In the Spirit of Nomadic Housing

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

The Gher or Yurt has to be one of the best, nearly timeless designs on earth.  I have been fascinated by them for many years and prior to building my vardo as my traveling home, it was the preferred dwelling dear to my heart.  I still hope to have one someday but it may have to wait until I find a place to put down my roots for the third half of my life.

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Kazakhstan gher. Image from “Everything central asia.” Click the image for more great photos.

If you are not familiar with the yurt or gher, below is the basic anatomy of one.  Essentially it is a skeleton of wood, overlain with wool and often covered in canvas or similar material.

Anatomy of a yurt from Shelter Publications.
Anatomy of a yurt from Shelter Publications.

The Tiny House Movement

~ George Crawford ~ 2 Comments

Here’s a redux from a conversation held last year.

George Crawford's avatarPreindustrial Craftsmanship

Here’s a recent conversation I had, as best I can recall, of creating disappointment and maybe using the wrong words when describing the Vardo.

A woman in a grocery store parking lot jogs up to the vardo while I’m making a sandwich shouting, “Oh my gosh!  That is so cool!  Wow! Is that a Tiny House like on TV? Can I have a look inside?”

“Yes, of course.  You can look inside.”  So far, it’s progressing just like a hundred other conversations I’ve had over the years.

“Is it like the little TV houses? You know, like on that show?”

“I don’t know the show but it’s actually a little camping caravan.”

“It’s not a Tiny House?  Oh, never mind then,” turning on her heel she walked away without a backward glance.  Then to another gentleman walking towards us she shouts, “It’s nothing.  It’s not like the Tiny House Show”…

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English Caravans for Rent

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A familiar classic vardo layout.

I’m not sure when the word “glamping” entered out lexicon but it is a craze that enterprising hostlers are hoping on world-wide it seems.  This luxurious little wagon is for rent in Pembrokeshire near Norwich in England.

View from the master bed.
View from the master bed.

I don’t know anything about these other than they look classy and would be a nice place to spend a few days out of the ordinary.  The setup appears to cater to somebody wanting to “rough it” a tiny bit but still have the creature comforts.

An inviting little home to give a first taste of vardo life.
An inviting little home to give a first taste of vardo life.

Have a look at their other “Glamperous” opportunities if you have a pocket full of pound and are looking for an interesting accommodation in England sometime. Of course, I’m mostly into these to explore design options and to seek innovations for my own work and I won’t attempt to replicate their website but here is another option available in the Dorset countryside.

A Beautiful bowtop intereor for rent.
A Beautiful bowtop interior for rent in Dorset.

There is obviously a demand for this sort of thing and I’m happy that there are reasonable alternatives to chain motels for a getaway.

Recycling an old vardo is great idea.
Recycling an old vardo is great idea.
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I can’t imaging the furniture stays outside year-round as it is England but it does add something nice to the outfit.
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For the pragmatic reader, here’s a quick shot of the facilities nearby; a composting toilet.

I’m not advertising for them but you can see more interesting opportunities on their website by clicking the logo. unearthed-white-coloured

living for today — and tomorrow

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

“Life is what happens while we’re busy making other plans.”

Tanja Hester's avatarOur Next Life by Tanja Hester, author of Work Optional and Wallet Activism

early retirement is, by definition, a very future-focused pursuit. most people saving for retirement aren’t saving enough to feel the pain of what they’re not able to spend, and retirement must feel like some far-off, abstract thing. but when you’re on the early retirement path, that means saving an amount that you feel subtracted from your cash flow. it requires a lot of planning, and thinking, and adjusting, and more planning and thinking, more readjusting, and on and on.

it’s natural to be future-focused, when you’re spending a lot of your mental energy planning for something in the future. and we think it’s okay to think a lot about the future.

the only problem: the future is never guaranteed.

we already know that we may not have a whole lot of good years left, at least for one of us, but we hope we still have more than a…

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Making Your Attitude

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“Men and boys are learning all kinds of trades but how to make men of themselves. They learn to make houses; but they are not so well housed, they are not so contented in their houses, as the woodchucks in their holes.  What is the use of a house if you haven’t got a tolerable planet to put it on? — If you cannot tolerate the planet that it is on?  Grade the ground first.  If a man believes and expects great things of himself, it makes no odds where you put him, or what you show him … he will be surrounded by grandeur.  He is in the condition of a healthy and hungry man, who says to himself, — How sweet this crust is!”

Henry David Thoreau, Letter to Harrison Blake 20 May 1860; emphasis added, published in Familiar Letters 1865.

https://mercuriuspoliticus.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/448px-formschneider-1568.png

Japanese Pack Frame

~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

And an interesting basket.

Pack frames are nearly universal historically as most cultures encounter the drudgery of carrying heavy loads over long distances.  I am always searching for historic images to delve into to look for inspiration.  Here is a nifty pack frame from the early 20th century of a charcoal maker from Japan.  The frame looks like simple through-tenons in a rectangle.  The pack basket appears to be fairly simple twined straw and I think the shoulder straps are woven fiber.  He is also sporting some nifty looking waraji sandals.

japanesepackframeThis is what I could find out about the image:

RUSTIC OLD JAPAN — The Charcoal Carrier
From a Sample Set of Classic Meiji and Taisho-era Japan Stereoview images by Japanese Photographer T. ENAMI (1859-1929).

Photo by T. Enami, ca.1898-1905. View number S-392 from Enami’s 3-D Catalog.

See www.t-enami.org

Early Burras from Uruapan

~ George Crawford ~ 1 Comment

Some very thick leather shoes. They would last a remarkably long time under the worst conditions.

huaracheblog's avatarHuarache Blog

I have posted about the traditional Mexican Burra Footwear already a couple of times on this blog and consider Burras another fascinating area of footwear research. These Burras I was lucky to photograph also at the Bata Museum in Toronto, their origins are from the 1950’s Uruapan area of Mexico. Although I have never seen a similar Burra design during my research in Mexico.

IMG_4433SML   Mexican Burras, Burras

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An Old Trick (for turning squares into octagons)

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An excellent “trick of the trade.” We could all use three hands when laying out.

D.B. Laney's avatarA Woodworker's Musings

Anyone who has laid out an octagon on a long square blank using a set of dividers, knows that it would be a lot easier if humans had evolved with three hands.  And there are times, as in “posts in place”, shaving fifty leg blanks or an octagonal section placed between two square sections, where laying out on an end is next to impossible.  And, then again, you might never have the need for this old carpenters trick.  But, here it is, anyway.

On larger square stock, lay a 24″ framing square or rule diagonally from one edge to the other.  “Tick” mark at 7″ and 17″.  Hand hold a pencil and mark the lines.  (Most people are amazed at how accurately a “hand-held” line can be drawn.)

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For smaller stock, you can use a 6″ or 12″ scale.  Lay the diagonal line from 0″ to 6″. Then “tick” at 1 3/4″ and…

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Bone Sewing Needles (a brief history of…)

~ George Crawford ~ 1 Comment
11,000 year old bone needle from the Horn Rock Shelter, Texas.
11,000 year old bone needle from the Horn Rock Shelter, Texas.

I still remember when one of my professors, in a lecture about culture-changing innovations, discussed the eyed needle as both a major technological innovation and a proxy for much more. Eyed needles imply sewing and it is not a major leap to conjecture some level of tailored clothing and bags. Leather was abundant in hunter-gatherer societies and can be made into many things. Humans moved into cold climates early on and well-made clothing is a real boon in that environment. Unfortunately, for the archaeologist, such small, degradable materials rarely survive outside caves and rock shelters. The best, oldest example I am aware of in the Americas is the Horn Rock Shelter in Bosque County, Texas. Have a look at the short history below and check out the Texas Beyond History page for more about Horn Shelter.

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Bone needles and sewing kit made by the author.