I haven't used my yurt much at all lately. It was an excellent getaway when I needed to get away; these days I don't. Or, perhaps, some would say, I've gotten away...

So yesterday, since I happened to be over there, and after we'd played board games to our hearts content, we decided to take it down. This had been on the todo list since last fall, so it was not entirely spur of the moment. Still, the days are short this near to solstice and this one only had a few hours of light left.

It'd been up for well over 4 years, in a wet environment. The roof is pretty well shot and will need to be replaced, but the canvas walls are still in good shape. There was a surprise; it seems a mouse or something started nibbling on all the wood of the walls recently, and even the center ring is pitted and worn by rodent teeth. It all seems still structurally sound. And looking back at my setup pictures, I'm not bothered by the yurt having aged, it just makes it seem more real.

We left the bones of the yurt standing on its hill, seeming very appropriate under the bare winter trees. Will return soon and finish taking it down. And perhaps in some years I'll find a need for it again.

(Pictures by my sister, who will be annoyed at me linking to this not-yet-formally published post about the yurt from her POV: Decline and fall of the yurt)