As I’ve said for days now, it has been a wild week of “Firsts” here at The Lodge: and we’ve all been riding on a continual “high” … and if I wasn’t so excited I think I’d be exhausted! First it was the back-to-back engagements of our two oldest sons; then I landed a nationally syndicated writing column for MaryJane’s Farm; and now: I’ve won a national contest from Tumbleweed, a company I have been madly in love with since before we moved to New Hampshire! And all this in the space of one week! It’s been said that good things come in bunches, like weddings … (and then babies), and I guess that’s true. But good things also come in small packages, and no one can vouch for this statement more than I. I’ve always loved tiny stuff; it’s been a ‘thing’ with me since … well I guess since forever. So, let me introduce you to Tumbleweed … the Tiny House Company started by Jay Shafer of Sebastopol, California. For over a decade, Jay, a former college art professor, has been living in a tiny house of no more than 100 square feet which he built to simplify his life and to pursue a greener lifestyle. He called his house the Tumbleweed, a name he has now given to the company he started which designs, builds tiny homes, and educates people on how to do the same. Jay’s houses are on wheels … totally portable! He helped establish the Small House Society, and has garnered a lot of high powered press in the intervening years. Jay and his Tumbleweeds have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, CNN, AOL, CBS, and on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Over the weekend my mom even read an article about him in the “Parade” Sunday news supplement magazine ... he was on the cover!
In case you don’t know, I’m a builder at heart. Dana and I have been building alternative structures for almost 40 years. From the very first ‘home of my own’ (a tipi), to a series of geodesic domes we built in college; to the restoration of our 1790 farmhouse and outbuildings; a cabin in the northwoods, and then the solar post-and-beam house we designed and built from the trees on up, architecture and carpentry have been a passion and form of self-expression. I can’t remember exactly how or where I discovered 'Tumbleweed', or when my infatuation with the Tiny House Company began, but I know it was love at first sight. I have been on their email list ever since, and check out their website on a regular basis, at least once a week. I’ve read, and re-read Jay’s books, and watched his videos on You Tube. For more than half a year I’ve been signed up to attend his Tiny Housebuilding workshop in Boston later this month. From the very first, (just like with MaryJane), I always knew I would be involved personally with a Tumbleweed tiny house. Then, about 6 weeks ago I received Jay’s e-newsletter, which had a notice of a sort of contest they were holding to host a tiny house on your property. The winner would get one delivered, and be sort of a contact person to host monthly open houses. It was basically a “Why should we pick you?” sort of challenge. To me it was a bit of a stretch to think we had any chance at all (to my mind, everyone in America would be clamoring for the opportunity, so what were the chances?). But I forged ahead anyway, zipped off my application via email, and dared not hope too much for fear of overwhelming disappointment. It wasn’t long before I got a response that they liked my website and location in New England. Then I was notified that I was in the running (meaning in the top 10); but when it got narrowed down to three, I was beside myself with joy. Then came the clincher email that sent me jumping up and down: We had been selected!!! The Tumbleweed will arrive sometime this month, and I will get lots of photos posted here when it does. It will be the only one available for public viewing on the east coast, so I hope you’ll stop by so I can give you a tour! To learn more about Jay Shafer and his Tiny Houses, go to http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
In case you don’t know, I’m a builder at heart. Dana and I have been building alternative structures for almost 40 years. From the very first ‘home of my own’ (a tipi), to a series of geodesic domes we built in college; to the restoration of our 1790 farmhouse and outbuildings; a cabin in the northwoods, and then the solar post-and-beam house we designed and built from the trees on up, architecture and carpentry have been a passion and form of self-expression. I can’t remember exactly how or where I discovered 'Tumbleweed', or when my infatuation with the Tiny House Company began, but I know it was love at first sight. I have been on their email list ever since, and check out their website on a regular basis, at least once a week. I’ve read, and re-read Jay’s books, and watched his videos on You Tube. For more than half a year I’ve been signed up to attend his Tiny Housebuilding workshop in Boston later this month. From the very first, (just like with MaryJane), I always knew I would be involved personally with a Tumbleweed tiny house. Then, about 6 weeks ago I received Jay’s e-newsletter, which had a notice of a sort of contest they were holding to host a tiny house on your property. The winner would get one delivered, and be sort of a contact person to host monthly open houses. It was basically a “Why should we pick you?” sort of challenge. To me it was a bit of a stretch to think we had any chance at all (to my mind, everyone in America would be clamoring for the opportunity, so what were the chances?). But I forged ahead anyway, zipped off my application via email, and dared not hope too much for fear of overwhelming disappointment. It wasn’t long before I got a response that they liked my website and location in New England. Then I was notified that I was in the running (meaning in the top 10); but when it got narrowed down to three, I was beside myself with joy. Then came the clincher email that sent me jumping up and down: We had been selected!!! The Tumbleweed will arrive sometime this month, and I will get lots of photos posted here when it does. It will be the only one available for public viewing on the east coast, so I hope you’ll stop by so I can give you a tour! To learn more about Jay Shafer and his Tiny Houses, go to http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/
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