25"
Leather, Wood, Wool & Wire
ROMANIA

We drove up to the market slightly after dawn - not my prime hour, but one I much enjoy. We arrived just as the first people were coming to examine the horses, pigs, sheep and cows on display. It was cold. Steam was rising, people were milling, the weather was good. We had a translator with us which made it all the better as we had questions like - "what are these horseshoes for?" (winter), "what are these hats made of?" (fetal lambs), "who made these socks?" (my wife), "where did this brass come from?" (it was leftover from the onion domes of the local church), and "do you have coffee?" (yes), and last, "that blanket your horse is wearing is so beautiful, can I buy it?" (no! what would my horse do?). The horses in the region all wore huge and beautiful red tassels and the farmers all had these whips with matching little red tassel on the end. They are primitive and made to last. Notice how the wire wraps around the handle and is secured to the wood with the copper. Several producers were selling these whips and all of them had the same characteristics. When we asked why, they shrugged - how else could a whip look? This was very Romanian, certain things in life are just obvious. I love it!