#1 Postcard - Unnecessary Reminder

Starting in the early hours of high school days, Mom grouched into her coffee while I awoke with a smile. I'd check my math homework or practice a piano tune, waiting for her brain to hum along. Why not start the day smiling? Like I told her, nothing bad has happened yet.

Today I rolled to the edge of the bed opening Facebook notification on my phone. My mother turned 53. Would I like to wish her Happy Birthday? Scripted platitudes fanned her wall.

The stunted glazed urn next to the bed held my mother’s ashes.  I do not want your thoughts and prayers; our grief is not the same. Why won’t you all leave me alone? I curled fetal into the sheets and tasted the sea on my pillow. 

~JRogers 

7.26.2016

***

Once I decided on the project for my 72 postcards, I blanked on what to write. I have books which suggest different writing prompts, but they were at home and I was eager to start NOW! Instead, I turned to Google for writing prompt generators and found page after page of suggestions.

The first Writing Prompt Generator came from Adam Maxwell's Fiction Lounge. The generator kicked out: "I was sad to see in the phonebook that he still existed."

I had trouble with this prompt because a) phonebook, who uses that today? b) I can't relate to being sad that someone is still alive. So I changed it around to: "I was sad to see on Facebook that he/she had died." That I could write about.

Since I'm doing this postcard fiction challenge, I thought it would help me to sample some of the advice the internet offered. Here's one I enjoyed: Stories in Your Pocket: How to Write Flash Fiction - the author described postcard fiction as "stories that took less time to read than to suppress a sneeze."

After I finished writing the rough story about grief, I realized I had an outline. Not a story. I turned back to the internet for more advice and found Writer's Digest "Writing Effective Grief in Fiction."

1. Make the reader care. "Help the reader get to know the character before you rip their hearts apart." => Provide some background to the mother/daughter relationship.
2. Grief has conflict because those grieving desire isolation and often can't get it. => Use Facebook notice to break the isolation and provide a grief trigger.
3. Additional conflict arises when grieving occurs at the worst possible times or places.
4. The story doesn't need to end when the character stops grieving.

Word Count: 131

72 Postcards Project

Postcard Fiction or short fiction are known for their extreme brevity. One would think short fiction was a self explanatory term. However, there are many different categories of short fiction based on word count, though these labels are arbitrary. Here's a rough cataloging:

Sudden Fiction, 1500 word
Flash Fiction, 1000 word
Micro Fiction, 300 word
Drabble, 100 words
Nanofiction, 55 words
Twitterature (Twitter Fiction), 140 characters, about 23 words

In the 1970s, a science fiction magazine editor, George Hay, presented a challenge to Arthur C. Clarke to write a short story that fit on a postcard, a micro fiction approximately 250 to 300 words long. The result was Arthur C. Clarke's micro fiction "Quarantine" which is 188 words. 

It just so happens that in the course of minimizing my life by slowly dismantling my scrapbooks and digitizing the contents, I am now left with 72 postcards from a 1998 trip to England. They are perfectly good postcards and I could use them to write notes to friends and family but it feels weird to send a UK postcard from within the US. 

I've decided to assign myself  the 72 Postcards Project and write microfictions to mail out into the world. I'll also publish the Postcard Fictions on the SummerTroll blog. 

Can a Fat Girl Climb?

Yes, I can!

I've been interested in indoor rock climbing since my best friend took it up a few years ago but the idea of strapping my significant weight into a harness and trusting someone not to let me plummet is a deter for me.

A month ago I discovered through mutual friends a different kind of rock climbing called 'bouldering' which does not use a harness or belay system. This was something I was willing to try if the opportunity ever arose.

You may be scratching your head as to why I would be more willing to try something that might be less safe. It's all about the illusion of control. The harness and belay puts the control in the hands of the person on the ground, or so my brain argues. Whereas, I'm in complete control of the climb in bouldering. I know it doesn't make sense but my brain believes it.

Opportunity arose two weeks later with a $5 coupon (including shoe rental) for a Friday evening climb at the Summit Climbing indoor facility. I was committed and antsy.

Could a fat girl like me actually climb? Naturally, I started to research and found a piddling of articles.

• Fat Girl's Guide to Indoor Rock Climbing - The best of the bunch but not really a "guide".
• No Excuses: Two Heavy Climbers Who Crushed - About male climbers.
• Do I Weigh Too Much to Go Rock Climbing? - Has some good advice.

These didn't help with my anxiety because everything I read said the same things whether for a fat person or an athlete.

1. Stay as close to the wall as possible.
2. Push up with your legs.
3. The shoes are supposed to be snug and uncomfortable....

I was disappointed that there were no pictures of the climbers or acknowledgments of weight/size/height because I know there are different categories of corpulent figures which may or may not affect the successful of a climb. 

Though I have insecurities about confessing my size (and feel the need to defend myself by saying that I am working on losing the excess weight slowly having lost 2 pant sizes since January), I hope the information below will benefit anyone else who goes looking for information. 

I am currently a size 22 (Lane Bryant Short Pants), 5 foot 4 inches tall, I'm guessing about 250 lbs and I climbed a wall. My goal was to just get off the ground and on the wall. I think that's a good beginner goal to have and it's surprisingly hard to do. With some trial and error I figured out what works best for me. My highest climb was 3 handhold and 2 footholds before I fell off and bounced. 

Lessons Learned:

1. Look for the wall that is 0 degree or as close to vertical as you can find because gravity is a bitch who is going to be pulling hard on your butt. I actually started off on a slight overhang, about 20 degree angle, and was only successful in pulling myself up on to the wall two times before gravity yanked me off as I reached for another handhold.
2. Make sure you stick to the easy paths as mapped out - "V0" or "VB"
3. The average beginner who has been through orientation or with experienced friends will try to start by grabbing the first handhold with both hands and hang down, thus putting all their weight on their shoulders. Then you are supposed to maneuver your feet onto the footholds and push up with your legs while balancing with your arms. I was having significant trouble doing this. Finally, my friends and I decided that the position was putting too much weight on my shoulders.

   

   All the weight on my shoulders and hanging so low to the ground made it difficult to push up onto the wall.

   Instead of using the lowest handhold, I secured myself to the wall using the two higher handholds that were a little more than shoulder width apart. This helped because it evenly distributed my weight and I was not hanging quite so low to the ground. 
4. The boobs, the belly, and the thighs will get in the way. Embrace it. When you are trying to reach for the next handhold or foothold, these things will physically block you and visually block you. You will want to push away from the wall so you can look down to see why your foot hasn't found the next foothold. You will also need to push away from the wall so your boobs or belly doesn't catch on the wall holds. Then the bitch gravity starts pulling on you hard. (Lesson 5 will help combat these issues.)
5. Plot out your climb and take it step by step, hand by hand. When you fall off, don't give up. Sit down with your friends or other beginners and talk about what to do. If you try something that doesn't work, try something else. For instance, I was trying to step up on the left foothold which is actually higher than the right one but my belly was visually blocking me and I would miss it. After sitting down, I noticed that the right foothold was lower and decided to try that foothold first, push up with my right thigh and then lift up my left leg onto the left foothold. This worked and then I fell while trying to reach the next handhold. Sit back and repeat.
6. When you're tired take a break and when your hands hurt, you might need to stop.

Indoor rock climbing is surprisingly low-key, socially engaging activity. I felt no pressure to perform at a certain level and no shame in bowing out sooner than my more active counterparts. Though I was no longer approaching the climbing wall, I was still welcome to sit with my friends and discuss climbing techniques or observe climb paths and movements. You don't have to be climbing to continue to engage in the activity. These factors will entice me to go climbing again and the climbing will motivate me to increase my strength and flexibility workouts.  

IKEA & Tiny Houses...

IKEA  FRIHETEN sleeper sofa
in my tiny house

In a pique of boredom last Thursday, I posted a random question on DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts: "Does anyone like to go to the IKEA showroom to wander and get ideas?" The comments exploded across Facebook like I'd popped open a can of robustly shaken soda.

Roaming the showroom of IKEA is one of my favorite solo adventures. I go to be inspired, test new ideas, and see practical applications at work. Much of the furniture in my tiny house is from IKEA. Even though I don't need anything else, I still like to peruse the showroom and I was gleeful to find that others shared a similar interests. Though, my eyes popped in shocked that there were people in the #tinyhousetribe who had never been there before.

That's all about to change because the reigning king of IKEA, Cory Hagen of TinyModernHomes.com, will lead the charge and introduce those untutored commoners (and fellow amateur aristocrats) to the wonders of IKEA products. This is, of course, after the Tiny House Jamboree if we all still have legs to charge forth.

But why IKEA? It was clear from the comments section that many of the #tinyhousetribe were enthusiastic with the idea. Every tiny houses I have personally toured has featured IKEA products or IKEA inspired products. The use of IKEA furniture and products in tiny houses is due to several factors:

1. It's versatile.Just because they advertise a product for the kitchen, doesn't mean it can't be used in the bedroom, bathroom or living room. Also, many of the styles are streamlined, so it provides cohesion of design when compiling similar products that perform a variety of different room functions (i.e. bedroom, kitchen, bathroom) in a studio like space.
2. It's relatively affordable, depending on what your budget is. I also find it to be a good quality product for its pricing.
3. It's malleable, a.k.a. you can 'hack' it. IKEA hacks are quite popular because the products are relatively easy to modify and repurpose for your own personal needs, designs and styles. 

My favorite site for IKEA hacks is IKEAHackers.net. There's a lot available on the site and when I first found it, I scrolled through the gallery of ideas. However, if you searching for a specific solution for your tiny house... like hanging clothes without using a closet. I typed in "clothes" for the search and got several results. My favorites were using the EKBY ROBERT bracket and the SKUGGIG curtain rod to create space for hanging clothes. 

EKBY ROBERT bracket
from IKEAHackers.net 

SKUGGIG curtain rod
from IKEAHackers.net

The ideas seem endless and somewhat overwhelming if this is a first time exploration. To ease into the idea of IKEA products and their versatility in small spaces, I suggest the site  About Small Spaces which consistently utilizes IKEA products, ideas and hacks for small space design and storage. Below are a list of their 5 most popular IKEA ideas articles with great accompanying pictures and links to tutorials should you decide to tackle the project.

• 5 Ingenious IKEA Furniture Hacks that Save Major Space
• 23 Ingenious IKEA Billy Bookcase Hacks (see slide 16 for cat jungle gym and slide 18 for a Murphy bed that rocks!)
• 9 Tidy and Stylish Storage Hacks Using IKEA Shoe Cabinets (I like slide 5.)
• IKEA Storage Hacks and Ideas for Small Bedrooms
• 13 Easy IKEA Hacks You Can DIY in a Weekend (or Less)

These are just the top suggestions that come up. For a complete listing of About Small Spaces' IKEA articles, I stole Jet Regan's search method. (All credit goes to her!) Go to the Google search bar and type the below in exactly.

site:smallspaces.about.com "ikea"

Voila!

I'll be curious to see what my fellow Enthusiasts come up with as we follow our reigning king through the IKEA showrooms. For more ideas about IKEA product ideas and hacks, Pinterest and YouTube are two other places worth checking out.

Westward Water

Westward Water is a photo journal of my 2015 car camping road trip. I composed it shortly after the trip but didn't have the guts to publish it. Since I plan to do another photo journal for the upcoming trip, I convinced myself it was time to publish it here.

Of Car Camping & National Parks...

The Road - Car Camping 2015

Since I'm gearing up for my second solo cross-country driving vacation, I've been exploring potential solutions to problems I encountered last year. Two other people I know are also in the process of turning their cars into campers. This seems to be the season for car camping inspirations and I thought I'd write a little about the history of car camping. It doesn't hurt that a fellow Enthusiast recently posed the question about the history of car camping, looking specifically for resources to read. I almost pulled a Hermione and dumped probably way more information than she wanted on Facebook. Since I couldn't quote the actual sources, I'm taking the time to dig through the archives of my brain and write a cohesive history.

Car camping started when the first mass produced automobiles rolled off the assembly line and with the establishment of the first national parks. Writings and photographic evidence often showcase the Ford Model T and other later cars as the first automobiles used for camping. Ford himself uses his cars to plan road trips all along the Eastern Seaboard and through the Florida Everglades between 1914 and 1924. However, he didn't actually camp in the car. Ford along with an entourage that included Thomas Edison, John Burroughs, Harvey Firestone and assistants setup in monogrammed canvas tents ("Ford and Edison's Excellent Camping Adventures" by History News).

Robert Sterling Yard in
Yosemite National Park,
circa 1920

They were other vacationers during this time that camped from their cars, especially in the early formation of national parks. The most authentic introductory reading to understanding the interconnection of cars, camping and national parks is to read the works of Robert Sterling Yard, an American writer, journalist and activist who helped develop the National Park Service a hundred years ago. In 1919, Yard wrote,

"The same reading which will prepare you to enjoy to the full the message of our national parks will invest your neighborhood hills at home, your creek and river and prairie, your vacation valleys, the landscapes through your car window, even your wayside ditch, with living interest" (The Book of the National Parks, 8). 

Time and time again, Yard emphasizes the exploration and views of our national parks from the standard "car-window." Yard even discusses the development of different types of camps, from those "hotel-camps" of canvas tents and swimming pools to "those who prefer the quite retirement and the tradition of old fashioned camp life" (1919, 51-52). Earlier in a 1917 publication of Top of the Continent, Yard describes several occasions in which people camped in the national parks with their cars:

"One evening Uncle Billy took Mrs Jefferson and Aunt Jame to a dance at the hotel while Uncle Tom stayed in camp with the children. They found the pleasantest of neighbors among the campers, many of whom brought their cars with them and camped all summer, returning year after year" (Yard 1917, 168-169).

If you haven't read Robert Yard's writings before, I highly recommend them and most can be read for free on Google Books or located at your local library. Though I am often amazed at the imagery Yard's writing conjures, sometimes there nothing that speaks as well as a photograph.

Photograph Source from www.shorpy.com

The photograph on the left is a circa 1920 Harris&Ewing glass negative picture taken in the Washington, D.C. area. The caption for the photograph reads, "Dr. A.A. Foster and family of Dallas, Texas, in auto tourist camp." A great site for other original photographs is the Rocky Mountains National Park's Vintage Camping website. There are also plenty of Pinterest boards devoted to the vintage camping theme.

1916 Patent 1,196,309

For more information about the early history of automobile camping, Stephen Mark wrote a quick article with some great pictures called Save the Auto Camps! However, if you are looking for something more source documented, I suggest David Leroy Harmon's retrospective paper from Iowa State University, American Camp Culture: A History of Recreational Vehicle Development and Leisure Camping in the United States, 1890-1960 (2001). Page 256 begins Harmon's works cited page where you will find many excellent sources to read.

Photograph Source PBS.org

For a good video that references car camping briefly in the larger scheme of national parks, check out Ken Burn's National Parks: America's Best Idea series. (You can stream it from Netflix.)

Below I've listed some of the readings I suggest for more information about car camping and national parks. My personal interests lies in pre-WWII history so I admittedly have better recommendations there. The post-WWII readings are VW van driven because that's what I grew up in. There are more sources out there of course, so don't forget to visit your local library or Amazon recommendations.

Suggested Readings for Early Automobile Camping:

• Motoring West: Automobile Pioneers, 1900-1909 by Peter J. Biodgett (ed.), 2016
• Trails Begin where Rails End: Early-Day Motoring Adventures in the West and Southwest by Albert D. Manchester, 1987
• Americans on the Road: from Autocamp to Motel, 1910-1945 by Dr. Warren James Belasco, 1997
• See America First: Tourism and National Identity, 1880-1940 by Marguerite Shaffer, 2013

Suggested Readings for Post-WWII Automobile Camping

• Big Book of Camper Van by Steve Lumley, 2015 
• VW Camper Van: A Biography by Mike Harding, 2013
• Campervan Crazy: Travels with My Bus, a Tribute to the VW Camper and the People Who Drive Them by David Eccles, 2006

Complete List of Robert Sterling Yard's Works:

• The Publisher (1913)
• Glimpses of Our National Parks (1916)
• The Top of the Continent (1917)
• The Book of the National Parks (1919)
• The National Parks Portfolio (1921)
• Our Federal Lands: A Romance of American Development (1928)

Tiny House Research and Design Meetup

89 people RSVP'd to attend the Research & Design Meetup.

The DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts is clearly a collaboration of talent as evident by the three speakers at today's workshop located at the Roanoke Public Library. As if learning more about tiny houses wasn't incentive enough, they also gave away two Tiny House Jamboree tickets as door prizes to the audience. Guess who got to pick the winners... ME! I could feel the individuals in the audience using whatever psychic powers they had, silently commanding "Pick me!" ... "Draw my name!" That in conjunction with the full-on superhero stares directed my way was actually quite intimidating.

The three speakers today were Jet Regan, Cory Hagen, and Robert Horsley who each brought their own unique skills and experiences. (You can view all the presentations slides on Jet's website The Bookend Tiny House). The speakers covered a lot of basic information, defined terminology for a better understanding, and explored design concepts. They broke the presentations down into a variety of topics to provide a good cross-selection for the Q&A discussion.

Tiny House Research & Design Meetup

Jet uses her education and training in information technology and data research to provide useful tips and tricks for researching tiny house designs and inspirations. One new skill I learned was how to search for the original source of an image using Google Image search option (see slide 10 "Reverse Image Search"). Additionally, she's one of the best volunteer coordinators I've ever worked with and I look forward to working with her more.

IKEA Sink SketchUp by Cory Hagen

Cory studied architecture and design which is clearly visible since he seems to bleed design talent as demonstrated from his slides (see slide 28 "Going 3D"). I personally can't wait for him to teach a workshop on SketchUp. He started old-school with draft paper and expanded the design into 3D format. Even more enviable is that he taught himself by watching YouTube and reading tutorials. He recently contributed a SketchUp of the IKEA Lillangen Sink because the guy measures EVERYTHING!

www.horsleydesignstudio.com

Robert is the owner of Horsley Design Studio with years of experience regarding practical designs and construction. He's currently building his own tiny house. At the end of the presentations and Q&A, I was able to visit with Robert about some of the designs he presented, such as the use of alternating tread stairs (see slide 21 "Stairs VS Ladders VS No Loft"). I'd seen similar designs in Rockport, TX - but not in tiny houses. Rather they were design features of boats. Robert even said that seafaring vessels were some of the first tiny houses.

When looking for inspiration and space saving designs, I think it's important to not only look at tiny houses, campers and RVs but also maritime vessels. If you think about it, boats have utilized compact living designs since humans discovered how to cross vasts watery distances.

I highly recommend this presentation, whether you are exploring the idea of a tiny house, questing for the perfect tiny house design or even in the construction phase, because there's something here for everyone. Don't forget to check out the complete slideshow presentation.

Skoolie Revisited...

Rose from the Dallas Arboretum

On October 2, 2014, I wrote about my initial thoughts of a School Bus Conversion or Skoolie in the blog post, Is Doubt a Weed or a Rose? 

I've been prompted to revisit this earlier discussion due to several factors, such as an upcoming design session being hosted on Saturday by the DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts and a Facebook discussion regarding conversion of overland vehicles.

The 2014 post listed the below reasons for why I decided to make a Skoolie my first tiny house project: 

1. School Buses can be bought for $3,000 to $5,000 dollars, sometimes even less.
2. School Bus comes with its own framing, doors and windows.
3. They have a higher ground clearance than RVs in order to ensure the safety of the children they were used to transport, meaning they are safer than traditional RVs.
4. Their roof systems are designed so that in case of roll over, the roof can support the entire weight of the bus. Again, this design is much safer than RVs.
5. They are solid steel frame construction, not aluminum like RVs. They use a medium density truck chassis was is totally better than anything a RV has. 
6. School Buses are designed to haul for 500,000 miles, though most schools sell them before they get to the 200,000 miles mark. This leaves lots of life in the bus for the new owners.
7. School Buses are universal in every state and countries, so they're relatively easy to fix.
8. They are designed to be self maintained.
9. Because School Buses were part of public facility, they underwent regular maintenance. 

In 2014, I also came across some issues with Skoolies:

1. The ceiling height is right about 6' at the center aisle and slopes down towards the windows.
2. Most School Buses are geared toward city driving not highway cruising.
3. The diesel engine gets about 11 miles to the gallon. 
4. Conversion is hard work (but anything worth having is).

Since 2014, I've moved into a 135 sq. ft. tiny house or lake cabin and feel assured in saying that the tiny life is the one for me which has inspired me to move forward with a School Bus Conversion as my first tiny house project. You may have noticed that I said it would be my "first" project, that's because I fully intend to design and build more tiny houses. (The goal I'm working towards is to have property with several tiny houses available for rent so people can decide for themselves if this is a lifestyle for them. If it's not, then they haven't lost any money in their experience. If it is, then renters can save money for their own tiny houses.)

In the course of my research since the 2014 post, I have outlined some additional reasons for choosing a Skoolie as my first tiny house project.

•  Traveling is no longer just a desire, it's a reality. I travel a lot and want to travel more. Skoolies are good house platforms that exists well off-the-grid and on the road.
• Towing a small car behind a Skoolie is relatively simple.
• Since I want to build more tiny houses, have a versatile and movable space while working is much more feasible. For instance, by staying on site of the build, I can help ensure the security of construction. Also, since the Skoolie will be off-the-grid compatible - this will allow be to build in remote sites and still have access to power and water needed for construction.
• A new reason is my sister-in-law is in a wheelchair and she loves going to places too. But she's limited when it comes to camping. A Skoolie with a wheelchair lift would be a great option for those times she wants to come with the family. 

I'm thinking for my first Skoolie, I'm going to start small with a short bus and wheelchair lift. Like this one:

There are lots of different types of school buses and it's hard to design a construction plan without the exact bus. But for the sake of the design exercise on Saturday and future research, I'm going to be using the above dimensions.

For more information about Skoolies, check out these resources:

Pinterest

• Skoolie Conversion by Hoop House
• Bus Conversion Ideas by Chris Fagin
• School Bus House by Nikole S.
• Bus Conversion Goodness by Luke Wilson
• Skoolies! by Amelia Kaiser
• Skoolie Ideas and DYI by Danielle Cap

Blogs

• Just Right Bus
• The Anne Marie
• La Casita Bus
• The Home School Bus
• Outside Found
• Suzi
• Two Birds

YouTube Channels

• Simple Life School Bus Conversion
• Aaron Attard's School Bus Conversion: Part 1 through 8 (so far)
• Bob Dorris Jr.'s School Bus Project: Part 1 through 11 (so far)
• Devone William's School Bus Conversion: Episode 1 through 11 (so far)

If you have suggestions to add to the resource list, let me know in the comments section.

Kasita Repeata Preview...

Jeff Wilson, CEO of Kasita, giving a brief introduction.

*Update 7/24/2016 - Kirsten Dirksen did a wonderful documentary on the Kasita while I was down there visiting. If you are DFW Tiny House Enthusiast you may spot some people you know!

A much anticipated trip to Austin occurred this past Saturday via an invite from Austin Tiny Houses/Co-Housing Building Meetup which allowed the members from the DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts to view the Kasita prototype. I got to the site early (read, 30 min. early) and was happy to see that I wasn't the only one! An added bonus of getting there early was meeting Kirsten Dirksen who was onsite interviewing Jeff Wilson.

Built to international building codes, this 208 sq. ft. micro home unit is Jeff Wilson's solution to providing home ownership in an ever increasing drought of affordable housing. Much like condos, one does not need to own the land on which the Kasita occupies, only the unit. However, unlike condos and more like RVs, the Kasita can be moved if the owners decide to move (although there are limitations). Blending the concept of RV into a vertical condo structure makes the construct of Kasita more unique and versatile. For a better visual of this vertical RV/condo structure, I recommend this website. The ability to stack these micro units is the design characteristic that interest me the most, not so much the interior design.

Kasita Repeata in Austin, TX

Like many other versions of tiny homes and micro units, the Kasita is built with all the amenities of a contemporary home. The Kasita's particular design style is very streamlined along a minimalist modular concept. I took pictures of the inside but... they sucked because all these annoying people who were just as interested in the building as I was kept getting in the way of my picture taking. Luckily, fellow DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts were able to magically take much better pictures of the interior.

To start the virtual tour, one enters via the step ladder and through the red sliding door. The half galley kitchen is front and off-center (and if you've read my earlier post, you know I'm not a fan of the galley kitchen). The light at the end of this tunnel is a 5-sided glass deck protrusion at the far end of the living room.

Kitchen Galley by Cory of www.tinymodernhomes.com

Lower Kitchen Cabinets by Markus

Living Room by Cory of www.tinymodernhomes.com

That light at the end of the galley is an excellent draw which invites visitors into a surprisingly spacious living area with ample seating and storage options. The couch is flush along the kitchen-side wall. There's a steep step from the kitchen into the living room and I couldn't figure out why it was designed that way until Jeff demonstrated that the couch extends from the wall to reveal a queen sized bed. 

Sofa/Queen Size Bed by Markus

  Since the Kasita wasn't hooked up, it was like a sauna inside from the sun exposure through the glass decking. The unit was oriented South meaning that it was getting the maximum light exposure which would be great if it were Winter. Since it wasn't, I expressed concern about heat and affordability of cooling the unit. Interestingly enough, the glass is dynamic - meaning that it is polarized and can go completely black. There's five levels of shading with the 5th level being the all black option. Additionally, the glass can be controlled so that only the lower half is blacked out and the upper half of the glass is clear. That's one impressive design feature!

Glass Deck by Markus

After exploring the intricacies of the living room, I got curious about the bathroom which led me back to the entrance of the unit. My judgement is that the bathroom is too compact for me (especially since I've already decided that I really want/need a bathtub in my next tiny house).

Bathroom Toilet & Sink by Markus

Bathroom Shower by Cory of www.tinymodernhomes.com

This was my first meetup with the DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts group and I ended up meeting some great people. I didn't stick around for lunch with them because I knew I'd have more chances to engage in our shared interests and I wanted to go see a friend I hadn't visited with in almost 6 years! I'm looking forward to next weekend's meetup about Tiny House designs.

I have to say again, I'm really glad I found the DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts.

Front Row: Lewis, Jenn, Jet, Ashley, Markus, Sharkey
Back Row: Cory, Rob, Robert

Renting Tiny Houses...

1860 Granary where I work.

When I got back from my leisure walk around the park at lunch, I was confronted with a Facebook message that peppers the same question I find myself encountering regularly now that I've joined the DFW Tiny House Enthusiasts. "Where did you find a tiny house to rent?"... "Craigs List."

Here's the back story simplified. I was looking for small lake cottages or cabins, hoping to find something in the 300 square foot range when I happened upon my 135 sq. ft. tiny house. The truth is, it was a fluke I found it on Craigs List. I don't know of any places where people can rent tiny houses on a long-term lease in Texas. I'm also not familiar, as I didn't find any such information when I was actively searching, of a comprehensive resource of tiny house rental locations.

There are, however, more options for short-term leases and more resources. Fellow Enthusiast, Jet, and blogger over at The Bookend Tiny House decided to publish her article early due to coincidentally timed questions about this very subject. Like me, she's had more success with Airbnb (see her article here: Tiny House Rentals) and she does a great job of explaining how to search Airbnb. Renting tiny houses on Airbnb is a terrific option, especially if you want to try out different styles of tiny houses.

Another Enthusiast recently posted (as in an hour ago) a question on our Facebook group about renting tiny houses, specifically in Austin, TX. I posed the question back, "What type of tiny house?" Jet's article mentions using other terms to search for different types of tiny houses (such as "houseboat," "airstream," "spartan") and this is important to remember. Some additional terms you'll want to include in your searches are:

• Boat
• Bungalow
• Bus
• Cabin
• Camper
• Container
• Cottage
• Micro or Microhome
• Schoolie

Personally, I find it fun to just log into Airbnb and choose a city, filter for "Entire House," and see what's available. That's how I came across the MotelCamper which HouseBeautiful did a whole article on with some fabulous pictures. 

If you like a bit more planning and order (or just plain Type A and proud of it), check out some of tiny house motels/hotels on Jet's list. Kent Griswold over at the Tiny House Blog recently stayed at one of Jet's recommendations, the Mt. Hood Tiny House Village. I encourage you to read Kent's review of the experience. 

Happy Renting!