November 2007

Have you seen FMC’s newest column? “Rear View” appears each month on the last page of the magazine. Readers share their thoughts on specific topics — their favorite travel sites, restaurants, activities, etc.
We’d like to hear from you, too.

The sun had yet to crack the eastern horizon on a crisp March morning in Perry, Georgia, during FMCA’s 77th International Convention, but already the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter was alive. Emerging from the darkness, in all directions folks converged — first in trickles, then in streams — on a large, open-air building to grab a cup of coffee and a couple of doughnuts during the association’s traditional wake-up gathering.
Handshakes were exchanged, backs were slapped, and laughter could be heard above the music being played by the Frustrated Maestros.

Jayco Inc., touted as the largest privately owned RV manufacturer in North America, will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2008.
The company, which began on a farm in Middlebury, Indiana, in 1968, initially produced a single-model fold-down camper with the help of 15 employees. Today Jayco operates manufacturing plants in Middlebury and Twin Falls, Idaho, building several types of RVs under 15 different brand names, and employing more than 1,700 people.

Spray ‘N’ Seal Leak Repair from Permatex Inc.Spray ‘N’ Seal Leak Repair from Permatex Inc. is said to seal low-pressure leaks in minutes without the need to disassemble or remove parts.
The aerosol spray provides a durable rubber barrier to repair leaks in numerous automotive applications.

Toolbox slide-out using drawer slidesI had a problem getting into my three-drawer toolbox, which is located in one of the exterior bins of my type C motorhome. So I designed a simple slide-out to solve the problem.
My toolbox weighs 56 pounds loaded, so I went to the neighborhood home improvement store and purchased a pair of cabinet drawer slides designed to handle 100 pounds.

Brilliant blue skies, warm summer temperatures, and rugged high-desert beauty, with snowcapped mountain peaks in the distance, greeted FMCA members who followed the highways and byways to Central Oregon for FMCA’s 78th International Convention — dubbed “Rediscover Redmond.”
For some this was indeed a time of rediscovery, as FMCA made a return visit to the Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, having held conventions there in 2001 and 2004. For others it was a time of discovery, as they experienced the magic and majesty of this Northwest setting for the first time, or even attended their very first FMCA convention.

Several niches within the RV market beg to be served. For example, some motorhome buyers prefer a vehicle that has a midcoach entry instead of a front bus-style entry.

FMCA’s Executive Board is made up of four nationally elected officers — the national president, senior vice president, secretary, and treasurer — and the 10 national area vice presidents, who are elected by their respective areas. (The immediate past national president also serves as a non-voting member.) As a result of changes in the FMCA Bylaws that instituted two-year terms, five of the 10 areas hold national vice president elections in odd-numbered years, and the other five areas hold elections in even-numbered years.
Following are abbreviated resumes for the national vice presidents recently elected.

When you visit southern Florida and the Naples area, be sure to include a trip to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. It has been called the crown jewel of the Audubon sanctuary system, and one visit will confirm all the accolades.

For all who participated in Family Motor Coach Association’s Governing Board meeting in Redmond, Oregon, this past August, I thank you for taking part in the governance of FMCA and bestowing on me the honor and opportunity to serve as national president for the next two years. I accept the responsibility with humility and vow to serve all the members with the dedication and commitment expected of the office.

Editor’s note: Mr. Eversmann presented the following report to the FMCA Governing Board during its meeting in Redmond, Oregon, this past August.

I am pleased to share with you an update on the Family Motor Coach Association and activities that have been occurring related to its operation since we last met.

Pull out these recipes when a hungry crowd gathers under your awning.
When you’re in a cooking mood, prepare one or more of these group recipes. Then serve these super-size dishes to a large gathering or freeze them in smaller batches to suit your needs.
Fried Rice For A Crowd
When you freeze the basic fried rice in smaller batches, you’ve written yourself a blank check for future feasts.

I have an Onan generator located at the rear of a 38-foot type A coach. Each year I’m required to have the armature cleaned and new brushes installed, as the generator fails to produce power.

James “Jim” Jennings, F94845, who served FMCA as national secretary from 1998 to 2000, passed away on July 21, 2007, after a brief battle with lung cancer.
Jim was born on October 15, 1935, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He attended Comstock High School, where he met his future wife, Shirley, when both were in the ninth grade.

This Country Coach owners chapter caters to “snowbirds” of the southeastern United States.
FMCA has plenty of chapters made up of people who all own the same brand of motorhome. Often, the motorhome manufacturer sets up the FMCA chapter for customers, which is the case with Country Coach Inc.’s Country Coach International chapter.

FMCA has held five international conventions at the Georgia National Fairgrounds & Agricenter (GNFA) in Perry, but a current law would make it impractical to hold a sixth confab in the Peach State.
The legislation, enacted in August 2005, prohibits out-of-state dealers from selling a new RV in Georgia unless they have a franchise dealership agreement to do so.
In late April 2007, the General Assembly passed HB 117, which would have allowed certain franchise agreement exemptions for rallies or conventions involving more than 2,500 RVs. Attendance at FMCA conventions typically exceeds 3,000 motorhomes, so HB 117 would have paved the way for out-of-state RV dealers to sell at these events.
Governor Sonny Perdue, on May 30, vetoed HB 117.

Putting medical, financial, and estate matters in order; adopting a pet.

Death and taxes aren’t the only unavoidable matters that full-timers have to tangle with. Unlike people who live in one place, you have to deal with your “home” state, the state you’re in at the moment, and any states where you have assets.

These desert-dwellers may not sound particularly tuneful, but they’re quite content making their home in the arid environment.
Out in the desert, long before the sun peeks over the horizon, the sounds of birds enter the open vent in our motorhome, providing our wake-up call as the avian community greets the new day. We try to identify each new melody as it appears, waiting for the familiar voice, gradually leaving sleep behind.

These aquatic emporiums take landlubbers underwater to view the wetter side of nature.
Seeing an aquarium on television can’t compare with viewing it in person. Here you can learn about underwater creatures firsthand.

The heart of the Aqua-Hot and Hydro-Hot hydronic heating systems (now the Aqua-Hot 600-D and Aqua-Hot 450-D, respectively) is a diesel burner unit manufactured by Webasto. This European supplier makes and markets its units to several industries, among them the RV industry, primarily through Aqua-Hot Heating Systems Inc.

Even though it happened more than a decade ago, the memory is still fresh. With our motorhome’s fuel tanks full, food loaded, and the family aboard, I headed out of a Santa Clarita, California, fuel stop.