Under construction....

Sheepcamps (sheep wagons). I didn't see them as something of joy until later in life. At that point, it was from the perspective of pure nostalgia. Sheepcamps were a fixture throughout my childhood and early adult years...an integral part of my family's sheep ranching operation. Until my parents retired in the late 80s, I repaired, refurbished, and lived in them periodically. With my mom, or brother... or alone, the nights I spent in sheepcamps in the remote deserts and mountains of Idaho now seem countless. It was an era of simpler times, void of technology. By night, under the dim firelight of the sheepcamp's kerosene lamp, I fondly remember my dear late mother teaching me the value of reading, and how to play cards and Chinese checkers. By day, I was completely immersed in nature, far from people, untethered from attention robbing screens. The narrow lens of technological fiction didn't exist in my world. It was just the elements from the whims of Mother Nature, and the sheepcamp as my evening refuge.

The experience as a whole left an indelible impression on my young mind, particularly so in the preteen years. I discovered a deep sense of self as well as awe in such mundanity as clouds drifting, water trickling. I felt the satisfaction of silence and the indescribable feeling of being the observer to my own awareness.

My interest in sheepcamps today is a mental reliving of those early days...a period that has been instrumental throughout my adult life. From work to recreation, most of my doings reflect the skills of resourcefulness I developed on the range. Blending this with an esthetic interest, I affectionately refer to my work as "sheep herder engineering". Practical yet artistic, it is creatively making do with what is at hand, just as we did on the range...just as sheep herders have been doing since the beginning. It was a way born from necessity then, something of a philosophy now. Applying this to sheepcamps, my aim is to conscientiously utilize materials in context of time and circumstance with the end goal being a culmination of details that give a sense of authenticity...a feel achieved having lived the life.

From the fingerprints of the lonely profession of sheep herding.

The sheepcamps I grew up in and around. Photos circa late 60s to early 70s, Copper Basin and near Craters of the Moon National Monument.

Me at age 10, herding on the range near Craters of the Moon National Monument. I lived in a sheepcamp that entire summer, with my 17 year old brother... with no adult supervision. We were 100 miles from home, 20 minutes from the highway, and 1.5 hours from a hospital. If one's essence could be shaped by childhood experiences....

A new era. Before and after..... Watch a video of this camp here.

Ax on one side, shovel on the other. Fairly standard practice in the day. The ax is held on with loops of repurposed horse tack leather and the shovel with a bent horseshoe found on the range. The paint is flat, no VOC, and applied in layers and other ways to make things look old.

This coffee can, circa 1918-1933, was found nailed print side down on the cupboard. As a memento, and to honor the herder who installed it all those yrs ago, it is now displayed on the inside of the door. .

Tin can tops were commonly reused for various purposes. Here, one covers a hole. Sheep herder engineering!

Kerosene lantern: The standard of the times.

A small tribute to those who brought me into this world. Made from the byproducts of the rebuild.

On bare wood, I only use 100% natural oil, the same type used since sheep camps have been in existance. Rather than yellowing and peeling with time, it penetrates the wood which draws out the natural patina and highlights the character that only age can give. Old oil recipes on old reclaimed wood = an old authentic look.

Restorations. Rebuilds. Repairs.