At the big Thanksgiving Gathering in Borrego Springs, CA, I spent some time with new and Prospective WINers to talk about the WIN Culture. Every society has a set of rules (whether real or imagined) that govern how we interact with each other. These "rules" change over time as the society changes. For better or worse, some of ours seem to be going away. Whatever happened to CB radios? We used to insist that the leader and the tail-gunner of any caravan had CBs so that nobody got lost. I heard a caravan, going on a long trip, leaving and only one car had a CB turned on. He sounded like a lone voice crying in the wilderness.

Apparently there are many WINers who do not know that when the host and those around you start putting their hands in the air, it means for everyone to stop talking and pay attention. Someone wants to speak to the group. If your cell phone rings during Hugs or Circle, it is only polite to move away from the group so that your conversation does not intrude upon the meeting in progress. That is also true if you have something to say to the person next to you. As Randy would say, a host requires "perfect focus". What I do, when I need to talk to someone during a meeting, is drag that person to the other side of a rig before talking… That can be fun, too, especially when a good-looking guy is involved. Are there any not-good-looking guys?

I overheard one WINer lamenting that caravans too often leave before the scheduled departure time. I haven’t seen this happen but we should be really careful not to leave too early or drive too fast or lose half the caravan along the way. A lot of the drivers don’t know where they are going. That’s certainly true when I’m driving! We need to keep firmly in mind the high price of fuel these days. (As if any RVer could forget.) It used to be acceptable to give a driver a dollar or two for a ride. With these prices we should probably double what we have been donating. Remember your driver has to maintain that vehicle as well as fill it with fuel and keep tires on it.

I really wanted to join the group exploring Lake Superior this summer; but, with fuel prices, a whole new mouth worth of dental work (in Algodones, Mex), and the need to buy another new mattress, I’ll just have to hang out with the West Coast gang this year. It is so wonderful to have so many choices. Just think: Wyoming or the West Coast or Lake Superior or running between the three. That must be something for everyone! And maybe the gatherings will be my favorite size: small and intimate. (Not that intimate!)