Duane Paige & Laurie Hunt (21070)
Arizona and Utah State Directors
In the May/June Legacy I spoke of weather and fowl, i.e., desert heat and snowbirds. This time we are going back to spelling and grammar. I’m not sure what has gotten into me but just try to work with me on it! In our articles, Duane & I frequently speak of our Newmar Family. The folks in the Kountry Klub have a place deep in our hearts with all that they bring to our collective RV lifestyle. Family is those that you surround yourself with, in good times and bad, and spend countless hours together throughout a lifetime. Our NKK experience has given us this huge NewFAM – Newmar Friends, Adventures, and Memories.
friend, noun / frɛnd/
1. A person with whom one has developed a close and informal relationship of mutual trust and intimacy; (more generally) a close acquaintance. Often with adjective indicating the closeness of the relationship, as best, good, close, etc.
2. A person who is not hostile or an enemy.
3. A person who wishes another, a cause, etc., well; a sympathizer, helper, patron, or supporter. Frequently with of or to.
adventure, noun /ədˈvɛntʃər/
1. an unusual, exciting, or dangerous experience, journey, or series of events
2. excitement and the willingness to take risks, try new ideas, etc. a sense/spirit of adventure
memories, noun / mem-re /
1. the power or process of reproducing or recalling what has been learned and retained especially through associative mechanisms.
2. the store of things learned and retained from an organism’s activity or experience as evidenced by modification of structure or behavior or by recall and recognition.
As has been announced, we will be leaving our roles as the Arizona and Utah State Directors to take on a new role as the International Directors of the Newmar Kountry Klub. We are very excited about this new role, but honestly, it is bittersweet. We have been members of NKK since the beginning of 2016 and have added many to our NewFAM! We have traveled extensively throughout Region One and have made so many friends that, unfortunately, we likely won’t see as often as we have in the past. People with whom we have shared six rallies in just over seven weeks (we like each other, but that was a lot!), people with whom we have visited museums and presidential libraries (and even a slough with tons of otters. A slough. A swamp, who knew?), and then, there were the meals! Many at restaurants or catered, many planned and some just popped up (think the epic pre-rally St. Paddy’s Day corned beef (yuk), braised cabbage with bacon, colcannon, and Guinness Stew dinner that fed half of the RV park in Camp Verde!) Such friendships that have grown over food just like Irene Miller wanted for the Klub. The bitter is that we will see less of our Region One Family.
The sweet, of course, will be the opportunity to add to our NewFAM by growing new friends in eight other regions. Working the Information Desk and Golf Carts at the International Rally and attending the Tampa RV Super Show Event provided a conduit to meet so many new family members across the country. Now, we will have an opportunity to spend some time getting to know more new people, new parts of our country and to see the Klub through different eyes. We can’t wait to be able to do this part of the job!
We have been working with, learning from, and listening to Ron & Wanda Lewellyn as we shadow them through the end of the International Rally in Sedalia, Missouri. We thank them for all that they have shared and done to assure that we have a successful transition. Initially, we will be busy making and finalizing plans for the 2024 International Rally, as we will have quite a quick turnaround to get that rally settled and get information out and available to everyone in the February/March Legacy Magazine. We will then look forward to seeing you down the road, first stop, Tampa Super Show in January!
We can be reached at email azstatedirnkk@gmail.com, utstatedirnkk@gmail.com or cell 248-933-1405.
