Finishing touches

We survived our first month in our yurt!  In doing so we have thoroughly enjoyed discovering all that our land has to offer.  As we have shifted from a hectic schedule of traveling from our rental house to the yurt/building site, we have stayed busy round the clock with chores to make our yurt more cozy.  Tanner has installed a door to the bathroom, and a ceiling fan to help cool the yurt during our warm July, which will become even more convenient in the winter in circulating warm air.  I have gone to the plant nursery to get flower pots started, as well as trying my hand at landscaping with a walking path to the main entrance of the yurt.  Tanner found some reclaimed metal roofing at our local re-use store, in order to protect and side our ground level to the yurt.  All in all we are exhausted, but elated at the developments in our yurt and on our land.  We were able to enjoy bear grass blooms in the early summer, and are now reaping the benefits of droves of huckleberries right in our front yard. 

pocket door to the bathroom

Hauling gravel for walking path, 15 loads in the first round

Gravel path, helpful dogs

Once the gravel was laid, the path was left for a few days, and in doing so I discovered that it needed much more work than just throwing gravel down.
First off, there was this obnoxious stump in the way:

The stump I dug out all by myself!!

 Once all of the gravel had a chance to show me how it was going to shift from being trampled on for a few days, I set to work lining the path with larger rocks to help hold the smaller gravel in.  In order to keep the larger rocks in place, I took 'duff' (top soil from earth already moved from the yurt platform) to fill on the sides, and eventually seed. 

Probably another dozen loads of gravel to thicken areas that had slid on the slope of ground, another dozen loads of duff and countless trips with large rocks...

Pretty Path!

 Notice the metal roofing.  Gives our yurt an even more rustic look. 

 Huckleberry picking!! 
We are blessed to have at least half of our property covered in huckleberry bushes.  Huckleberries are similar to blueberries in shape, but have a sweet-tart flavor that will forever ruin you for blueberries.  They grow in higher elevations, and are like gold to folks who live in the northwest.  Picking them is laborious, but can be addictive once you fill a pail or two.  I am slowly filling my freezer, and trying to beat the dogs to them, since they eat the berries right off of the bush!!

My jug of berries, purple fingers, and huckleberry hound

Tanner, identifying some flowers from an earlier hike & nursing a banged-up leg with a gin & tonic.  I am just enjoying the view!

Chilko and Moose, next to their puppy ramp off the back porch.

All in all, we are thrilled to be living simply and enjoying our new home.  Glad to put in long hours making it all ours!