Geeking Out at the Tiny House Jamboree, 2016

Photo Credit: Carla Adkins
Photo Image: Bryan Adkins hugging Dee Williams of
"The Big Tiny: A Built-It-Myself Memior"

For this DFW Tiny House Enthusiast, the Jamboree was practice in remaining cool in the face of meeting and talking to those who inspired me. And I know I wasn't alone in this. I felt like I was holding it together well when I met, talked with and briefly hung out with Lina Menard of the Niche House. She gave me her freaking card! Unbeknownst to her, the Niche House graced my computer screen saver for several months. You can see why when you click on her website www.nichdesignbuild.com

Several friends were introduced to Jay Shafer by another longtime DFW Tiny House Enthusiast. I admit to feeling mild envy for missing that. (It's okay though because I ending up meeting him anyway. Strangely, we didn't talk about tiny houses but my ability to lip read and eavesdrop on converstations from across the tent.)

At one point I thought I saw Jay Shafer at the ticket tent and nudge my buddy, "Is that Jay Shafer?"
"Who's that?" Cue the bug eyes.
"You don't know Jay Shafer?... Founder of Tumbleweed tiny house company. Now runs Four Lights... One of the founders of the tiny house movement." All I got was a negative shoulder roll. I rolled my eyes. This is a geek out as described by the Urban Dictionary, "an intense excitement and knowledge of specialized nontraditional culture."

Another friend related that she was having breakfast with her family when she saw Deek Diedrickson and Jay Shafer... and they "spoke to her." Now what they said, I don't know but when the people who started a movement you love speak to you, does it matter.

I hesitate to use words like "heroes" or "idols" because the terms are too worshipful and it removes their humaness. I look to these people because in so many ways they are ordinary people who where moved in a direction or commited to a goal that the average society finds counter traditional. Moreover because these are ordinary people, it instills in me a belief that I too can commit to an ideal not readily accepted by society. So instead of "heros" or "idols," I prefer to the term "movers"

Another DFW Tiny House Enthusiast, Bryan, got to meet the person who moved him, Dee Williams (see image above). I've listened to her Ted Talks and found her to be inspiring as well. She wrote a book, The Big Tiny: a Built-It-Myself Memior which highly recommend.

Seeing the tiny houses at the Jamboree was a great experience. All the different designs proved to be fertile ground for new ideas. For me, it doesn't make the Jamboree any more or less special than the Earthday Dallas Exhibit or Tast of Dallas expo; although, there were about 5 x more houses. The Jamboree is special because there is such a large collective gathering of like minded 'movers' mingling amongs us.