Joining T&TTT Forum 1st New Years Resolution

[mezmo]

Hello and Happy New Year to all T&TTT forum members.

I've been 'monitoring' the site for a few months now (I don't care for the term "lurking" - Ha!) and decided that I'd join upon the New Year. It is quite an impressive destination on the web and I'm glad to have found a site covering one of my favorite interests along with an equally impressive membership to share the interest with. Of course thanks to Mike Schneider for having the idea in the first place and making it happen - that fruition thing.

My Sort-Of-Fast Intro:

-Originally a Western New Yorker now in South Carolina.

-I like anything concerning travel trailers & rvs etc., especially older or novel ones. I find it interesting checking out all the various building methods and layouts and concepts and such. I've had this affliction since childhood!

-My dad was a pipeline heavy equipment operator and we traveled around to the different jobs living in our family trailer homes (4 different ones). It was an early childhood of 'perpetual camping' in quaint old trailer courts or parked on a farm somewhere in western NY or western PA. Such a fun and interesting experience!

-Due to the economy & job situation (enough said on that) I won't be embarking on a build for a while but it'll be fun to watch others and to start planning a possible future build. A TTT most likely.

-I chose "Mezmo" as my forum moniker since the easiest ones for me were already taken from what I could see. "Mezmo" was going to be the name for my next dog. Since my current Boston Terrier/Manchester Chihuahua mix, Dixie-Doodle, is only 5, very healthy and totally irreplaceable, I didn't want to let a "good"name go to waste! Ha!

-Oh Yes, before I forget:

This has to qualify as a Teardrop Experience of some kind!

The one pic - that I hope is in the album - and used as my avatar for the moment - was taken at Haines Trailer Park in Killbuck NY in the summer of @1957 or 1958. I'm the front passenger in the TD passenger Trailer. The driver of the TD shaped TowV was a young teen (I forget his name) who didn't really have time for us little kids, usually, but did deign to give us a ride one day in his neat TD shaped car and its TD shaped passenger trailer. His father was a master welder who made them for him out of surplus WWII aircraft gas tanks. The trailer home right behind us in the pic was his parents. It was an 8x45 Krophf (sp?) - an expensive custom built job back then -that was painted Black and Red. It matched their big fancy black and red Buick hardtop with its wire wheels - a rig setup meant to impress! The kiddie TD shaped (small engine powered) TowV/car and TD passenger trailer were both painted a matching red as I recall. Small town America was fun back then!

Since I must have cured at least someone's insomnia withall this, I'll ask forgiveness for any typos and see if this will submit.

As the Aussies say: Cheers!

Norm Riehle

[Anthony J Grant]

Welcome to the rat race! Hope you pick a project and jump in!

[Mike_La]

Hello, Norm.

Welcome to T&TT.

You've come to a fine place here. There are tons of good ideas, and best of all, some of the greatest people you'll ever meet. They're very knowledgeable, experienced & helpfull. I've learned quite a bit in the few months I've been here.

Enjoy the forum...

[mary and bob]

Norm: That's a real cool avatar, keep it!! I remember in the early 60's or late 50's seeing surplus airplane fuel tanks for sale in Popular Science or Popular Mechanics magazines along with other surplus stuff. Probably our teardrop is made from surplus war aluminum as I found some of it marked Alcoa, and some Reynolds. Wonder what ever happened to that little car & trailer. There's still a lot of stuff stashed in old barns & sheds, including in my barn. Start planning & gathering parts as you can, or if you're lucky find a trailer in need of restoration like we did. Bob

[mezmo]

Hi!

Wanted to thank youall for your welcomes.

Tony : The Hobo Hilton build is progressing great ! I always chuckle at your signature line whenever I see it.

Mike: Nice to see your efforts are paying off so well on the 'Chambre pour deux'. I have some relatives over in the Raceland, LA area. 'Haven't been over that way in 5-6 years though, need to get in motion that way again one of these years.

Mary and Bob: You should be having a lot of fun restoring that modernistic! Just lay in a good supply of elbow grease as well! My avatar photo is a favorite family photo. I also remember in the early 60's I was riding my bike on a back country road in Allegany, NY and came upon a really old TTT parked by a barn by the road. I rode over to look at it since the old farmer was there by it. It was square shaped with brown leatherette sidewalls and a black slightly bowed top. It had a window on each wall and the door was in the rear. The wheels were centered on the side and looked like Model T wheels. Years later I saw a photo of an exhibit at the RVMH Museum in Elkhart, IN showing one of the earliest documented TTTs that looked exactly like the one I saw by the barn that day back in the 60s. I've often wondered what ever happened to it.

Cheers

Norm