Mick’s Bowtop Progress

Friday, August 2, 2013Saturday, December 7, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

Mick’s bowtop is coming along nicely, and has even hit the road for an extended camping trip. The canvas cover is attached but, unlike it’s historical cousins, there is wood all the way around the roof for strength and security.

Mick’s cabinet-making skills are paying off in the details including the hand-built bay window, dutch door, and drawers.

The photos hardly do it justice as there is great detail in every part of the construction.

From the arched moulding to the compound angles in the stairs, great thought has gone into each step of the construction.

A combination of woods gives a great look and feel to the interior.

Curved seat backs counter the arch of the roof for a unique look and feel in the interior.

The home stretch is in the details of shelving and other storage; a problem not made easier by the curved walls but will create a wagon that is a work of art as much as a home on the road.

Visit the build here to see more: http://vrdomayneac-trailerbuild.blogspot.com/

Casual Turtle Campers

Thursday, June 27, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ 5 Comments

If you are looking for a topper or small camper with some class, check out Casual Turtle Campers.

From the website:

The idea for Casual Turtle Campers was conceived by Peter Pavlowich in the summer of 2010. On a road trip to Colorado, he noticed an abundance of truck campers but a profound lack of variety or style. As a Wood Construction and Design graduate from the University of Idaho, he believed he could design and build a simple and attractive alternative to the big, heavy, white boxes that he seemed to see everywhere. Over the next few years, Peter slowly and methodically brought together ideas and drew up plans for what would eventually become the design for Casual Turtle Campers.

He very happily lives in Fort Collins, Colorado with his wife, Lindsey, and their dog/shop foreman, Moxie. We love when people stop by – just get in touch!

http://casualturtlecampers.com/

Hal’s Little Vardo

Wednesday, February 20, 2013Saturday, December 7, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

Hal in Oregon sent me some photos of his stick-built vardo. It is sheathed in house wrap and wood-sided with a metal roof. Sturdy looking simple design. So far, he’s spent about two weeks on it and the shell appears to be nearly complete. This is a link to the album with more photos but I’m not sure it’s public yet. Please let me know through the comments if this link does NOT work for you. In the meantime, here are some photos posted by his sister Jodie:

And a Bowtop

Wednesday, January 23, 2013Saturday, December 7, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

If You Can’t Get Enough Vardos

Wednesday, January 23, 2013Saturday, December 7, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

Here’s a nice open lot from Ireland.

Beautiful…all of it.

Derek Diedricksen at Relaxshacks.com is always good for some inspirational offbeat home ideas. Here’s a shot of the interior of a sheep wagon with a promise of more to come.

Click the photo for the original post.

Mike’s Gypsy Wagon

Friday, September 28, 2012Saturday, December 7, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ 10 Comments

Mike is finishing up his remarkable vardo in the great white north. He included a mollycroft in the roof which not only looks cool but should add a lot of light and headroom. The front storage is accessible from the outside like a sheepherder and it will have an enormous bay window in the front. As it comes along I hope he’ll write up more about the design and construction of the wagon. With this wagon and Jack’s build last year, I think I’ll add a page to the header bar for “other vardos” so that they are easy to find on the blog.

Enjoy! Hopefully more to come…

Oregon Basques

Friday, September 28, 2012Friday, February 16, 2018 ~ George Crawford ~ Leave a comment

Here’s a link to a short article about the Basques in Oregon from the Oregon Encyclopedia. I’m just in it for the wagon photos of course.

Growing Up on the Range

Wednesday, September 26, 2012Saturday, December 7, 2013 ~ George Crawford ~ 3 Comments

A great story I read years ago about being raised in a family of six in a sheep camp measuring about 7 x 8′! (I think that’s the floor space). I recently relocated the article in Mother Earth News.

sheepcamplayout — Nice layout sketch of a sheep camp.

Here’s an excerpt:

“The canvas-covered sheep wagon was roughly about seven feet wide by eight feet long. On the front end a door opened out of the middle and you stepped down onto the wagon tongue and thence to the ground. From the inside looking out, the stove was on the left of the door. On the right was a small wash stand with several wooden drawers for storage of linens, towels and socks. A bucket of water and washbasin were on the oil cloth covered top and a small mirror hung above the basin for shaving. Soap, toothbrush, razor and essentials rested on top of the stand when in location or were stowed in a drawer when moving.”