Lil' Rose

This diminutive boat has been docked at South Beach Harbor for some time now. Despite her small size, "Rose" has 2 wooden masts and would actually be classified as a yawl. I hope to see her under sail some day.

Not so tiny

This weekend I attended Tumbleweed's tiny house Design/Build workshop in Berkeley. Jay Shafer, the foremost tiny home thought leader (at least in my mind), presented the entire workshop and spent time on the final day looking at attendees' individual designs. It was a great opportunity to exchange ideas and collaborate with a range of other tiny home enthusiasts. In fact, I was a bit surprised by the sizable audience (~ 30 people) for a workshop that was added to the schedule relatively recently. Look out, we tiny homers are a growing, motivated, mobile (those building on wheels) force who is coming for you, or at least your unused property where we would like to construct a tiny home if it's OK with you.....?

Intentions

I should start by saying this is my first official blog and it will be a learning experience with the blog hopefully evolving to meet the interests of the readers. In the future I hope to have multiple authors contributing relevant content. Feedback, comments, as well as content ideas and requests are all appreciated. To provide some background here are the primary reasons for starting this blog:

1. I'm designing/building a tiny home on wheels and want to chronicle the process for friends, family and other interested parties. Ideally, this site will also be a platform where other tiny home/sustainable structure enthusiasts can communicate and collaborate.

2. In addition to tiny homes and sustainable structures, this site will include ideas and resources that help provide “shelter from the storm”. That could be anything from DIY videos, to a look at beekeeping best practices, or a detailed discussion of optimum foods to bring on extended backcountry trips. I'm certainly not an expert in every area and hope to hear from others and to facilitate online discussions.

3. This site is also an opportunity for me (and hopefully others in the future) to experiment with blogs and other related Web 2.0 technologies.

Again, I welcome feedback, comments and ideas.

What's in a name?

 “Oh, a storm is threat'ning

My life today

If I don't get some shelter

Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away”

         - "Gimme Shelter", The Rolling Stones

We all require some type of physical structure to protect us from the elements whether it be a liveaboard boat, a tiny home on wheels, or a poncho tarp tent for camping. Of course, it's not just the elements from which we need shelter, and while individuals may have their own personal needs, there are some common aspirations including reducing our individual and collective “footprint” and improving integration of the built environment and the natural environment.

I am particularly interested in sustainable structures, tiny homes, boats, hiking, camping, etc. and hope to create a forum for others with similar interests.