outdoors

Tiny houses are becoming a big deal. They offer the freedom from a mortgage (at least a big one) and are exponentially more sustainable than a traditional housing structure.

So, what is a tiny house? Technically, a tiny house is under 400 square feet. These can remain on wheels or be built on a foundation. The houses that remain on wheels are generally even smaller, constituting a micro house (stay tuned for an article on these little dwellings next week).

It was in the summer of 2012 that my little family and I decided to unplug from the world as we knew it and return to the wild. We did extensive research over the years before taking the plunge. I gave up my job, house, many belongings and my purpose as I knew it. We found a place in Arkansas where there was an old round house in the middle of the woods. It was an adventure and a learning experience that brought me back to nature; an experience that put me more in touch with the natural world around me.

Down the stairs of my condominium and across Campus Drive, I walk along Leona Canyon Open Space Preserve. I encounter an expanse of wild radish and California golden poppies. Below, there’s a culvert and a pond lined in cattails, home to a family of mallards whose ducklings hide behind the rushes. I continue down a slope alongside a stream flowing out toward Mills College, and eventually, to the bay.