Tiny Houses!

Remember the forts you built as a kid? A couple of cardboard boxes can be transformed into a real place that's your own. That's when life was simple - now we pay hundreds or thousands of dollars on rent or mortgage each month. But a couple of kids grew up and thought of a solution - build tinier houses.

This Saturday morning, the rangers at Walden Pond organized a tiny house forum, fittingly held just outside the replica of Thoreau's 150 square foot cabin. The event was inspired by a movement that has gained national attention in The New Yorker, the New York Times, and NPR. Tiny houses are a DIY trend for people who are tired of mortgages and/or want to have a smaller environmental impact.

One of the speakers at the forum, Sage Radachowsky, made an awesome gypsy wagon that he parks in a driveway of understanding and friendly residents in Roslindale. Sage was adorably unfocused, rambling about swimming in Turtle Pond near his wagon, which is illegal, having a chicken coop, which is also illegal, and owning bees, which may or may not be illegal. The point, I think, was that he wants to live his life simply, magically, and without too much STUFF.

Another speaker was Derrick "Deek" Dericksen, who has become famous via his YouTube series, Tiny Yellow House and his blog, RelaxShacks. He talked about the method to his madness, recycling old junk to make whimsical little cabins. These houses are so small, they're not for living in, but picture stationing one of these out in the woods for your own affordable getaway. BYOB (bring your own book). Best of all, Deek brought examples for us to poke around in:

Deek has his own names for his creations, but I call this The Fish.

The other side of The Fish.

Inside The Fish

This might have been called the Hickshaw.

Inside the Hickshaw. (The orange artwork is original Deek.)