Every time I drive up to Point Arena to visit my friend Louie Frazier,* I admire this sculpture of wind and rock.
*which I’m gonna do in a few weeks, now that all us old people have been vaccinated.
Gerrund Bo Jeste’s 1955 International R-150 step van, which he lived in (and moved around in) for many years until he and the truck settled down on a piece of land. It’s a real nice-feeling space inside.
There’s no doubting Steve McQueen’s rep as a bonafide gearhead. From making some of the greatest all-time car movies to having a massive personal collection of his own, he was always behind the wheel of one slick ride or another. This 1952 Chevrolet 3800 pickup is a little off-speed compared to the rest of his stable, though, and it was supposedly one of his most beloved possessions. The story behind it could’ve never been written; instead, it could only happen to someone as intriguing and treasured as McQueen himself.
And now, the camper truck is for sale.
www.thedrive.com/news/33279/steve-mcqueens-1952-chevrolet-3800-camper-truck-can-be-yours
From Lew Lewandowski
Milt (don’t even know his last name) stopped by here last year and showed us his drawings from travels in Baja. I think they’re really good. Here’s a link (scroll down to get to Baja):
www.wanderthewest.com/
Another link to Milt’s other travels: www.wanderthewest.com/
Bob Easton did this drawing based on Joaquin’s input.
Lloyd,
Going to toss this out in case you have a mortise to pound a round peg into:
After five years+ of oblivion, I’ve resurrected my website (albeit on a different domain). It’s pretty much the same old bus-and-truck dance with a layer of blog posts floating on top:
www.mrsharkey.com (archived)
This should be a stable host for the foreseeable future. May register a domain name, may not…
–Sharkey
For a lot of housetrucks and housebuses, see Tiny Homes on the Move.
From our pal Deek:
A little backstory on this one: It’s a full-time dwelling that I led the build on for a friend (Alex Eaves: re-use advocate /
filmmaker / co‑builder) in 2017. The goal was to create a mobile tiny home (decor and all) with a large percentage of discarded, salvaged, and dumpster-dived materials (over 80% easily). The final decor and construction budget was under $800 as a result. This doesn’t factor in the cost of the secondhand truck (around $8k). The 17′ “box” of this former U-Haul moving truck now contains two sleeping levels, a small kitchen, a work-desk area, and even a nautical-style wet bath (toilet and shower stall). It will be featured in a documentary film we have been working on that will show the design process and educate “how,” from start to finish. People can head to BoxTruckFilm.com for more information.
(This is a great website; also, see Deek’s work at relaxshacks.blogspot.com.
There is a lot of skateboarding on city streets, a lot more than last year. Both motorized and foot-pumped, very few guys wearing safety equipment. They all look so graceful — and fearless. Weaving in and out of traffic. Spectacular. Also a bunch of those one-wheel handle-less motorized Segways and Segway knock-offs, requiring, according to a reviewer, a “fearless mind-set.”…The Jane Hotel, where I’m staying is in the West Village, was built as a hotel for sailors in 1906 and—factoid: was used to house the survivors of the sinking of The Titanic in 1912. It’s a great place…If you’re willing to put up with a small room, with bathroom down the hall, rates are like $115 per night, and this is NYC!… On Wednesday I borrowed one of the hotel’s free bikes (Schwinn one-speeds, took a while to get used to using foot brakes again)—and pedaled along the river down to the Javits Center, where I’m attending Book Expo America, in about 5 minutes…Went to see the play “Travesties” last night, got ticket for $39; it was brilliant, hard to describe…NYTimes reviewer Ben Brantley wrote: “Senility is a joy ride in the exultant, London-born revival of Tom Stoppard’s ‘Travesties’…This account of a clash of three cultural titans — James Joyce, Vladimir Lenin and the Dadaist poet Tristan Tzara — in Zurich during World War I is related decades later by an ancient witness (one Henry Carr, of the British Consulate). His recollection is, to put it kindly, capricious.…”…Watched the Warriors pull it out of their hats last night on the screen at the Blind Tiger Ale House in the village with a pint of Greenpoint Harbor Other Side and a decidedly pro-Cavs, but friendly young crowd…
Then the best sushi I’ve ever had at Blue Ribbon Sushi on Sullivan Street in Soho…I’m now at Stumptown Coffee Roasters, 30 West 8th Street, it’s 10AM and I’m heading over to the book convention, which has already been incredibly productive for me, hanging out with brother and sister book lovers…
Hi Lloyd and Lew,
Hi Lloyd,
I ran into Randy in Folsom, CA. I figured for sure he’d heard of Shelter and Tiny Homes on The Move, but he had not. Randy’s in his late 50’s and found himself in the middle of a late in life divorce and didn’t want tot have to work to own a house. He’s a metal worker by trade and modified an old utility trailer with the camper shell from his old Dodge pick up into his new home. It’s pretty cool. I shared with him your website information too.
Dan Varvais
