My Yurt Revelation

When I left California, I set out to adventure in New Mexico. There, I met a guy named Sam. He told me he had a yurt that his Uncle Pancho made. "Oh, those things." I wasn't impressed. We set it up at a neighborhood crafts fair and it was far different from what I thought a yurt was.

It was handmade, the wood was painted colorfully and decorated with flowery exotic designs. It was just the right size and proportion. It shaded us from the intense New Mexico sun. It was cool and comfortable and I was able to breathe. We hung art around the walls, made tea for visitors and had plenty of candy and snacks to share. Mothers came in to nurse their babies. People just stayed to hang out. As I watched each person come inside, I saw their face brighten at the colorful setting we created.

It was my architectural dream. We had set it up with just the 2 of us in 15 minutes. The wooden rafters fit into the center ring like a peg in a hole. The lattice wall held strong as soon as we got all the components together. It was a functional structure but also a thing of beauty. I watched how it changed people when they sat inside. The circular space was peaceful and we had created another world inside a space while outside another busy event was going on.

At the end of the day everything rolled up and fit in my truck and we travelled on.