I’m having pancakes and a strong latte at one of my 2 favorite breakfast places in the world*, Trink’s in Gualala, a sun-drenched town with a major river, on the northern California coast.
Not only is the food extraordinary, but there’s good-working wi-fi, copper-covered tables, and views of the blue (and this morning) windy Greatest of All Oceans out the windows.
I just gave one of our mini-books of Tiny Homes On The Move to a 5-year old sitting with his parents, and after a minute perusing the book, he yelled “Look at this!” and in a few minutes, “whoa-o-o.” We’ve gotta be doing something right if we are getting through to 5-year olds.
I’m up here visiting my friend Louie. Last night we roasted a wild goose and had it with a salad and Louie’s home-made zinfandel to the accompaniment of ’40s music on Sirius radio. Two old guys havin fun…
Below is a panorama of boats down at the Pt. Arena cove yesterday. It’s been too windy to go crabbing.
*(The other is Bette’s Diner in Berkeley.
“Gordon Hempton. Fort Warden, Washington 2012. ‘For my most important work and the best times of my life, I take the VW bus. The journey is not just about getting there. The trip starts now. Slow down and enjoy what’s going on immediately around you. I didn’t want to start my journey to success in life with the suspicions of others, so I ripped out the key and put in a push button starter. Just push that button and off you go. It begins with trust, it begins with happiness, and what you get back is joy.'”
Photo: Andrew Waits
https://www.hcn.org/articles/boondocks
Sent in by Anonymous
Friday I did a slide show on Tiny Homes on the Move at the Napa Bookmine bookstore. A great bookstore, a wonderful crowd, all of us on the same page. Made me think of Sam Cooke saying to the audience on his “Live at Harlem Square” album, “I can see you’re with me tonight.”
Rapport has been wonderful lately. 45 years of doing these building books; there’s a thread through these books and people who’ve read them. A tribe of us interested in a certain kind of shelter, warm, inviting, full of life, the antithesis of the Dwell magazine aesthetic.
“…all rooms ought to look as if they were lived in, and to have, so to say, a friendly welcome for the incomer.”
-William Morris
And working with our own hands.
Shot a lot of photos of mostly small homes in Napa. After dinner, store owners Naomi and Eric and I and a bunch of their friends headed up into the hills and had a marvelous meal prepared by master chef (and carpenter and musician) Steve Hutchinson. Wine flowed, 2 of the guys worked for wineries, it was a real treat. After everyone left, Steve and I got in the hot tub, yes, with glasses of wine, yes a hot tub in Napa, snark away, Californians in their hot tubs, etc. It started to rain — hard — and here we were at 2200 feet on a mountain, in hot water in the pouring-down rain.
Lucas’ bus was featured on pp. 70-71 of Tiny Homes on the Move. Here’s the latest:
April 3, 2015
Hey Hey there Lloyd, I wanted to give you an update on the bus. Also, I really appreciated you working with me for the timeline and putting my bus in your book.… So, for the update: I’ll attach a few pictures of the bus. Naturally it’s not finished. It most likely will never be, but as we know that is the joy of a custom mobile life.
Since the past pictures I’ve rebuilt most of the interior using wood I’ve cut, milled, stacked and dried (all done a few years back), or wood that I’ve salvaged. There’s a 400 watt solar system, 12v lighting, converted freezer to fridge (not in the pics), deck on top, pull behind trailer/porch, and concrete shower. The floors are plumbed with radiant heat pex tubing. I have a thermal solar panel although it’s not installed yet. The grey water tank is in, and finally some curtains are being hung.
In just a few weeks I’ll be taking her on the true maiden voyage. Granted I’ll be driving back to where it was about 6 months ago but, I’ll be living in it this time for the foreseeable future. It will be a short stay in Kentucky before heading to Maine, which is my final destination. In Maine I’ll be attending a metalwork school for the rest of the year followed by a fine furniture making school. Thanks again and I hope you enjoy.
Lucas Sweeten
Read More …
Comment from Anonymous:
“Across the Atlantic – in a garden shed: Most 84-year-olds would settle for a Saga cruise. But this ancient mariner had other ideas. https://dailym.ai/1G0hD9r”
Note: Anthony Smith passed away in July 2014 at age 88: https://nyti.ms/17DNyxR
Anonymous has left a new comment on your post Tiny Homes For The Homeless Built Out of Dumpster …”:
Hi Lloyd, ran across some more articles on this fellow and had a look at his website.
He now has a TON of pics of his tiny homes for the homeless, which he has pretty much created from garbage.
Hunted this post out, to put the link on, in case anyone is interesting in building some of these, he has quite detailed pics of his work in progress, and MANY many finished homes.
I believe these pics are from a photographer who has photographed this man’s work/art.
https://www.seenimages.com/homelesshomesproject/h2DEF07F0#h2a2b1063
Craftsperson Willow De La Roche was featured in Tiny Homes on the Move. She built Willow’s Wagon in 2011, and has a new company, Artisan Homes UK, that builds alternative small living spaces, such as gypsy caravans, shepherds wagons, tree houses, boat conversions, as well as earth-bag and cob houses.
Dear Lloyd,
I’m still living in my beautiful wagon thankfully the sheep have gone from my field now, as they uses to cram in under the wagon and make the most disconcerting and sudden noises in the middle of the night, not to mention reeking havoc with my log pile. But this morning the snow lies all around but i’m really nice and cozy inside. 🙂
Read More …
“Bobby Heffelfinger created this rolling art studio in West Marin county, California, on a 2013 Ford F-350 truck with mostly recycled materials (left over from various building projects). He started with the truck chassis and built a flatbed with 2 × 2 steel square stock.…”
https://www.theshelterblog.com/bobbys-mobile-art-cart/
Bernie Harberts was featured in Tiny Homes (pp. 188-89), documenting a 2,500 mile journey from Canada to Mexico, with a mule pulling a 21-square-foot gypsy wagon. Recently we got a letter from Bernie, as reproduced below. A month or so later he sent us 2 jars of apple sauce cooked on his wood stove in a box stuffed with straw.
I’m up here visiting my friend Louie. Last night we roasted a wild goose and had it with a salad and Louie’s home-made zinfandel to the accompaniment of ’40s music on Sirius radio. Two old guys havin fun…
