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this is a view of the Qu’Appelle River from the edge of the walking trail. The river runs along the whole south east side of the retreat property and there are several places to sit and watch the water stream past.
Clearing & Cleaning October 17, 2008
We are not expecting any guests at Dragonfly this winter, so now is the time to close up and winterize the main cabin.
Yesterday I caught one of the squirrels who has been doing their best to punch holes in the ceiling of the outback. This little guy was transported to Valeport nature area to find a new home, and the live trap was reset to catch any others that might be helping him. Now we need to repair the few holes that they chewed through the ceiling and cover the eaves with metal flashing so that no more critters can get in! All part of the annual maintenance that living in this part of the world requires.
Next on the to do list was clearing a space for the yurt. A site has been chosen for the yurt platform and we started to clear the dead branches so that we can work on this project over the winter. The yurt/ger was made in Mongolia and was imported to Canada through a company in Quebec. These yurts are very traditional, with real felt lining and hand-painted designs.
The yurt site is beside the river and surrounded by trees. Yurts traditionally face south when used in Mongolia, but because we don’t need to look out the door to learn the time, the Dragonfly yurt will face north. A second door or window may be installed to let in more light. A covered outdoor kitchen will be directly to the left of the door and a fire pit will be a few steps to the right. After measuring the space it looks like everything will fit perfectly without having to disturb any healthy growing trees or shrubs.
Down a path there is another site that is perfect for the yoga & meditation platforms. This site will require a little more work as there is a large fallen tree in the middle and broken branches that need to be cleared. Two naturally fallen and nearly perfectly straight trees are going to be saved and re-erected as totems.
Both of these sites have a great view of the Qu’Appelle River, and I suspect that canoeists will be surprised when they get a peak of this orange & white yurt up on the river bank!
Over the winter I will be providing an account of the projects and photos of what we are doing. There may be dates that we are working on something that would go faster with more people. Volunteers are welcome!
