We are used to hearing people ask us, “Why?” by now…
“Why a yurt?” they asked us.
“Why New Mexico?” they asked us.
“Why thirty days?” is the most recent inquiry.
There are several reasons for our self-imposed sequestration:
Tag: GroovyYurts
Groovy Yurts Super Ger Review
I mentioned ‘tipi’ with an air of seriousness, and the discussion wobbled clumsily off of the Airstream. (You can read more about why a yurt.) From viewing the enticing collection of nomadic structures at Colorado Yurt Co., to drawing out a footprint 20′ in diameter in our Florida front yard, our plans for long-term temporary shelter at Sahalee came full circle with Groovy Yurts.
Movin’ on up
We’ve had a couple of weeks to settle in now to the new routine upon the big deck. It’s been longtime in coming since we endured a mud-laden summer, fall, winter, and spring in our old roughed-out location buoyed on cinder blocks down the hill. (Quite literally, we have had to shake off our sea legs from walking upon our very poorly platform for the past 12 months.)
Groovy baby!!
The Sahalee Off Grid family welcomes our newest addition… Mark’s little yurt!! Yet to be officially named, the ‘mini-me’ version of our Super Ger arrived in typical ‘Groovy’ style when Yves pulled into Cuba with the big rig. (Several curious locals stopped to inquire, and one even made comment that the yurts are very much like a portable hogan used by the well-established Navajo people in the area for eons.) After loading up Buffy with the pre-built platform and entire structure (described as a one-camel yurt in Mongolia), we climbed the hill to unload and started set-up around 9am. It was a mild sunny day and all went off without a hitch to adorn the deck with a beautiful handmade dwelling. Mark was anxious to move in and spend his first night solo, so we bid him adieu after a celebratory toast. Please join us in congratulating Mark and welcoming the new baby to Sahalee!!
Making way for baby
Following through on his threats, our friend Mark showed up from Florida for a long weekend to put in the 12′ x 18′ deck for his little yurt that is due to arrive in early October. In customary fashion, we managed to get the loaded-down HD rental truck stuck in the mud on the way in after the fast-moving rain showers rolled through on Friday afternoon. We walked in for the night and got back to unloading in the morning after the road had dried a bit. (We managed to get the rental truck back to the store Saturday afternoon with ten minutes to spare and no additional penalty!)
Home is where the hearth is
Suddenly, all seems right with the world.
We spent a full day on Saturday laying in the new flooring in the front half of the yurt so we could place the stove, pan, pipe, and cap. Everything came together on Sunday with the custom installation since they don’t sell pre-fab yurt roof chimney vents at Home Depot.
Cocoa to Cuba
We’ll be loading up in just one week. Still much to do before we pull chocks, but we’re getting there. One task now scratched off our to-do list was to plan the driving route from east to west…
Circles and Squares
It’s just math mixed with a little arts and crafts… Make a big square out of insulated plywood sandwiches, waterproof it, cut into a 20′ circle. Pretty simple stuff when you’re looking at the alternative of buying the pre-made yurt platform for $2500. Our cost: $750 and some wounded egos.
Why a yurt?
One of the questions people often ask is why we chose to live in a yurt.
The check is in the mail
Well we finally did it!! We decided to go with the Super Ger Yurt from Groovy Yurts, it will be delivered in June. We have an amazing amount of work ahead. Time to start liquidating the vast majority of our possessions from this materialistic life that we have grown accustomed to, it was great while it lasted but it’s time to get back in touch with our true selves!! We need to start working on plans for our deck that the Yurt will go on. Then we need to build the platform that will go under the Yurt on the deck. Other things that need to be done include getting the plans ready to build an outhouse, find a good stove that we can use to stay warm, figure out how we will have internet connectivity as our workplace is being awesome and giving us the opportunity to work remotely, plus many more things that I am sure will pop up as this transition continues to take shape!! Feel free to leave your suggestions, thoughts and advice below!!
@Groovyyurts Check is in the mail! Can’t wait to meet the truck in June with our new home!! pic.twitter.com/I3nhlW23My
— BeamingToYou (@BeamingToYou) February 12, 2016