3 Days in a Tiny House
Do you ever have those delightful "pinch me" moments? Those instances where everything just feels so right and idyllic that it couldn't possibly be real life? Imagine having that sensation for three days and you'll begin to understand the happiness I felt on my tiny house vacation to Accomac, Virginia.
A few months ago I began playing around with the idea of taking a long weekend to a tiny house. I set a few parameters: relatively inexpensive, not too long of a drive, and a proper tiny house—not a small apartment or an old cabin. I wanted to see what it was like to stay in a house that was specifically designed for tiny living.
As moving into a tiny house in the next 5 years or so is a mutual goal of mine and Bryan's, we were eager to share this experience together. So after 2 months of planning, booking a rental car last minute, and dropping Cloe off at my parents' house, we were on our way to the Little Red House on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
After a few hours drive, we turned down the gravel road of the property and were immediately greeted by wild turkeys running through the field and a seemingly endless corn field that nearly always contained a few curious deer moseying down the rows of corn. The Little Red House was 15 minutes from anything resembling civilization and by the time we pulled into the driveway, Bryan and I both stared a little starry-eyed at the pastoral beauty.
When we got out of the car we were promptly greeted by four very chatty hens and our lovely hostess, Mona, who was warm and friendly, providing us with fresh eggs from our new chicken friends and recommendations on where to go eat and explore. For most of the weekend, Mona was off on her own adventures so we had the property entirely to ourselves.
From the outside, the house was gorgeous, but the inside was spectacular. Every little detail was attended to. The tiny kitchen had the perfect amount of room for cooking eggs and making coffee. The queen bed way plenty big and the lofted twin bed was a good place for Bryan to take a nap as I puttered around to get ready for dinner out. Even the decor was exactly how I wanted it to be—the perfect amount of modern and rustic. The bathroom takes up about 1/3 of the house and had a full shower, proper toilet, and a gorgeous sink. Plenty of room for beautifying.
But my absolute favorite part? The windows. Bryan kept telling me that windows are what make a great tiny house. And I thought I understood what he meant. The more windows there are the more light there is so of course a tiny house would look larger. But in reality I missed the point. The tiny portico window near the ceiling was the perfect place to watch a thunderstorm roll through early in the morning. And the window above the sink sent breezes washing over me that woke me up in the most delightful way possible. You experience the windows more in a tiny house more than you do in a traditional home, making them all the more vital to the architecture.
Throughout the trip, I kept having moments where I would just stop and enjoy. Enjoy the simplicity of the moment. The little pleasures of a fire by the marshes or the taste of the most delicious donut I've ever had. I asked Bryan time and again, "Is this real?" and he'd laugh at my wonder and admit he felt the same way too.
I'll be following up with a guide on places to visit if you're taking a trip to The Little Red House because I think everyone should experience this type of bliss. Needless to say, Bryan and I are already dreaming of making a return visit.