Wednesday, August 31, 2011

The Road and the Roots



For quite some time now I've had a hankerin' for a small movable living space, not unlike a gypsy wagon. Sort of a movable feast for my gypsy soul. This will not come as a surprise if you've been around these parts for any length of time. I once spent a couple of months in the southwest traveling and living out of a van so I'm not unfamiliar with what's required.  Despite the settling down I've been doing here on my Minnesota land I still have a desire for the sound of wheels beneath me, that ribbon of road spooling out before me. But, the voices that beckon are softer now, more of a whisper in my ear; they speak with less urgency. The road isn't going anywhere and right now I'm appreciating a place to be, a place where I'm establishing roots that will be here waiting whenever I go traveling again.

Staying put has taken some getting used to. It's a grand lesson on how to be at peace within. A lesson I'm learning, I'm happy to say, and I'm more at peace than I've ever been. Besides this wonderful chunk of land I call home I also have a great companion named Buddy. This little golden buddha-boy has taught me much about unconditional love and pure, unmitigated joy in the simplest things. He arrived just in time to help me with this settling-in process.




What got me thinking again about these caravans is a book by Iain McKell, in which he explores the lives of new gypsies through a series of photographs. There seems to be a resurgence in this lifestyle, particularly in the U.K. Out of choice or necessity, I don't know. My sense is that, for the most part, people choose it; it's what they prefer. Maybe it's about the sun coming up on golden fields.



The idea of parking a caravan at the edge of a field, living the simplest of lives, is still very appealing. I know it's a romantic idyll but it's also who I am. Even now, on this place, I have a small home and a very simple lifestyle. Perhaps it goes back to when I was a child and was so enamored of the woman living in the black van which I wrote about last year in,  "An Old Black Van and a Ripe Yellow Pear."  It's who I've always been.

I've included a short video of the history of gypsies - I love old footage - and was surprised to learn that their origins are in India. I had long thought Romania but that's just where they migrated way back when. There are other videos available, one oof a gypsy woman herbalist I found interesting, and just because I love music and I like this song, I had to include a link to Brian Hyland's version of  "Gypsy Woman."  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StC5lwA2snM

Photographs are by Iain McKell:  www.iainmckell.com

38 comments:

  1. Hello Teresa:
    We can imagine the appeal of a nomadic existence, about which you write with such tenderness, but, for us, we have always wanted a static place of our own which we could call home.

    It is interesting to read how your wanderlust is changing as you become increasingly attached to where you now live. There is, in our view, nothing better than having the freedom to roam at will with the certainty that familiar surroundings will be there at journey's end.

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  2. Those photos pierce my heart. Are they yours?

    Roxanne

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  3. Jane and Lance, Exactly so. That wonderful place of peace and choice, and home.




    Duck, Wish they were. Aren't they wanderlust inducing? They are Iain McKell's photos.

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  4. Oh duh, I just re-read Iain McKell. Yes, they're wonderful.

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  5. Well, I was going to respond with something smart-alecky, but I knew you'd come to your senses....

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  6. Thanks for this fantastic video. I hadn't a clue about the Egyptian name linkage.

    High-fives all the way around - I'm thinking you found your funny bone - or have an idea of where it is - right where you are! Yay!

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  7. Funny...my sister and I just came across this book. My Cool Caravan by Jane-Field Lewis and felt inspired to do the same thing.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1862058784/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_1?ie=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER
    For me it's age that holds me back. Eating on the road...the perils of finding safe places to park give me goose bumps. But it is a fun thought to tantalize. Staying planted is where I'm at and thank you for reminding me to be at peace with that. Everything for a reason as I say. Now I'm going to go check out your links...thanks for the visit. Maybe we'll catch up later at our virtual campsite. xo

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  8. Hi Kittie! Isn't that a great video? Yes, I found my funny bone. Hidden in plain sight! :)

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  9. Great video!!! funny...I've had this hankering to go... Of course, this is Sept. and I love heading to the Rocky's for rut, something I've done in September since..aawww (dating myself) since the 60's. I've been looking at small RVs and I find myself saying, "The mountains are calling and I must go." -John Muir

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  10. Karena, I checked out your link and it looks inviting. I feel almost called to stay put right now and it feels right. "Everything for a reason." Yes. See you round the campfire. :)

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  11. Lynn, Do go. You've had a busy summer and it sounds like just the thing. Love that Muir quote.

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  12. Okay Teresa, now I definitely feel a kinship with you. I like to hope most of my wanderlust has settled, but still, at times I long to be on the move again.
    You might want to check out Sheryl at http://aintforcitygals.blogspot.com/2011/08/dad-love.html
    She has these wonderful vintage trailers she refurbishes and occasionally sells, and besides is a good soul to know.
    Now, I need to check out your links.

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  13. Teresa... yes, a co-ink-e-dink. (who used to say that? Jimmy Durante?) I call Marilyn's van the Gypsy wagon. She has her flamenco guitar and away she goes. She's played flamenco guitar for 50 years. We were also going to do a flamenco video of her playing and me dancing but the time was too short.
    I like the video a lot but it would have been more authentic with flamenco music. I did the A-Z challenge on flamenco and gypsies. It was fun.
    You and Marilyn have the true gypsy spirit. You both love the open road. I love the music but I never want to travel or leave home.
    I love the new profile picture of you and Buddy. Definitely glam.
    Manzanita@Wannabuyaduck

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  14. Towanda, Love that strong name, my friend. I have checked out that bog and she is having some serious fun there. Thanks for stopping in.




    Manzanita, Yes, Jimmy. I would love to have seen video of that. Marilyn sounds like a good friend. I bet you two had fun.

    re: the picture. I have not had the word glam attached to me in a very long time. And that was only once. A glamorous outdoors shot? :) Thanks, Manzi.

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  15. You are very glamorous in my book. Since I don't know you except by what you write, I've always thought of you that way. Your writing is glamorous. And Buddy is such a delight...

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  16. DJan, What a sweet thing to say. It's funny, how people perceive us differently than we perceive ourselves. Thank you, DJan. Buddy has brought so much to my life. He's sooo smart, but I may be prejudiced.

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  17. I grew up in a military family and traveled quite a bit as a child. I find as an adult I am always wanting to travel. I wish we could afford to purchase a traveling vehicle right now. We've had a cabover camper, trailers, motor homes, and other types of trailers, tents and more. One of these days some time soon I hope to travel again. I can understand the wanderlust in your soul.

    Gary once took a photo of a horse drawn Basque food wagon and labeled the photo "Basque Winnebago" at an art show we were in, folks got a real laugh at that one. Sheep herders in the mountains moving their flocks from one pasture to another, where ever the greener pastures take them.

    Sometimes I think traveling is a search for greener pastures; other times I think it's a search for knowledge, a love of learning, learning about life, the earth and it's people.

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  18. Linda S., I know you have that traveling soul, too, and I hope you have an opportunity soon. You've talked of wanting to go to back Taos and that area, which I'm sure you'd love.

    It's the sheep wagons that really appeal to me, much the same as the gypsy wagons.

    It used to be about greener pastures for me, as well as the other things you mentioned, now I think it's just about "a search for knowledge, a love of learning, learning about life, the earth and its people." Very nicely said. Thanks Linda.

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  19. Brings to mind the Fellini film from the 1960s, 'La Strada', though it's been so many decades since I watched it I'm not even certain the characters were actually supposed to be Gypsies. Fantastic job of acting on the part of Anthony Quinn though, and something to mitigate the romantic side of what must have gone on in the colorful lives of those folks. Good post. Thanks for sharing it. J

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  20. Hi Old Jules, I may have to go on a foreign film bender this winter. There are many that would be interesting to revisit, including that one. There's a less than pleasant side to this lifestyle, but the idea sits in the back of my mind and always has. Perhaps it's a way of acknowledging that part of me.

    Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

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  21. Hi Teresa, just saying "Hi" from over at VS. Thanks for the nice comment. Much appreciated. You have a great site!

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  22. Hi Will, Thanks for stopping by. I appreciate the clear, concise way in which you share spiritual ideas, along with some other interesting information, such as Fire the Grid.

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  23. Quite coincidentally I learned today that the girl who helps me in the house once a week is a full-blooded Romany. Both her parents are gypsies (she calls them travellers), although they are all settled in houses now.

    She has been coming for several years but has not felt comfortable telling me until today.

    I'm afraid your romantic picture is not the reality for most of the genuine gypsies.

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  24. Friko, So, is one still a gypsy if settled in a house? :) I'm not sure what a genuine gypsy really is, it's become a loosely applied term, but I do know the Romany people who continue to travel today in Europe, such as your housekeepers parents, have a very tough reputation and life is not easy for them.

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  25. I have felt the same, only not so much now that physical problems and the necessity of having doctors whom I trust nearby have enveloped me. Then too, there's the sheer quantity of possessions that have grown over the decades, possessions that I would not willingly do without.

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  26. Snowbrush, I relieved myself of all possessions except the most valuable, to me, memorabilia, when I returned from Santa Fe. I'm working on keeping them down, but settling into my own place now has resulted in some furniture acquisitions. It feels liberating to me to have let go of so much, but I know many people who love having their accumulated possessions around them and would have quite a struggle in letting go of them. There is no right way to do anything, just the way that feels right to us.

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  27. P.S. I'm referring you guys to one another: http://3rdwife.blogspot.com/

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  28. The photos are beautiful...the colors are so warm and peaceful. This life does seem carefree, to be able to pick up and go whenever/wherever one wants. Great song!

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  29. LadyCat, Thank you for responding. And thank you, again, for your timeliness in posting Desiderata. Deeply appreciated. You have such a lovely, peaceful blog.

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  30. My, the feeling in that first photo is very strong for me!

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  31. Oh I can understand the pull of being on the road, I love the gentle feel of being out on quiet roads, stopping then moving on and stopping again. I am sure that I must have Romany blood in my ancestry somewhere ;-) Maybe that's what my Grandmother's dark blood was?

    I remember the gypsies in Ireland in the 1970's living on the outskirts of a settlement ...or were they tinkers?

    Wonderful photos and interesting video clip.

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  32. Montucky, That photo really spoke to me, also. Homefires can be built/lit anywhere.



    Marilyn, It is a gentle feeling, isn't it? Thank you for that word. Yes, gentle. You do some wonderful traveling from your own home base. I think tinkers were often very much like gypsies, perhaps even were.

    I was pleased to find the perfect photos by Mr. Mckell to illustrate my ideas. Thank you for your comments.

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  33. You often manage to bring songs from my younger days, Teresa. Gypsy Woman is one.
    What an interesting post and history lesson about gypsies. I, too, had no idea that the origin of gypsies was India. My Greek grandmother spoke of them roaming the hills around Sparta, but, they would have likely been Romanian or thereabouts. Must get out the globe and spin it around a bit.
    Your posts are always so interesting and set me off in search of more.

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  34. Penny, Thank you. The world and its people intrigue me and I hope always will.

    Mmmm. Now I'm thinking I might want a globe...:)

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  35. I'm always amazed by the travelling heart. I am so unadventurous and wish I had a little bit of Gypsy in my soul. Happy September Teresa! xo Catherine

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  36. Hi Catherine, The world needs those who "hold down the fort," and you do that beautifully. Happy September to you.

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  37. On the road you go
    Here and yon along the way,
    What brings tomorrow ?

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  38. Paul, The same thing that brought today: a never-ending fascination with Life itself.

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