This past week, I finally received my yurt, which I purchased with my mom from a company called Groovy Yurts (link to site below, Check it out!). I have wanted to own a yurt for quite some time. It’s a Mongolian tent which is quite similar to the year around mitchuaps (tepee) we make around here for our winters. The familiarity of it is what drew me to these types of dwellings for our camp. I found the idea of a yurt quite appealing since the Mongolians live in it year round and they have windy cold winters to boot. Sounds like familiar weather to me.
So, for the past five years or so, I would do searches on yurts; how to build one, how to set one up, how they look like inside and out, how much the various yurts offered in our country costs. The more I looked into it, the more I liked it. I liked it because of it’s capable of staying erect year round and can deal with the cold winters we would have. It’s insulated keeping the cold out on those cold humid nights on the island and the heat out on those hot summery days. I don’t have to rely on anyone with carpentry expertise to make our camp on the island (such as a cabin, or a tent frame) and I don’t have to dismantle our camp once it gets cold like I did with my prospectors tent. But, I also like the idea that we have the choice to dismantle it and bring it to another camp if we choose to move. I convinced my mom to chip in with me on purchasing it.
I opened my home to the young guy named Chuck who delivered the yurt and 2 days later (because of bad weather) we were able to head to the island of Fort George and set it up. It took us about four hours to set it up. It normally it takes Chuck two hours but he was taking the time to show us how to set it up. I must say we are super happy with it! The owner of Groovy Yurts, Yves was super accommodating and helpful to make this happen and for that I am truly grateful. Thank you so much Yves, you are an awesome dude! :)
We ended up staying there the whole weekend which coincidently is Mamoweedow week, a yearly celebration that our village does every July to return to the island (our original village). Despite the crummy weather on Saturday, it was cosy and warm thanks to our little portable wood stove. I reluctantly had to come back to the mainland to go to work. Mamoweedow lasts until this weekend. I am definitely coming back this weekend for sure and possibly every weekend after that!
We are going to make our camp as welcoming and as comfortable as we can, which won't be hard because it's already very cosy. I truly enjoy the island and the escape from the modern hectic life it offers. There is something so Zen about Fort George Island. The history it offers through the stories of my Mother’s childhood, how all the foliage just grew around and over the abandoned old homes of yesteryear and how you can feel the spirits of the ancestors tethered to the island. It creates quite a combination of nostalgia and imagination to your spirit. I am hoping that this will be a place I can be inspired to finally write a novel length story to share to all.