Video courtesy of Aldo Rain.

Keeping the forest back is an ongoing challenge!

April 2019:

Four years later: May 2023

Guests over the past three years have been raving about this place. We haven’t tried it yet, but hope to soon!

Bald Top Brewing Co.
1830 Thrift Road
Madison, VA 22727

19 minutes away

By johnphelps photography.

Taken in April 2019

When we stayed at the yurt this winter, we planned on yard work; however, it was so cold out that we decided instead to take a drive up to Sperryville in the warm car. We went west on 211 from town, and discovered  several very nice shops selling antiques, gluten-free baked goods, cider, quilts, honey, and all sorts of other locally-produced items. It’s an area that’s well worth a trip!

We finally got the new fire pit leveled and installed. Like all things yurt, it took far more effort and cost than anticipated, as the ground was very sloped. The area had to be leveled and then a retaining wall erected on the up- and down-slope sides. The results are fabulous though, and now there’s a tick-free area for roasting marshmallows!

Before and after, fire pit.

I had perfect spring weather this past weekend in order to finally get the garden planted at the yurt. I installed a drip irrigation system purchased from Dripworks, so everything should grow like crazy. Below are some before-and-after pictures of the garden areas; I can’t wait to see what they look like by the end of summer!

Side garden. This one was tough, since it’s in the shade almost 90% of the day. I planted some pachysandra, ivy, a clematis, and a dogwood tree.

Front garden (yes, I know the irrigation hose is sticking way up. It was too cold to get the hoses to behave. I ran out of energy and time and had to allow this small weirdness. It’s a yurt.)

Little garden