Category: gypsy

Travellers….

~ George Crawford ~ 6 Comments
A family and its dogs.
A family and its dogs.
This is part of a series of images, mostly Romany, Irish and Scottish Travellers collected from around the internet.  Many of these historic images found on the web are without citation.  When a clear link to a source is found, I try to include it.  If a source is known, please pass it on and I will gladly include it or remove it if necessary.

Musical family

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments
musicianfamily
Musical Family.
This is part of a series of images, mostly Romany, Irish and Scottish Travellers collected from around the internet.  Many of these historic images found on the web are without citation.  When a clear link to a source is found, I try to include it.  If a source is known, please pass it on and I will gladly include it or remove it if necessary.

Vardo News, Russian Style

~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

вардо, that’s Russian for Vardo; and it certainly looks more interesting in Cyrillic. Searching some Russian pages for vardo information yielded a wealth of photos and some interesting information about Traveler culture in Eastern Europe.  There’s as much fascination with the Traveler lifestyle in the largest country on Earth as there is on this side of the globe as we are more alike than we are different, despite what politicians might say.

trav02The enchantment that some of us have for life on the road spans the world.  Our ancestors were all nomads but some seek the comforts of permanent roots.

trav06It’s only in our recent past to settle for a permanent dwelling when the Earth is our canvas on which we write our lives largely and bold.  Most of us in the “New World” certainly wouldn’t be here at all had our ancestors been stay-at-homes or successful and steadfast.  I think we have it in our genes to look for greener pastures.

horsefaireThat’s why so many of us (1 in 300 according to U.S. statistical data) at some point in our lives choose an itinerant life against the image portrayed as “typical” and settled.

92477527_Gypsy_002This feeling is certainly not exceptional, from Reading Wagon to Winnebago, it’s relatively easy to make one’s home on the road.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMaybe not as spacious as a spec home in Los Angeles but when the outdoors is your home then the real luxury can be limited in square footage.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnd, of course, there is the romance of the Road.  Think of Steinbeck, Kerouac, McCarthy, or Tolkien; the great adventure stories of the Road that never ends.  We need nothing but our rolling universe and the few things we bring along.

Reading RomanceFor western Europeans, there is a special romance with the horse, wagon, and music that makes this lifestyle especially enticing to some, leading to the immense sales of caravans that will rarely see actual use but represent a freedom most of us may never get to know.

Horses graze in a field next to travellers during the horse fair in Appleby in Westmorland, Cumbria.

So if it’s in you, you are not alone in looking for some adventure on the open road that is your life.

The New Gypsies

~ George Crawford ~ 13 Comments

I have seen photos from this book around the web for a while now.  A fair number of “hippie” Brits are living mobile, a difficult thing to do in the U.S.  Iain McKell has done a wonderful job of photo-documenting the unique, beautiful, sometime spartan accommodations used by these folks on the move.  If I get back to Britain I will try to track these people down.

I have to admit, I’m mainly in it for the wagons.  None of these look like high-speed movers, but who really needs that when it is home?

Most of these clearly appear to be restored (more or less) original horse-drawn wagons.  Bow Tops, Open Lots, a Showman or two, but others look to be a bit more home-grown.

A close examination of the photos show some interesting clues to life on the road.  I particularly like the “tip out” on the above wagon.  I suspect it is for sleeping more people but I can imagine an outside space protected like this for cooking or storage.  Hmmm, next project?

In my opinion, wagons like this are a great alternative for the modern nomad, as long as one can find a safe place to settle for the night or week or month.  As with the Romani gypsies, modern travelers, living outside the norm of the greater social group are likely always to face fear and suspicion from the mainstream culture.  Unfortunately, this will probably always be the way of the world.

I think there will always be some of us who are okay existing outside the “normal”, expected behaviors of our peers.  In a case such as this, or other fringe social groups (e.g., the Society of Primitive Technology) we can find kindred spirits who may understand our outlook in ways not found in more mainstream lifestyles.

Please have a look at the art of Iain McKell and be sure to scroll down the left side of links to see more of his photos, including some fine shots of traveler’s wagons.

The best laid plans …

~ George Crawford ~ 4 Comments

Everything has to begin with a plan, whether its in your head or on paper depends on the complexity and steps required.  While going through some old notebooks from the last few years I came across some early sketches of the vardo in progress.

I know it’s not a great sketch and didn’t scan particularly well but gives an idea of an early stage in the evolution of the caravan as it is now.  I kept some very strict size constraints but definitely increased the height from the early incarnations.  I did not waste the time making an exact blueprint of the caravan as I didn’t see a need.  I also wanted to keep the design flexible and open to change along the way after getting a feel for the space.

Click the image to access more sketches or link here.

House Trucks Again

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

My appreciation for house trucks has grown immensely over the years.  It’s not easy building a structure that is both light, strong, and wind-resistant.  Caravans, house trucks, and RVs have to undergo the rigors of hurricane weather every time they hit the road and still be light enough to be pulled.  If you are willing to get RV-type mileage from your vehicle  you can convert an older RV, large truck, fire engine, or bus into a fine living platform.  Starting from a link on Lloyd’ Blog I began looking at some very cool house truck conversions.  These have been around all my life and I’m surprised I haven’t started one yet.

These Bedford Fire Engines make beautiful platforms.

The trucks below were featured on the Tiny House Talk web page.

I wouldn’t want to drive these in high winds but the interior spaces are great.  Visit his Flikr page to see more interesting work.  They look very practical and I appreciate the low-maintenance exteriors.

And finally, one of the most beautiful art car builds I have ever seen… The Decoliner.  While on his website, its worth looking at his other projects as well, especiall the 1800 cubic inch, 1000 h.p. tank motor turned art/race car.

Take the chassis from an old RV, add a classic truck cab and a lot of beautiful design work and this is what can happen.  This is my new dream car.  Time to peruse Craig’s List to start looking for a chassis.