto white balance and put it on shutter priority. I took a few pictures standing up in the bleachers to test my settings. I got a couple of Chad, Amanda’s husband and the assistant coach. Mothers and family were obviously wondering who we were. Martha asked the lady next to her if a young girl behind the bleachers was Ainsley Rose, Amanda’s youngest. She said yes, and Martha told her our story. Well the whole bleacher got the story, and all smiled. Soon we were right in the conversation and felt at home. Well, maybe right at home 60 years ago when all was right with the world.

The players were introduced from each side, and it was readily apparent the opposing team was a lot bigger. We were informed they were high school, but Cadence’s team was an 8th grade team. We were asked to stand for the national anthem. Every person stood, put their hand over their hearts and sang along facing the flag. I couldn’t help looking around. Even the younger kids behind the bleachers were doing the same. Brought a tear to my eye.

A heavy-set grandfather in front of us said the game was five innings, but it was a double-header, or two games. Sheez, I thought. This is going to go past my bedtime! At all breaks, music was played over the loudspeakers, and Cadence danced. Others sang along while they warmed up. As the game started, we could see Cadence was a very good athlete. Short stop is where the best athletes play, and she did a great job. She also seemed to be their best hitter, almost making a home run on her first time up. She hit a taller part of the fence. A couple of yards to the right and it would have been a home run.

The visiting team won handily in the first game. The break gave us a chance to talk with Amanda, who talked about living in Charlottesville for a while, and maybe the kids needed a bigger city. I said, “How can you beat this?! A place where all the kids hug each other and hang on the fence talking to their moms, where they sing the national anthem, and Cadence’s father is assistant coach; where Cadence also plays basketball, where her sister plays with her friends behind the bleachers; where a mother goes into the dugout to give her diabetic daughter something to eat, where the coach comes over to the fence to greet the families. There is no amount of money to replace this!”

The second game was a thriller where the home team jumped out to a 5-0 lead, but lost by a run in the last inning. The competitiveness of these girls was amazing. Sliding into bases, digging up grounders, their pigtails getting dirty. They didn’t care. It was so fun! By the end of the game, I realized Cadence is a gifted athlete with great form, balance, eyes and concentration.

Of course they were all distraught at such a close loss, It was also the last game of the year, so they were all crying and hugging, while Amanda handed out home-made cookies. Partly, they were sad they wouldn’t be together as school would be out. As Amanda said, “They’re girls with hormones. What do you expect?” If it wasn’t four hours, I’d drive down for all the games next year!