more normal than not

I was going to say something snarky about stainless and granite.

That’s the cliché on all these home improvement shows….stainless and granite….”I need my stainless and granite”….but….these guys have it in their tiny home and it looks pretty cool.

Who would imagine that these hippies would use stainless and granite in their beautiful tiny home?

So…I need to check my attitude at the door….most times.

Usually, the cliché is a truth that’s just used too many times.

That’s all.

Here’s another great Kirsten Dirksen video.

From the YouTube description:

Spud and MaryEsther Hooley have spent four decades in tiny homes, including a converted caboose in Idaho, a trapping cabin on the Snake River, a yurt in Mongolia, a wall tent while commercial fishing in Alaska, a 19’ van in Mexico, and a year in a sailboat from Europe to Russia.

When they moved back to the United States, the Hooleys began building a tiny home in Sisters, Oregon, relying on their years of construction experience with both tiny spaces and community development work in Romania, Nepal and Mongolia. Named “The North Sister” (after the local mountain peak), the the 300-square-foot home on wheels (200 floor + 100 loft) is the sum of many handcrafted details: custom storage stairs finished in bamboo for a soft step, a full-sized shower with corrugated metal and exposed copper pipes, a kitchen with a generous farmhouse sink and full-height fridge.

The Hooley’s tiny house co: http://woodirontinyhomes.com

I need to find some new shock cord for our thrift store tent.

These guys are renting a vintage VW Van to camp in the French Riviera.

WTF?!!

That’s how they roll.

Our existence (right now) doesn’t include doing anything like renting a vintage VW bus and driving around the French countryside.

That’s how we roll.

And…that’s OK.

We just finished spending almost a week at the NC coast….and it was good…..travelling around in our vintage Dodge Grand Caravan.

Will our van ever be as cool as a vintage VW?

From the YouTube description:

Today we’re featuring an amazing tiny house that is a modern version of a traditional Danish allotment hut. Back in the day, allotment huts were owned by people living in apartments who didn’t have a garden, and who could then use the allotment to grow fruit and vegetables, and to enjoy the fresh air. The house is 236 sq ft, and every square feet is used for a purpose, with many design details. It was build 9 years ago by Karen Jelnes and her husband before they had children; after they had kids they build bunk beds on top of their own bed, which is a really clever solution. The house is really beautiful and unique, and they build it small on purpose to make more space in the garden to grow vegetables, berries and fruit that the whole family can enjoy!

Beautiful….small….clean.

That’s a good direction to go.

video from GoDownsize

Here’s Jay Nelson again….out in San Francisco building a tiny outbuilding out of recycled material.

Don’t pass by a fence demo without getting the fencing for a new structure.

He talks about the old material….how the boards were wider on the old fence boards.

I guess the trees were bigger, maybe?

We had redwood fences all around the neighborhood when I was growing up in San Jose.

We’d walk the top rail….eating fruit in people’s back yards…reaching….eating.

I like all this salvaging for materials….but you need some time to look for and….get the stuff.

You need time.

This is another great Kirsten Dirksen video.

Dutch dudes….looking for the real music.

Man.