It takes two hands to count how many TABbers that have stepped up to an Airstream! I'm pretty sure it all started with Tom and Ella from Ohio when they got The Silvermine and His, a 2011 Bambi. Before I knew it, Aluminitis struck Beth and Pete, Sandi and John, Stacy and Matt, Cathie and Jay, Rich and Sue, Larry and Dana, Fox, and Deb!
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1. They didn't always boast the iconic design. The original Airstreams were teardrop-shaped and two-toned.
2. The Airstream is like a second White House. A number of US Presidents and their families have spent time in them.
3. Early Airstream models were DIY, and made out of wood. Original models of the Airstream were built of Masonite, a type of hardboard made of pressed-wood fibers.
4. The first Airstreams had no bathrooms inside.
5. There was a square Airstream added by the company from 1986 to 1991. The "Squarestream" drew the ire of many fans and enthusiasts who went so far as to ban them from gatherings.
6. They have a huge celebrity following including Matthew McConaughey, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Lenny Kravitz, and Sean Penn.
7. William Hawley Bowlus (not Wally Byam), a veteran designer who had previously worked on Charles Lindbergh's Spirit of St. Louis airplane, was the first to use that streamlined shape on an RV.
8. Although the Airstream's original competitor is making a comeback, Wally may have bested William Hawley Bowlus in the 1930s. Fans of the Road Chief are attempting to bring them back. Only 80 were built before the company went under, but a Canadian couple has recently revived the Bowlus, adding modern amenities like Wi-Fi and solar paneling.
9. There are eight Airstreams buried nose down in the ground in Florida. The Airstream Ranch still stands strong on I-4 about 15 miles outside Tampa.
10. They're actually pretty light. Towing an Airstream trailer is not nearly as difficult as many people think. In fact, one of Wally's primary design goals was for it to be lightweight.
11. There are Airstream hotels scattered around the United States, South Africa, and France.
12. NASA nicknamed them the "Astrovan" after being used to take astronauts to the launchpad.
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I hope you enjoyed today's Postcard. Oh by the way, that's Deb's "Breezin'" in the photo above.