Travel Bugg: Start your travels here
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Tiny house update: finished exterior, started interior!
The last few weeks have been slow as busyness, logistics and conflicting schedules have gotten in the way of sustained work. However, within a month or two, we finished the exterior, painted, began the interior and completed much of the electrical rough-in. This thing is so close to being finished, but I still have to…
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Tiny House photos: making progress!
Some of the progress from the past few weeks. Hope to be finished with the shell this weekend 🙂
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Tiny house update: framing!
Since I last wrote, we had a few minor setbacks in stabilizing the trailer. First, the springs I bought were a little too short, but the next size up were too big. Thankfully, my neighbor offered to fix it at his shop so it would fit correctly. Until we stabilized the base, it would be…
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Do the thing that scares you
What do you get when you take 35 strangers with varying levels of outdoors experience, lead them into the wilds of West Texas, and ask them to primitive camp on a trail that isn’t usually open to the public? Pure mountain magic. What should have been a logistical nightmare, ended up being one of the…
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The mountains are calling: Texas State Parks reflection
I spent five days in the wilds of West Texas with 35 strangers and zero backpacking experience, learning to navigate the unforgiving desert, and climb to the top of personal and literal mountains. Despite the heat, dehydration and blistered toes, it was one of the best weeks of my life. When you return from mountaintop…
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Interview in Belgium: rescuing refugees
It’s been nearly a year since LaV and I made the journey to Europe, fulfilling our seven-year dream to travel abroad. While in Belgium, we visited Janée Angel, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship personnel, who works with refugees and asylum seekers from Syria and other countries in conflict. I interviewed her about her work and wrote an…
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Going Tiny: moving into 195 sq ft
It’s been my goal to build a home on wheels for a while now. When your father is a carpenter, you want to be more sustainable (or figure out what that buzzword actually means) and house prices are out of your reach, it makes the most sense economically, environmentally and socially. How to build a…
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Top 5 bands in Austin, Texas
I’m a big fan of the Austin live music scene. What I like about Austin musicians is how down to earth they seem. They’ll chill with their audience after the show; they’ll invite everyone to hang with them at the Whataburger in Cedar Park; they’ll play an acoustic set for only four fans. They stay…
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How to buy clothing ethically
How to buy clothing ethically I wrote in a previous post about why I stopped buying clothing in response to the conditions of my Nicaraguan friends who work in factories and the prevalence of slavery and exploitation in the clothing industry. The Norwegian documentary “Deadly Fashion” helps put things in perspective. After over a year…
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Learning Spanish through Netflix
My favorite Spanish language films streaming on Netflix When I was translating for Latino immigrants, I practiced my rusty Spanish by watching movies. I learned different slang and dialects based on the time period or location of films set in Mexico, Spain, Colombia, Bolivia and Argentina. I’ve heard what life might sound like in rural…
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Build your own travel map
I’ve been using the site Roadtrippers, which allows users to build their own travel maps. The site has categories for accommodation; attractions and culture; food and drink; outdoors and recreation; points of interest; vacation rentals; camping and RV; entertainment and nightlife; services, shopping; sports and even motoring. It also shows how long you’ll be driving,…
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Travel Playlist
My favorite songs about travel: “Lonesome Cities” by Nina Simone “The Traveling Kind” by Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowel “The Long and Winding Road” by the Beatles “I’ve Been Everywhere” by Johnny Cash “Rivers and Roads” by the Head and the Heart “The Passenger” by Iggy Pop “I Will Be Back One Day” by Lord…
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