Tag: minimalism

A 1926 Home Built Camper Truck

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

An early tiny house on wheels… and a family selfie.

W.M. O'Donnell & family of Detroit in bungalow auto, 2/1/26.
W.M. O’Donnell & family of Detroit in bungalow auto, 2/1/26.

The Library of Congress has some pretty amazing stuff.  I rarely find what I came for but I always find something pretty spectacular.  This house (click to enlarge) is quite a piece of woodworking.  Shingle siding all glass door, sturdy balcony, beautiful windows, under storage, and what I think is a pull out pan box on the back.  The O’Donnell’s were certainly traveling in style.

The amount of joinery that went into the door and windows is probably more than found in most houses today.
W.M. O’Donnell & family of Detroit in bungalow auto, 2/1/26

The amount of joinery that went into the door and windows is probably more than is found in most houses today.  I really like the old basement windows used as storage access underneath.  As usual, I could find no interior photos but I suspect it was well appointed.

Original files can be found: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/npc2008007978/and http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/npc2008007936/

If this isn’t inspiring, I don’t know what is.

Oh, and nearby photo caught my eye in the Library:

Mlle. Rae with garter flask, 1/26/26.
Mlle. Rae with garter flask, 1/26/26.

I’ve never known a woman with a garter flask before…

Hamlet, A Tale of the Road Less Traveled

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

A mid-40s couple restores a tiny canned-ham trailer, leaves their mundane careers, and takes off on a journey across the continent.  Sounds pretty good to me.

When it comes to making enough money to get by, the two have a unique system.

“In our ideal setting,” Hutchison explains, “is four months of working somewhere, [or] four months of volunteering somewhere, and then four months of traveling.”

The little trailer has a Facebook link. See more images and the restoration by clicking the photo above.
The little trailer has it’s own Facebook link. See more images and the restoration by clicking on the photo above.

FROM THE VERMONT PUBLIC RADIO ARTICLE:

“Many people spend most of their day in an office, and I was really, really tired of that and being tied to e-mail and my calendar.” Galiardi explains.

“We both had challenging careers,” she says. “The challenges were becoming, ‘How much more can I fit in?’ Rather than [fitting in] what I really want to be doing.”

Now the couple uses the trailer as a home base, spending much of their time outdoors: kayaking, biking and hiking.

interior
Dinette area.

On fitting the few things they own into a tiny space:

“It’s a lot like a sailboat. In that, everything has to have its place,” says Hutchison. “When you go look for that thing, it’s there. And then it goes back there when it’s done.”

ontheroad

If you are interested in learning more they have been keeping a blog of their adventures over the past few years.  You can read more by clicking here: Tales from a Mid-Lifeventure.

advert
Home sweet home.

A few more Vardos (sort of) from Around the Web

~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

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I’m always keeping an eye out on the web for interesting living vehicles, rolling homes, and related Traveller – Modern Nomad stuff.  The right key words and a little luck on historic image sites land a lot of photos, but often with little real information about the vehicle in question.  As I was rummaging through my old image files over the weekend I decided to start throwing some of the images up here; for inspiration and ideas if nothing else.  Where possible, I’ve linked to the source where I found it.

carnieconversion
This is an interesting conversion for a Carnival or Circus worker. Wood burning stove, mollycroft, and transom windows. I like it.
earlycaravan
I’ve posted this innovative little beast on Facebook.

I like this early fifth-wheel design for several reasons, not the least of which is the hitch.  This is the earliest image I have of a “slide-out” expandable space.  I suspect they actually fold up but they already deal with increasing space while keeping the traveling width narrow.  The final feature is the dogtrot effect created by the opposing doors.  I think this caravan was built with summer travel in mind.

coffee
Recycled “canned-ham” caravan.
Interesting propulsion. Looks like post-apocalyptic servitude?
Interesting propulsion. Looks like post-apocalyptic servitude?
Atkisson's Wagon.
Atkisson’s Wagon.

The above wagon aesthetic has a Persian feel to the decorations.  From the pillows right down to the slippers.  Click the photo for an article about this wagon.

Found over at the Voice of the Monkey.
Found over at the Voice of the Monkey.  An eclectic image blog.

Okay, I just posted this cool little goat wagon as I would have loved this as a kid.  Who wouldn’t?  There is a clear attention to detail on this one down to the wheel spokes and fine paint work.  Apparently there is some tie to Kansas City.   Maybe a carriage maker’s model?

And finally, the best part of all… exploring a 1914 Dunton Waggon, Part 1 with historian John Pokkett.  You can find the next parts on Youtube if they don’t auto-follow.

The Wheel House

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

A ‘tender, post-apocalyptic love story’…

I want to revisit this minimalist performance art piece with you for the weekend.  Extremely clever, “acrobatic virtuosity,” street performance.

from the Acrojou website:

“A tender post-apocalyptic love story…” 
– Kate Kavanagh, review, The Circus Diaries

A gently comic dystopia, set in a different time where everything has a new value and survival relies on sharp eyes, quick hands, and, above all, friendship. Stunning design, theatrical acrobatics, and breathtaking moments of risk, all housed within an exquisite, hand-built structure. The Wheel House is a narrative show which unfolds inside and around a circular set as it rolls, with the audience walking alongside.

Acrojou’s flagship show, The Wheel House, has been toured and developed by the company for the past 7 years.

In this time it has been seen live by more than 100,000 people, been booked for events in 13 countries, and it’s online video has had more than 90,000 hits. It is steadily gaining the company recognition in the national and international media and has so far been featured in The Times, The Evening Standard and Freestyle Magazine (all UK), and newspapers and magazines in Asia, Holland, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, Germany and the Czech Republic. The show has been written about in over 300 blogs and online magazines, including Trendhunter, Design Taxi, Moscow Times, and ABC News, in at least 15 different languages. It has been MSN ‘Picture of the Day’ as well on the Flickr homepage. The image has been used for cover art for an edition of ‘Mr Pip’ by Lloyd Jones. It is still touring and is already penciled to visit Australia, New Zealand and Portugal all for the first time in 2015. It is currently the most widely toured of all Without Walls shows.

Commissioned as a walkabout by Without Walls (2008) and funded for development into a full show (2011) by Applause. With Direction from Flick Ferdinando.

Promotional film by Cristobal Catalan

Grow in the Open Air

~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

growintheopenairsm

“Here is the test of wisdom,
Wisdom is not finally tested in schools,
Wisdom cannot be pass’d from one having it to another not having it,
Wisdom is of the soul, is not susceptible of proof, is its own proof,
Applies to all stages and objects and qualities and is content,
Is the certainty of the reality and immortality of things, and the excellence of things;
Something there is in the float of the sight of things that provokes it out of the soul.

Now I re-examine philosophies and religions,
They may prove well in lecture-rooms, yet not prove at all under the spacious clouds and along the landscape and flowing currents.”

Get out, travel, earn your wisdom, ignore lecture-room philosophy and religion…

Live life. It’s later than you think.

Even More About Sheep Wagons!

~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

A Tumblr follower spotted my interest in sheep wagons and other classic mobile lifestyles.  They sent me this excellent link to a short (20 minute) documentary from faircompanies.com.  It’s a nice overview of sheep wagon design old and new by a couple making and selling old-fashioned Sheep Camps.

And here are a few older posts I’ve made about the American sheep wagons.  They’re all you need out here in the west.  Click the photos to learn more.

A Sheep Wagon in a Modern Setting
Growing Up in a Sheep Wagon
A Sheepherder Wagon Community
Sheep Camps are Alive and Well in the West

Have a look at a little bit of nearly lost American history.