Christmas Party 2014

More than seventy Shanty Shakers (and a few guests) gathered to celebrate another great year and the Christmas season. It was a beautiful, sunny, clear day in Coronado as we enjoyed the camaraderie and friendship. As you can see on the slide show below, the atmosphere was one of warmth and caring among old friends, new friends and friends we haven't met yet.

"Since there is nothing so well worth having as friends,

 never lose a chance to make them." -Francesco Guicciardini

"Let us be grateful to people who make us happy, 

they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom"– Marcel Proust

The Shanty Shaker Officers would like to wish you and your family

 a very Merry Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year !!

Fun times in Yuma !

It was a fun time of laughter, sharing and eating at the Yuma Hot Air Balloon Rally. Eighteen rigs attended including a guest, Melba, who travels with her cocker spaniel and parrot. Another couple, full time Escapees RVers, joined us for happy hour one night and Bob K recruited a Canadian gentleman to join the club. We had two fairly new Shanty Shaker couples who attended their first rally. Welcome !!

Brian and Barbara Downing

John and Debbie Lupton

Debbie L remarked that she didn't know there would be so much eating. (welcome to the club guys !). Guests also included Stan B's daughter and son-in-law (no, they didn't stay in Stan and Mary's little A frame rig)

 

Besides our always delicious Happy hours....

Marilyn Anderson, Ken Pace, Dave Anderson

we enjoyed dinner at a German restaurant and were happy to have Nancy and Pete T join us (Nancy is doing well after knee surgery).

Another afternoon, we went to Old Town Yuma and explored the very amusing Lutes Casino.(not really a casino) The website describes the place like this  "The décor is early eclectic, what might be called interesting junk. And it is everywhere. The 12-foot-high walls are plasters with posters, paintings, murals and decals of every description. Over there is a poster of Laurel and Hardy. And there’s Humphrey Bogart. The “Babe” rests his famous bat on his shoulder in another. Suspended from the ceiling is a full-size Signal Gas sign, and another for Western Union. The eye cannot travel one foot without coming to rest on some unique piece of memorabilia. A glance up will reveal the best of all- a raggedy foot crashing through the ceiling. .......The  Special” or “Especial,” a combination cheeseburger and hotdog covered with hot sauce." (no, thank-you)

don't ask

Oh yes, there was also a hot air balloon launch. Saturday morning was perfect weather and the multicolored balloons were enjoyed by all.

American flag at sunrise

What, no basket?

 Saturday evening, some people braved the crowds to see the Night Glow.

 Many were glad that they didn't set the alarms for O dark thirty on Sunday as the weather was less cooperative with windy conditions hence no balloon launch.

Saturday evening closed with a pot luck dinner."Bring your own meat" was grilled outside in the fire pit. As always, it was a very enjoyable evening....and another enjoyable Shanty Shaker Rally.

Many thanks to John and Wendy for hosting the event this year and for everything else you two have done throughout the year !! Wagon-masters extraordinaire !!

See you on December 9 for the annual Chapter Christmas Party Pot Luck at  the Coronado Cays Bahama-Antigua Clubhouse Coronado. (43 1/2 Catspaw Cape) starting at noon hosted by Mary and Stan Baker.  (bakershome@ymail.com or 619 405-2212). Click here for  MAP

Some members are staying at Silver Strand State Beach (across the road) the night before and you are welcome to join in !

25th Anniversary Party at Pechanga

 

The Shanty Shakers, Chapter 25 of the Escapees RV Club, was founded on August 24th 1989 with 43 members. The name Shanty Shakers was the idea of our first President, Bill Hitt, who had been a commercial truck driver for many years hauling mobile homes. The truckers call these rigs "shanty shakers", a term still in use today. (Would you believe there is another RV group called the Shanty Shakers home based in Delaware?) The chapter is now more than 130 members strong and still growing!

Thirty-three rigs gathered at the beautiful Pechanga RV Resort in Temecula and enjoyed a great time of camaraderie, fantastic weather and of course, good food! Guests included Wayne Lawyer, who was the chapters first vice president and second president.He shared a few words about the trials of getting the chapter off the ground. Another chapter past president, Shirley Warren, treated the crowd to a beautiful rendition to the song "Smile". The crowd couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as she sang.

Dave and Marilyn Anderson, VCRs, presented a letter of congratulations from Escapees headquarters signed by the founder Kay Peterson to the current club presidents, Garth and Judy Carle.

Marilyn also presented a new (miniature) RV to the chapter.

After happy hour and dinner, evenings were spent around a cozy campfire pit,(thanks to Don R.) trying our luck at the slots or Blackjack table in the casino, watching DVDs (thanks to Herb), playing cards or just spending time with new friends and old, while listening to the coyotes howl in the distant hills. This group truly becomes like family.

We give a tremendous gratitude to the many people who helped  make the rally a success but a special kudos goes out to John and Wendy Pumphrey along with Herb and Dayle Sands for leading the efforts.

Judy presented flowers to Wendy and Dayle.

Herb boiling the brats

And now a message from the new Chapter Directors:

We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves to all the great Escapee Chapters, C-BOF’s, and VCR’s.  We are Mark and Dortha Hall, the new Chapter Directors for the Escapees RV Club.  And, along with the Club, we wish Denny and Susie a happy retirement.

We have been RVing since 1994 and full timing since 2007.  We have a home base in Fort Worth, Texas, where we enjoy hanging out with our three children and six grandchildren.   In the winter, you can usually find us at Retama Village in the Rio Grande Valley.  Otherwise, we are out and about traveling this beautiful country.

We are so blessed to have made so many friends across the country while enjoying this lifestyle.  We love working with the Escapees RV Club and are privileged to be a part of a great family of RVers.  We have met many of you over the past several years while working as Escapade Coordinators and look forward to meeting many more of you in the future.

Our hope is that together, we can take the social arm of the club to new heights of success.   We hope you will be patient with us as we learn with you and from you, as we look forward to supporting you the chapters, C-BOF’s, and VCR’s.  We also look forward to receiving support, help, and cooperation from all of you.  And, together we can insure the Caring and Sharing of Escapees will continue to grow.

Please feel free to contact us at chapterdirectors@escapees.com

Hugs,

Mark and Dortha Hall

Chapter Directors

Escapees RV Club

Escondido Elks weekend

Submitted by Judy Carle

The mini rally at the Escondido Elks was short, but sweet. There were three rigs for the week-end of Elks eating. The Friday night dinner was wonderful: roast beef with all the trimmings, Saturday night bratwurst with all of the trimmings along with German chocolate cake for dessert. We enjoyed donuts and coffee in the mornings and  an Elks Hamburger lunch Saturday afternoon. 

The Car Show put on by Corvettes of San Diego in the Elks parking lot was a sight to behold.The picture of the dog peeing on the wheel is a "fake" dog with water coming out. It was so cute! 

Several other Shanty Shaker couples joined us to enjoy bratwurst and laugh with the South Coast District Follies entertainment. It was amateur night at it's best. The weather was good and the Escondido Elks were very accommodating.

Thank you September Hosts !!

Thank-you Betty and Clark for hosting the luncheon at the Spaghetti Factory. Once again, good food with good friends was enjoyed by all. We sneaked in a little birthday celebration for Garth, Rey, Doug, Mary B, Stan and  Mary (C). Happy Birthday, kids !

Submitted by Sharon Gladding:

The rally at Guajome Regional Park from September 16-18 was a lot of fun despite the HEAT and ANTS.   Stan and Mary Baker, Garth and Judy Carle, Vern and Faith Foster, Jim and Sharan Harrison, Bill and Jan McLennan, Doug and Sara Potts, John and Wendy Pumphrey, Don and Nell Regnier, Dave and Carol Rudolph, Herb and Dayle Sands, and Bob and Dianna Simons were among those who camped and Tom and Mary Ann Cathey visited during the day and attended the pot luck dinner along with Clark and Betty Paxton.    As usual, lots of great food.

  

On Thursday, Bob and Dianna Simons attended a Coast Guard Reserve meeting – what an eye-opener to see them in uniform (not their usual camping attire)!!

On Wednesday, we took a self-guided tour of the Rancho Guajome Adobe, a historical site first inhabited by Native Americans - very interesting.  On Thursday, we had a wonderful tour of the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum.   We were greeted by Connie Morton, a feisty, retired school marm who had made fresh home-made lemonade and cookies.   She relayed some interesting stories about life in the early days.   The Museum’s Fall Tractor Show and Vista Fiber Arts Fiesta will be held at the Museum in October. (museum website here)

Co-Hosts, the Kalendas and Gladdings, would like to thank all those who attended – good friends, delicious food, and fun socializing. And we want to thank them for stepping up and hosting a rally !!

Another new (Shanty Shaker) rig

SUBMITTED BY BOB KOMINSKI
To start with we made a plan to sell our Lexington motor home and tow car and down size to a smaller MH and not have a tow car.  We listed the Lexington for sell.  Within a few weeks we sold it to some nice folks from San Marcos, Maureen and David Brewer.  They are newer members of the Escapees.  I asked them to join the Shanty Shakers, which I understand that they are new members of chapter 25.  After the sale we already had the unit in mind to replace the Lexington.   So we started our shopping on the internet and purchased  a 2015 Winnebago Era 70A from a dealer in Forest City, Iowa near the Winnebago factory.

We loaded up the tow car and left  Vista for a 1900 mile trip to Forest City with stops in Colorado to see grand kids and friends.  Picked up the new rig Aug. 8th.

 We took it on a 1200 mile test run leaving the tow car at the dealer.  Traveled up to Minnesota and the north shore highway around Lake Superior to Thunder Bay, Canada and back to Forest City.  Had one small fix done at the dealer and sold the tow car there also.

We traveled the long way back on back roads and Interstate 90.   Stopping at many places that we had not been to in years that included Badlands SD, Wall Drug in Wall SD, Mt. Rushmore , Crazy Horse Mont., Deadwood, SD,  Devils Tower Mont,  Cody.s Buffalo Bills Western Center, Yellowstone and Teton National parks and with a final stop in SAMs Town, Las Vegas.  Over 5700 miles traveled and the new rig handled great and so easy to drive and get around.  The best part was the 17mpg and getting back safe and sound.
Hugs
 Bob & Judy KOMINSKI 

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Minutes from the August chapter meeting are posted on the Past Meeting Minutes tab.

Here are a few photos from the last meeting.

Lamplighters Ignite, Escapade Registration, Pechanga Party

OCTOBER 20-21-22 2014:The 25th Anniversary Rally, at Pechanga RV Resort The cost is $105.00 and payment needs to be received no later than September 8, 2014. Checks should be made out to Shanty Shakers Chapter 25 and mailed to John Pumphrey 10518 Susie Pl., Santee, Ca. 92071. For more information read the Rally Info page.

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Escapees memberships just $29.95!  (from Escapees website)

"There is a story about an old lamplighter who lived in an English village. Each evening at dusk, the old man would make his rounds with a ladder and his light. He'd place the ladder against a pole, climb up and light that lamp, step back down and, picking up the ladder, would go on to the next pole. Long after he had gone, people knew which way he went from the burning lamps.

We think that must be a most satisfying way to spend one's life-lighting lamps for others."--Joe and Kay Peterson, 1982
The goal to "light the lamps" for others has never faded. For more than 35 years, Escapees RV Club has illuminated the path of RV travel through education, social support, and specialty services. It builds confidence in those just venturing out and creates everlasting bonds among the most seasoned RVers. It encourages fellow RVers to share their talents and their wisdom-paying it forward as we go.

The RV lifestyle is not a secret to protect. It is a gift that we should be sharing with others so that they too might enjoy the quality of life and ultimate freedom of RV travel.

If you believe that the Escapees RV Club provides a support network that someone you know could benefit from, there has never been a better time to light their path!

Escapees memberships are now just $29.95, plus no enrollment fees! Renew/join now or share this news with a friend. Remember, you can check your lamplighter account at MySKP and see who has joined based on your recommendation. 

Freedom Awaits--it's time to escape!

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REGISTER EARLY !! (click here) full-hook-up sites (30-amp electrical, water, and sewer) as well as 30-amp electrical service sites will go FAST, so make your reservation early to ensure your choice of amenity is available. Boondocking sites are almost limitless.

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Garth and Judy at Malibu with Tom and MaryAnn

Marianne soaking up the rays

Garth studying a map while Tom looks on. (Judy must be taking the pictures)

Have you ever heard of "hot skin" condition ? Read this article about a recent tragic death of a 3 year boy during an accidental electrocution as he exited the family camper .