Hidden Away...

I've been here at this particular place in New Zealand's Far North long enough but it can never really be long enough.
It's time to go and find another beautiful hide-away for a while...

Long Term Car Parking Pays...

One time lawyer turned street bookseller, Charlie Mysak has kept his car parked in the same spot on Manhatten's Upper West Side for the last eleven years.
He arrives early each morning to claim his spot and spends the day selling books from his pavement stall while putting thirty six dollars worth of quarters in the parking meter.
He has some very funny and interesting stories to tell and when he's not selling books on the sidewalk seems to have spent a lot of time in court defending his position.
It's good to see that free enterprise is alive and well and so is cheap rent in a prime location...

Abandoned Wooden Masterpiece...

This wonderful piece of medieval architecture is just one of many great homes that have been abandoned for years, hidden deep inside isolated Russian forests.
They've survived because so few people know they're there.
Beautiful monuments to their designers and deceased owners...

A Tiny Wooden Housetruck...

Mr Sharkey is well known to many alternative mobile-home dwellers all over the world.
He started a forum some years ago and has recently given it over to Stuart.
You'll find the forum at www.nomadicista.org
Have a look, it's home to some interesting folk and perhaps a place to call into occasionally.
It's where I found Yoeddynz's gorgeous little 1985 Hino's housetruck. http://www.oldschool.co.nz/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=17&t=21684

A New Angle On Caravans...

For people who want to be mobile but with their own personally designed walls surrounding them, there's this production option, the Mehrzeller, the multi-cellular caravan.
Using a computer based 'configerator', every potential owner sets up a design that's unique to them. Then using 'mass customisation' the caravan is constructed and the owner is supposedly very happy living in his own creation.
For me, it doesn't have much of a relationship with nature's great outdoors where there are no straight lines, but, for some it's an option...

Up The Garden Path...

I was wandering through http://altbuildblog.blogspot.com/ as I often do and found myself up this delightful garden path.
Cast off slabs of stone have been used to create this lovely pattern, evidently designed and built by some young people in Seattle, Washington.
Or was it the result of some earthquake I wonder...

Massive Earthquake Damage In Washington DC...

As shown on http://laughingsquid.com a second cousin once removed to The Flying Tortoise, these photos indicate some of the extreme destruction caused by the largest earthquake ever recorded in the history of the Washington DC area.
My sympathy goes to all those who suffered moving experiences...

Tiny House Blog...

I found this little hut on Kent Grisworld's Tiny House Blog where there's always moments of pleasure for anyone delighting in living large in small spaces.
This little building with such a friendly shape takes us back to a time when things were simpler.
It evokes thoughts of a cave like shelter.
Put some wheels under it and it could be a Romnay caravan.
Whatever you wish, it can be.
A place for meditation perhaps.
Certainly a comfort zone...

The New Zealand Cycle Trail...

The first on road part of the New Zealand Cycle Trail opened a few days ago.
One hundred and eighty kilometres of the route between Taumaruni and New Plymouth follows The Forgotten World Highway and is framed by Mount Ruapehu at one end and Mount Taranaki at the other.
Passing through some great areas like the densely forested Tangarakau River Gorge, cyclists are assured of a beautiful scenic experience.
A great time's to be had cycling New Zealand...

That's Some Tree House...

And the old tree's still growing with the house just nestled in it's branches.
Note the spiral staircase at the bottom right.
Thanks for the photo Em. Does anyone know where it is or anything about it?

The Idaho Sheep Wagon...

This original style of wagon was used by sheep herders while tending their sheep in the high desert and mountains of the Western US.
Craftsman Kim Varder, whose ancestors were some of those sheep farmers, is building these beautiful replicas complete with bed, fireplace, storage, electrical fittings and the classic canvas roofs that are rated to last for ten years.
Go to idahosheepcamp.com and take a trip back to more laidback, leisurely times...

One Amazing Housetruck. Revisited...

I posted this most amazing housetruck here back in May 2010. At that time Aaron and Natasha and their two children were completing the build of this imaginative house on wheels with it's seven popouts and two popups and hadn't moved in.
Now says Aaron, I just want to build a deck between the two upstairs bedrooms and maybe it will be time to sell it. I have some great ideas for another one...
This is, as you can see, a very unique housetruck.
In case you're wondering, yes it takes a day to take all the popups and outs in so it can be driven.
If anyone has a thought to perhaps purchasing this creative masterpiece on wheels, email me for more details...

Coca Cola Lake...

Not far from where I'm parked there's an area of water that's commonly called Coca Cola Lake.
It's Maori name is Roto Po Kaka.
It's not the bottom of the lake that is the colour of Coca Cola, it's the actual water itself.
The area is surrounded by a lot of peat and it's this evidently that gives it the colour.
The water is soft and it's ok for drinking.
But you can make up your own mind about that.
It does wonderful things for your skin and hair.
A weird colour isn't it...

A Beautiful Beginning...

This was the beautiful beginning of the day that I woke to at 6.35 this morning at Ramp Road on Northland's Karikari Peninsula.
No matter how many of these stunning sunrises I'm lucky enough to witness, I know that I'll never get enough. Every one is precious.
It's so good to be alive...

Who Is This...

A weird image isn't it...

Beats Walking On Water...

More than fifty amphibious vehicles had their annual rally recently at St Blaise in Switzerland, driving along the roads before entering the water and crossing the calm Lake Neuchatel.
St Blaise hosted the rally as part of the town's 1000th anniversary celebrations.
Congratulations St Blaise.
One thousand years is a long time...