Yurtopia Sparkles . . .

. . . over the horizon of time.

It's official. YURTOPIA is the future dwelling of this happy hermit. And i've taken a necessary hiatus from the Theozoic art studio to attend to necessary labors of sweaty loved called carpentry as the beginnings of the platform have been undertaken as lead-up to the arrival of my many-thousand-pounded yurt materials from Oregon (June 9th).

The last two weeks have been ground-breaking achievements in the categories of clearing the spot of overgrown douglas fir trees and old scrap metal piles:

1) Post-Hole Digging: Twenty-six holes all needing to be two-feet deep. CHECK!

(Then, leveling and setting the 4x4 pillars of wood for my yurt foundation in concrete).

2) Cohorting with a friend, fun fellow, and quality local contractor name Weggi to fashion up a proper 30-foot pad to be flat enough for roller-derby gal's and strong enough to support a NASA shuttle:

 3) Adding plenty of 4x6 joists on top of that: 

4) Doing the "blocking" work around the perimeter, which Mr Weggi made a breeze with his heavy duty girder-saw. 

And with a bit more blocking on the interior, its ready for the final flooring of 4x6 Pine T&G.

Meanwhile, when not the sorcerer's apprentice with the Yurt abode, i've spend the late nights and weekends finalizing the formatting for my FAR-OUT Coloring Book:

And this springtime has offered great sunset and random rains and thunderstorms. A delightful surprise indeed.

A bit more forest management and one last burn pile perhaps:

And the birds are EVERYWHERE and ALL-DAY singing their songs. Its the tip-top-prime of bird spotting season. They love moistness and all the worms it brings to the surface.

 And i finally catch a break to do a bit of outdoor drawing on my easel. I've illustrated and fashioned a new business card for Meta-Mundi.

Now its time to get back to YurTOPIA where the saying goes:

once i lived in the dirt

then i moved into a yurt,

now all the girls come to flirt!

and if i'm lucky they may lift their skirt.

Here's the Clover-crew, hiking the newest of 6-bridges along a grassy hillside before the rain returns.

The smallest newt discovered at Sounder

(one of the new bridges)

During the last few days there's been a pronouncement by nature of the season to come: budding, blossoming, beauties abound! Here’s a handful of proud and prominent species i picked which are not just attractive, but important. (if you want to not guess what they are, read the names backwards)

And while the weather is fair, i like to split my work not only between manual labor and art, but indoor drawing and outdoor too (like a true nomad i set-up on the hood of the truck)

 

Back to work and back to the trails, the best of the outdoors!

Jolly-O, that's all for now. 

May the Totoro be with you all!

Walking, Drawing, and Building Bridges

This last 8 days have been a resplendent variety of indoors and outdoors. From walking the roads to check that the ditches drain properly during the heavy rains, to drawing indoors. A perfect balance.

Plus, it feels great to get the hand-saw out and fell some sapplings and builds 4 new bridges. 

 Tall, sprite, and straight lumber.

Setting them in place (and dropping my phone in the creek afterwards)

Here's a second smaller bridge for crossing the lower creek. I'm no Daniel Boone, but this thing works!

And there's always fungi hiding out, and crying out: "fry me in faaaaaaat!"

 

 Jumping contest between Gus and i.

An overgrown birdhous. . . 

Ciao for now folks,
May the Totoro be with you!