18 Sep 2010 14:45
Dear Enthusiasts,
I thought I should insert one small anecdote in the Forums, to explain the origin of the nickname "Baby Newell II", and how it came to be applied to my 1997 B190 coach.
After a ten-year "RV drought", I bought a type-B coach in October 2000 and re-joined the Family Motor Coach Association. While the coach was quite small (even as type B's go), the interior had ben upgraded in a number of very pleasing ways. I took the coach to Berrien Springs, Michigan in May 2001 for my first FMCA Area Rally. A couple stopped by to visit while I was relaxing with a can of a New Zealand soft drink, asked a few questions and toured the coach interior. The husband of the couple opined "Goodness, you've got a little 'baby Newell' here". I had not told them that my late parents (as did this couple) owned a Newell Coach, so the connection was interesting. After explaining the link, they immediately "christened" my coach with the name "Baby Newell".
A week before the 2002 rally, I found my B190 coach on a random road trip, bought it two days later and took it to Berrien Springs. The USA and NZ flags on the awning poles made it easy for the same couple to find me, and they asked, "What happened to Baby Newell?". I told them of my discovery and gave them a tour of the B190 (>>MUCH<< roomier!). The said, "Alright: you've definitely traded up! This coach surely deserves the name 'Baby Newell II'".
Please note that the name "Newell" is definitely not an anti-Airstream put-down: Newell Coach (in Miami, OK) builds very high-end type-A coaches, literally from the wheels up, completely by hand.
"Happy Cybercamping!"
Michael Canode
F13059S / NZMCA #19250
