Adventures of an Imperfect Man In Search of a Handmade Life
So, a vardo is a small space, especially when living with a dog. The old dog loved sleeping under the rig as she took her guard duties seriously but unfortunately, she is no longer with us. The youngster, on the other hand, has no interest in that sort of nonsense and only wants to be … Continue reading A Dog and Her Vardo
Here's a wonderful old photograph of a "Tinker Family in Scotland." It is believed to be taken sometime in the 1920s but the location was not identified. The wagon could just about pass for a western American sheep camp. Even thought they had the wealth to own a wagon it was still a pretty tough … Continue reading Tinker Family in Scotland
Desert Dream This is a beautiful photo of Travellers in Britain, 1950. I came across it a while back while searching out vardo images for my own inspiration. This one has some great details and has a distinctive Scottish feel. There's a flag of the Scottish Caravan Club flying on the roof and some great … Continue reading A Perfect Vardo
I would like to re-share this older post I wrote about a caravaner, scholar, and philosopher I am quite intrigued by - Dugald Semple Dugald Semple was a Scottish philosopher of the early 20th Century and an advocate for simple living. After becoming and engineer he took to the woods and, for a period, a … Continue reading Dugald Semple and a Simple Life
Working away on a weekend day a little while back. Enjoying time on the prairie in my little rolling home; coffee, a banjo, and connection to a HotSpot so I can get some work done. The best of all worlds. I don't remember for sure but I suspect there is a dog or two laying … Continue reading A View from the Vardo
Rolling homes go back almost as far as rolling vehicles and the modern era of motor driven cars is not an exception. If you have followed this blog at all you may have seen some great contraptions, especially from the 1920s and 30s. The counter-culture of the 1960s lead to a generation of rolling home … Continue reading House Trucks from the Early 1970s
Sometimes I wish carrying a walking stick was more acceptable in daily life. Maybe it's just my yeoman heritage or my fondness for the old ways... To do so now, you tend to either look like a hoodlum or the walking wounded. Living for so long in wild country I found that a staff was … Continue reading Scout Staff Hiking Stick
This is a follow-up to the previous post. I say Vardo because that's really what it is. You can sense that the presenter of this show isn't too familiar with true rolling homes, caravans, vardos, or whatever you want to label them but his enthusiasm is real. I like this home a lot but there … Continue reading More of The Beautiful Japanese Vardo
I have not been entirely idle on the vardo project but have not had time to post here. Work life has been eating up my spare time with travel, and fun though that may be, it means nothing else gets done outside the work day. Cutting a hole in my nice, dry roof haunted me … Continue reading Pipes, Varnish, and More
Sink, seating, and storage galore - I'm finally moving onto the luxuries that make this addition what it is meant to be; essentially moving some outdoor activities and living indoors with more amenities and easier foul-weather living. Beginning with a little sink re-purposed from an old copper mixing bowl set - This one was the … Continue reading Fitting Out and Fixing Problems, Vardo Remodel Part 9
Every home needs a door. It's a tricky bit that must fit well, open and close easily, provide some security, and hopefully, look good doing it. We found a mahogany, two-panel door at the Habitat Re-Store in Lubbock a couple months ago and since the price was right ($10), we bought it. It was … Continue reading Door and Frame, Vardo Remodel Part 8
I saw this on Tumblr and absolutely couldn't pass it up. All I can find about this image is that it comes from the famous Farm Security Administration photos documenting the depression. This appears to have started life as another wagon, maybe even a delivery van or bus but has been repaired beyond recognition. I … Continue reading Real World Construction
The weekend was cold, I was tired (read lazy), and other things had to be attended to so this update is just baby steps in the big scheme. Although mine is a purely pragmatic build, I wanted an homage to the classic Dunton Reading wagon. Taking a plain profile and giving it simple compass curves … Continue reading Progress is slow but steady, Vardo Remodel Part 7
Not a pretty little Victorian-style caravan here today but a sturdy, well-thought-out modern living accommodation for someone looking to escape the mortgage anchor most of us have felt. Here is an extremely well-documented van conversion into a very frugal but comfortable micro house created in 38 days from 2014-2015. Sean (the builder) has done a … Continue reading Detailed to the Last Dollar
Chief of sanding, varnish, and stain department while we remodel and rejuvenate the vardo. This was tedious and difficult job that needed to be done. During this phase, we took the opportunity to fill holes, plug countersunk screws and rethink the interior furnishings all around. It will be a cozy little palace when we're finished.
All earthly structures begin with a foundation of some sort, even living wagons. In our case, the trailer frame is the earth, the ledge and subfloor serve as the foundation upon which, all is built. I proposed to attach the new section pretty much the same way and addition is connected to a house, by … Continue reading Tying it all together, Vardo Remodel Part 5
As usual with internet information, captions and data are suspect at best. However, this is a great image of Romani on the road so let's just go with it. At first glance, it looks almost like a scene from the American west in the 19th century. It reminds me of early sheep camp images from … Continue reading Romani in Switzerland ca. 1890?
A desperate man with some ambition and the gumption to not be beaten can make himself a man-powered vardo (I'm thinking of you, Jim). An alternative to homelessness with a minimum of skills and materials. In 1935 David Weatherhead, an unemployed shipyard worker from Sunderland, toured the county (England) looking for work in this one … Continue reading Man Powered Vardo
Taking the Biggest Step of All; Transferring the old vardo to the new trailer. Now that I was confident that the box was going to hold up under the stress of the transfer I was ready to slip the trailer under the body. It was a whole lot less dramatic than I was afraid it … Continue reading “Give me a long enough lever and a place to stand and I will move the Earth” Remodeling the Vardo, Part 4
Preindustrial Craftsmanship 