For Friday's AlumaFlamingo schedule, there were a couple seminars booked at the same time that Justin and I really wanted to attend so we decided to split up so we didn't miss anything. 

We both attended "Tech Tips" with Dave Schumann of Airstream at 10 a.m. and got some great pointers on Airstream care and maintenance. Most of the seminar revolved around "Frequently Asked Questions" about new Airstreams and towing tips, but we were able to apply much of it to our vintage Overlander. 

One of the neatest tips is using orange Pledge and a microfiber cloth to shine up an Airstream. The Airstream gurus said they often use it to spruce up the trailers at expos and rallies. They use it on the interior and exterior aluminum. I'll spot test it in a discreet place on our vintage trailer since we have a different type of aluminum, but hopefully it will have the same effect as it does on the new trailers. The orange scent is a bonus!

We split up at 11 a.m. so Justin could attend "Vintage Restoration" with Colin Hyde, while I went to "The Africa Caravan" led by Dale "Pee Wee" Schwamborn.

Pee Wee was a caravan scout for his cousin and Airstream founder, Wally Byam on their 1960 caravan from Cape Town to Cairo, an adventure that would traverse approximately 8,000 miles. The first part of the journey required these precious Airstreams to be lifted by a crane on a barge over the water and onto a passenger freighter to be shipped to South Africa. This photo of an Airstream bearing an incredible resemblance to our 1960 Overlander, The Riveted Roost, makes me cringe every time.

Once in Africa, their trip was very well planned. As a scout, Pee Wee would go ahead of the caravan to ensure the roads were passable and make camp at the next destination. I was impressed at their ambition to cross through some very rough terrain with these trailers. There were areas where they had to create tracks through the mud and soft sand, often getting stuck. They had to use a lot of manpower and creativity to pull the Airstreams out of these precarious situations. The Airstreams also crossed rivers aboard tiny man-made ferries (if you can even call them that), and rickety wooden bridges. I get nervous pulling "Riva" on a narrow, paved road next to a canal without a guard rail!

I was also impressed by how well the caravaners dressed - Pee Wee's photos showed lots of suits, dresses, hats, even some fur coats. Wardrobe storage and laundry was surely an interesting situation during this long journey. 

Watch for Pee Wee's stories and photos from this famous trip on Airstream's Facebook page and website - they are featured quite frequently on "Throwback Thursdays." If you ever attend an Airstream event where Pee Wee is doing a presentation, be sure to attend. Airstream's history is fascinating and Wally Byam's marketing tactics are impressive. Pee Wee does a fabulous job of sharing these stories and images.

Last night, we decided over the campfire to visit one of the local Pennsylvania Dutch/Amish restaurants for dinner tonight. There are several delicious choices in the Pinecraft village of Sarasota and our selection was narrowed down to two: Der Dutchman and Yoders. 

The group decided on Der Dutchman and our neighbors warned us to "wear stretchy pants" because the buffet is incredibly indulgent. Buffet strategies were plotted in serious tones by the guys while the ladies discussed suitable outfits - we didn't want to offend the locals by showing too much skin and expandable waistbands were a must!

We had a table of eight hungry Airstreamers and Der Dutchman did not disappoint. The restaurant is huge - there are two giant dining rooms on either side of the buffet, each resembling a church reception hall. We all went for the buffet, which featured a well appointed salad bar, some amazingly delicious fried chicken, fish, Amish stuffing, green beans, mashed potatoes, homemade noodles, macaroni and cheese, a variety of cakes for dessert and much, much more. The buffet also included a serving of soft serve ice cream, which at that point, was overkill. 

As promised, we left rather stuffed, but not before we shopped for some "souvenirs." Upstairs, there's a retail shop with beautiful quilts and gift items, plus a bakery and market downstairs. Every flavor pie imaginable is showcased, along with dairy products and all kinds of pantry staples. I eyeballed some fresh churned butter, but Justin turned me down... we ended up purchasing a small loaf of banana bread for breakfast the next morning.

I was thoroughly impressed with the cleanliness of the entire operation and the wonderful customer service. Der Dutchman is a treat and definitely worth a visit if you're in the Sarasota area. Next time, we'll visit for breakfast, which looks divine.

Later in the evening, we enjoyed a live jazz performance at the fairgrounds, followed by Josh Rogan's show at the 210 Tavern in Sarasota. Josh and his wife Eliza are fellow vintage Airstreamers who traveled to AlumaFlamingo from Colorado. Josh is a wonderful musician and Eliza is a talented artist enjoying life on the road. It was a great evening of amazing music and new friends.

Follow our adventures on Twitter @RivetedRoost, or find us on Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest  and Instagram. We're posting a lot of photos to our social media sites in real time, so follow along!

{By Kelly}

One of the highlights of our AlumaFlamingo adventure was Sarasota Jungle Gardens. This beautiful park has been in operation since 1939 and is truly a Florida landmark. It has a kitschy vibe that we found both endearing and nostalgic. The gardens are home to more than 150 native and exotic animal species, so there is plenty to see.

We strolled through the children's play area and tropical jungle until we arrived at a clearing with a lake and dozens of pink flamingos. We had purchased two bags of food with our admission at the entrance (highly recommended, otherwise, you'll be buying handfuls of feed out of the gum ball machine a quarter at a time). I was eager to feed the flamingos, so I knelt down and a few friendly pink ladies nibbled the pellets right out of my hand. The large males had a funny arrogant strut and seemed too busy tending their flock to be bothered with taking treats from people.

I've never been so close to a flamingo and was amazed by their strangely prehistoric presence. They appeared quite graceful with their long legs and necks, but ridiculously awkward when trying to move quickly across the pond, as illustrated in the slide show.

We walked around the park and saw a variety of birds and turtles, as well as pygmy goats, lemurs and monkeys. There was a reptile exhibit and show, but we skipped it because we knew we had to get back to the camper to let the dogs out. We ate lunch by the koi pond at the Flamingo Cafe and Justin ordered lemonade in a pink flamingo bottle - it will make a great souvenir and dish soap dispenser for The Riveted Roost.

I had to visit the flamingos one last time before we left. I was happy to find that they were ready for lunch, too, and had better appetites than before. We found one flamingo (tag #20) that had a deformed beak. His overbite seemed to make it difficult to eat the pellets from the ground, so we made sure he got plenty to eat. You can see him in the video below, and hear the unique sounds they make towards the end of the clip. If you visit Sarasota Jungle Gardens, look for #20, he's a friendly guy who would love a snack.

After Sarasota Jungle Gardens, we made a stop by Publix to pick up some beer (New Belgium's "Accumulation" White IPA) and the ingredients for Mojo Pork. 

We accumulated a lot of "Accumulation" bottles during this trip. We initially tried it because it has a vintage Airstream on the label, but were pleasantly surprised at how good it is. It's a Winter Seasonal ale, and we were still able to find it in February in Florida, despite the 80 degree weather.

I knew we would rather socialize than slave over dinner, so a crockpot meal was a perfect solution. Mojo pork is a super easy recipe and there are a variety of ways to serve it. I made a big batch so we could share with our neighbors. The entire campground is going to smell that savory pork slow cooking all afternoon and come calling at dinner time, so be prepared!

INGREDIENTS

• One tablespoon olive or coconut oil
  
• One pork shoulder or pork butt (I used two small Boston butt roasts to fit in a large crock pot. I also trim any visible fat before cooking - or you could ask your butcher to do this for you)
  
• One large bottle of Mojo (I used Goya)
  
• Two Spanish onions, sliced in 1/4 inch rings
  

DIRECTIONS
Heat oil in a large skillet on medium high. Sear pork on all sides to form a golden brown crust. Put pork in crockpot on low and cover with entire bottle of mojo. Put the lid on and set a timer for 8 hours (or cook on high for 4-5 hours). When 30 minutes of cook time remain, uncover and add sliced onions on top of the pork. When the pork is finished and the onions are tender, remove from crockpot and shred pork with two forks. Reserve some of the cooking liquid for the pulled pork (skim the fat off). Return pulled pork, onions, and reserved liquid to crock pot and set temperature to "keep warm" until ready to serve.

I like to serve the pork with black beans, yellow rice and romaine lettuce. You can also make mojo pork sliders/sandwiches using bakery rolls, or mojo tacos with tortillas and your favorite toppings.

While our pork was simmering, we went to the AlumaFlamingo Happy Hour, which was followed by the "Aluminum Gong Show," a charity talent show where fellow campers show off their best (and a few terrible) talents. If you like the act, you can buy them extra time on stage by putting some money in the hat for the local food bank. If no one puts up any money, the act will get "gonged" and will have to exit the stage. It was a fun show, with gifted musicians, poets, a few bad comedians, but lots of laughs.

Afterwards, we returned to our campsite and enjoyed a fire with our neighbors. I cooked up some rice and beans on the camp stove and we had a delicious mojo pork feast. (You'll have to excuse the presentation... I didn't think to take an "after" photo until the next day when we got the leftovers out.)

After dinner, our neighbor Becky cooked some Jiffy Pop over the fire. Even as an adult, there's something mesmerizing about that space-age looking popcorn popping up to create that silver dome of deliciousness. We passed it around and I swear it tasted even better than it did when I was a kid... It was a perfect way to end the day.

{By Kelly}

Our AlumaFlamingo departure day was upon us. Tuesday morning (Feb. 18, 2014), we both had meetings, so we knew we’d get a late start. We wanted to be on the road by 11 a.m. but it ended up being after noon before we finally got out of the driveway. The hope was to make it to Sarasota in time for the Yappy Hour at 3 p.m. so the pups could play. We knew we’d be pushing it.

It took a little longer to get Riva packed up and I had an unexpected but much appreciated visitor. Justin's mom Polly dropped by with a special delivery: an Airstream quilt, an early birthday present (Happy Birthday to ME!) It's made of various Airstream-themed T-shirts, perfect for the futon bed. We LOVE it, thank you Polly!

We packed up our stuff, loaded the pups and were ready to go. However, our trailer lights gave us trouble. We spent 20 minutes fiddling with fuses and connections, tapping the brakes, flipping the blinkers, before we finally said, “Screw it! Let’s go!” Luckily, as soon as we pulled out, they started to work. Guess this old trailer needs to warm up first.

We took Martin Highway to Highway 70 across the state just north of Lake Okeechobee. Justin started out driving, but he was dog-tired, so I took the wheel about half way. It’s a nice, scenic drive through the farmland, across the Kissimmee River, then through Myakka River State Park before getting to I-75 and jogging a few miles north to Fruitville Road in Sarasota.

The Riveted Roost pulled into the Sarasota County Fairgrounds right before 4 p.m. but it took some time before the parking staff could escort us to our spot. We had requested vintage parking, which was 5 amp. We weren’t too excited about that, but 30 amp was sold out at the time we registered.

Due to our late arrival, our parking spot wasn't exactly in the vintage area. We asked if there were any 30 amp spots available and lo and behold, there were! A/C is a beautiful thing in Florida, even in February. We were looking at 80 degree + highs for the duration of our stay. Despite the $107 up charge, it turned out to be a blessing because we were parked at the very back of the field on the end, which is a great location for the youngsters with two chatty hound dogs. We were thrilled to meet our neighbors, a couple of young Airstreamers from Cape Canaveral. We hit it off right away.

We decided to crate the dogs for our first excursion away from the camper: Happy Hour. Unfortunately, the crates wouldn’t lock into place. I told Justin not to worry, the weight of the dogs in the crate would hold everything in place.

We headed to Happy Hour and met our neighbors and another young Airstreaming couple full-timing it across the country. We missed the orientation and ukulele jam band, but arrived in time for some complimentary beer. Bud Light has never tasted so good!

We got quite the chuckle when we got back to Riva less than an hour later. The dogs had partially collapsed their crates and rolled them upside down toward the door, spilling their kibble all over their crates. They were wild eyed and relieved to see us. We promptly threw the crates in the dumpster. That’s what you get for buying dog crates at Big Lots! Guess the pups will be crate-free for the duration of the rally. I’m a little nervous about that… I’m having visions of Jackson chewing the corner of the vintage kitchen cabinets right before our open house. Mercy!

We set up our campsite, then Justin had to do some crimping to the plumbing connections. Apparently, he had gotten cheap and decided not to invest in the special Pex crimping tool. Once he turned the water on, he figured out why it was so important as he was met with a barrage of small leaks. Suffice it to say, you might save some money up front cutting corners, but you’ll pay for it down the line. So do it right the first time! (Sorry honey, I’m stepping off my soapbox now).

It was pretty late by the time we got done and we still needed to eat (I hadn’t had time to shop for our food). We found a place called Marina Jack on the water near downtown that allowed dogs on their outdoor patio. Unfortunately, we arrived after 9 p.m. and their kitchen was closed. We had a drink by the harbor, took the dogs for a stroll, then called for takeout from PF Changs. We chowed down on lo mein and lettuce wraps in the Airstream. It was lovely. Home sweet trailer home!

{By Kelly}

As expected, we didn't get everything done before we left for AlumaFlamingo. We've been burning the midnight oil for the past week, trying to accomplish our never-ending restoration "To Do" list. We haven't had much sleep lately, but we've made a pretty good dent. However, some things will have to be done once we're in Sarasota. That's OK. We're used to pulling into rallies and assembling Ikea futons.

Monday was a last-ditch effort to get The Riveted Roost in ship shape. Justin had the day off for Presidents Day and I took a half day. His main focus was to get the plumbing squared away, which included running the Pex piping from the water heater to the bathroom, then back to the kitchen, and adding an extra strap to the gray water tank to hold it securely during transit. 

At about 2:30 p.m., I was ready to start prepping Riva's exterior for her Airstream rally debut. Justin had to remove the fence panel from the backyard and tow her into the front yard so I would have enough room to move the ladder all around for her big bath. I started at 3 p.m. and didn't finish until after dark. She was filthy! Our cabbage palms had done a number on her, the black berries left a major scum all over the roof and A/C shroud, and streaked down her side panels. 

I used car wash liquid soap in a bucket of water and a soft, microfiber mitt, and tried my best to scrub with the grain of the aluminum and not against it. I started at the front end cap and at first, I felt like I was getting nowhere with my attack on the residue. It's hard to reach the roof, even perched precariously on the top rung of the ladder, but if I laid against the aluminum beast, I could reach the very top. It was a good strategy, but it results in being a human rag... I was soaked in no time. Once I started scrubbing the street side, I could see that I was making some progress, which was a great feeling.

When I got to the A/C shroud (which looked like a flock of birds with irritable bowel syndrome had taken to roosting on it), the palm berry residue came right off the plastic with minimal effort. Maybe it was poop? Thank God it was coming off easily, because I could barely reach it!  

Justin had to set up some shop lights so I could finish the last few panels after dark. Needless to say, I couldn't really admire my handiwork, so I hoped there would be a noticeable improvement visible in the morning. If this is what it takes to wash an Airstream, I'm not looking forward to polishing! Eeek!

I also Windexed all the windows inside and out with the help of my baseball hat that has LED lights in the bill. I love the jalousie windows on the curb side, but they are a bitch to clean. BUT! I'm willing to sacrifice for such awesome vintage windows. I think it was close to 11 p.m. by the time I finished.

Justin got a lot done with the plumbing, but he didn't get the drain hooked up for the kitchen sink, so we'll be doing dishes in the tub during AlumaFlamingo, ha ha! He also installed the tires sometime after midnight while I held the flashlight and the jack arm because it wasn't holding Riva up on its own. Aye yi yi! We need a new tire jack, too. Add that to the list.

I did some packing of clothes and toiletries and got all the remaining kitchen stuff sequestered into a laundry basket, WASHED BOTH DOGS - never a small feat, then collapsed in bed from exhaustion. We have certainly earned this trip!

Follow our adventures on Twitter @RivetedRoost, or find us on Facebook and Instagram. We're posting a lot of photos to our social media sites in real time, so follow along!

We have less than a week to go before we head to AlumaFlamingo in Sarasota and we still have so much to do! Here's what we've accomplished in the last month or so:

• Replaced roof vents (the one above the bathroom was a Vienna Sausage can installed by a previous owner!)
• Replaced or repainted all vents on the exterior walls of the trailer, replaced all screens to keep creepy crawlers out!
• Sealed all windows and reshaped the "eyebrow" shades above each window as many had been bent over time
  
• Removed all fixtures, tub, sink, countertop and cabinet from bathroom
• Primed and painted the interior of the kitchen closet where the hot water heater and refrigerator will go, along with the area that will be used as a pantry
•  Primed and painted the bathroom

Here's what we need to accomplish in the next few days before AlumaFlamingo:

• Finish applying the Tubby coating to the tub and bathroom sink/countertop, let dry as long as possible before installing back in trailer
  
• Build box/shelf around hot water heater to support refrigerator above
• Install plumbing and holding tanks for gray water
  
• Install tub, counter, sink, faucets and cabinets into bathroom
• Make shower curtain and rear cabin divider curtain (thank you, Polly!)
• Install remaining window screens
• Install screen for entry door and apply weather stripping
• Install new tires and hubcaps
• Rivet Riva's underbelly so it doesn't come loose again like it did on our way home from Key West
• Install 12 volt battery
• Remove and wash all dishes, utensils, bedding
• Do a good bug bombing now that all the holes and cracks have been sealed
• Clean interior
• Wash exterior
• Remove the fence panel in the backyard so we can hitch Riva up and move her up front
• Create a menu plan and go shopping for food and supplies
• Pack up all our food, supplies, equipment, bikes

I hope we can get all this accomplished in the limited amount of time we have left. Wish us luck!

Follow our adventures on Twitter @RivetedRoost, or find us on Facebook and Instagram.