Northern California tug boat captain Jan Tiura was interested in building a modern cabin for decades. Unfortunately she never found the right project … until one day her niece (who worked at Tumbleweed) introduced her to the Mica, a modern one story Tiny House RV. It reminded her of ship she would pull at sea. Could this be the modern cabin she had been dreaming of?

Jan posing in front of her photography / Photo: Dylan Entelis, The Chronicle

“Purchasing the Mica meant reaching my dream. It’s snug and warm and better than anything I could build.”

Jan Tiura, Tumbleweed Owner
Jan fell in love with the weathered steel siding. It not only symbolized the 30 years she spent as a tug boat captain, but also her collection of abstract photographs of weathered steel. Jan’s photography has been displayed at San Francisco MOMA. Read more and view her work here and here.
Soon after seeing photos of the Mica online, Jan stopped by the Tumbleweed office to take a tour of a model they had for sale. Not long after, she became a Tumbleweed owner.  Jan parked her Tiny House RV, which she named “The Barge,” on Bad Dog Farm in Moss Beach, California. The Barge overlooks a beautiful meadow and Jan says she feels right at home.