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Re: Altamont Press Winterail Letter - and a thank you
Author: Carol L. Voss
Date: 03-15-2010 - 20:08
This is what I posted on TO---
How nice to hear from all of you and your greatly justifiable praises for David and his work.. My railfanning hobby has been incredibly enriched from Altamont Press. I took early retirement from Kaiser in 1994 and wrote an e-mail to Altamont Press "in Modesto" to ask if I could come see their facility since we had orchards over there. Had no idea that AP was one Rob Carlson and his computers--he was just as curious as to why a female would be ordering a timetable---#2---and so we arranged to meet for coffee at Perko's across from the MET tracks on a day when my husband Carl was coming over there to check the orchards or some such. It was Rob who told me about Winterail---and this past one was my 14th--and he asked me if I would "help" him at the AP booth. And the rest is history.
Saturday was bittersweet for me to see David dealing with all these issues. Ted Benson was actually the one who pushed Rob to found the AP and the timetables---and it was good to see Ted at Winterail on Saturday, as usual. I have had a great time in my railfanning years thanks to AP and all the people I have met on TO---thanks to Todd------and I remember the Winterail when David showed up at the booth and I said to Rob "who is this kid??"---------well, we all know now, don't we?? and how great it has been that he has taken over the helm and steered it as far as he can. Those people in the vendor area at Winterail are either retired with other income or this is their weekend hobby and they have full time jobs. AP is never going to be a full time job for David and provide what he needs to survive. Matter of fact, at the last Winterail before Rob died in 2006, he told me he was going to bag it the next year. His finances were a disaster but would have been with or without AP. After his death, David was brave enough to take a "love of his life" and try to carry it on.
To all of you whom I saw at Winterail, thanks for coming by---and to all of you who can possibly help keep David's and Rob's "dream" alive, thanks to you too-
C.
Carol Voss
Salinas, CA
How nice to hear from all of you and your greatly justifiable praises for David and his work.. My railfanning hobby has been incredibly enriched from Altamont Press. I took early retirement from Kaiser in 1994 and wrote an e-mail to Altamont Press "in Modesto" to ask if I could come see their facility since we had orchards over there. Had no idea that AP was one Rob Carlson and his computers--he was just as curious as to why a female would be ordering a timetable---#2---and so we arranged to meet for coffee at Perko's across from the MET tracks on a day when my husband Carl was coming over there to check the orchards or some such. It was Rob who told me about Winterail---and this past one was my 14th--and he asked me if I would "help" him at the AP booth. And the rest is history.
Saturday was bittersweet for me to see David dealing with all these issues. Ted Benson was actually the one who pushed Rob to found the AP and the timetables---and it was good to see Ted at Winterail on Saturday, as usual. I have had a great time in my railfanning years thanks to AP and all the people I have met on TO---thanks to Todd------and I remember the Winterail when David showed up at the booth and I said to Rob "who is this kid??"---------well, we all know now, don't we?? and how great it has been that he has taken over the helm and steered it as far as he can. Those people in the vendor area at Winterail are either retired with other income or this is their weekend hobby and they have full time jobs. AP is never going to be a full time job for David and provide what he needs to survive. Matter of fact, at the last Winterail before Rob died in 2006, he told me he was going to bag it the next year. His finances were a disaster but would have been with or without AP. After his death, David was brave enough to take a "love of his life" and try to carry it on.
To all of you whom I saw at Winterail, thanks for coming by---and to all of you who can possibly help keep David's and Rob's "dream" alive, thanks to you too-
C.
Carol Voss
Salinas, CA
