Yurt News at EarthSong

Karin and Jon are now back at the lodge, after a relaxing few weeks at our home on the hill above Homer. Our first guests arrive this summer on May 15, so there are many projects to do before the summer season gets underway. One was putting up our new yurt. We purchased a 16' yurt from Nomad Shelters in Homer, a locally owned company that makes yurts to 30' in diameter. Our new yurt was erected on it's platform yesterday, with the help of our dog handler J.J. and good friend Will. After only two phone calls to Homer for some clarification of instructions, the yurt is up, and just in time for an overnight snowfall. Blowing and snowing now, but the yurt is standing strong...except for the 8" hole at the top. Didn't get the stovepipe in yesterday, but everything else is up. Our yurt will act as our registration/lodge office this summer, and Karin is already working on interior design ideas. If this works well, we are considering adding more yurts in the near future, and offering them as an alternative to overnight cabin lodging. If you don't know much about yurts, take the time and surf the web, and check them out. Very cool.

Our pups, the "Star Trek Deep Space Nine" litter, are growing like weeds. We've now opened up all four areas of our dog pen, so they (and Bart) can run around and play more. We started taking them for walks using a bike, so they can run a bit more. Personalities are starting to emerge and solidify, with the small female Dax being the one that seems to need to run at you full-speed and jump up. Kira, the other female, is also very social. The three males, Sisko, Basheer, and Odo, are friendly but not demanding. Basheer is the largest of the pups. Since this litter has the same parents as our last litter, the two-year old "Battlestar Galactica" dogs, we can make some striking comparisons. Dax looks and acts like Boomer, Basheer is the big tank pup like Adama, long-bodied Odo looks like Starbuck, Kira is built like one of the female pups we found a home for two years ago, and Sisko has the grey fringy facial hair like a young Apollo had. The pups have another month at most until they move out onto chains in the yard, and take their place among the rest of the dogs. Some will have to stay in the pen with Bart, as he needs someone to pick on!

On a non-lodge note, all of us up here in Alaska are closely watching what unfolds in the Gulf of Mexico with the latest oil spill. Especially those of us who were up here during the Exxon Valdez incident, and those of us (like me) who love to kayak Prince William Sound. This disaster has not come close to it's full capacity, but even now we see that it will surpass the damage PWS saw...and still sees, with some marine populations still gone or depleted, and oil still on some beaches. Many Alaskans have paid attention to BP's slow fall from grace. In the early 1990's, BP was considered the model of efficiency and environmental standards...for an oil company. I spent the night at Endicott Island, an artificial gravel island/drilling platform in the Beaufort Sea in 1991 prior to starting a long dog sled expedition along the arctic coast. Everything was immaculate, clean and efficient. As the years went by, the State of Alaska backed down on it's regulatory monitoring of the oil companies, allowing them to set their own standards for safety inspections and the like. The result was a series of problems surfacing about five years ago with BP, from pipe corrosion to leaks to false record-keeping. Their untarnished reputation got "oiled" a bit, and this Gulf incident seems to be the culmination of a downhill slide. I can see the residents of the Gulf states viewing BP like Alaskans view Exxon, and I can also anticipate the upcoming court battles over liability and finances. As Shell Oil completes paperwork for off-shore drilling in Alaska, it seems time to admit that you can't sacrifice one resource for another, and a real comprehensive energy program needs to be passed. And Alaskans are paying attention to this while the gigantic Pebble Mine project continues to gain momentum, an enormous gold mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay...the most productive salmon fishery in the world. Lots of lessons here, time to go back to school.

Some of you out there are getting ready to come visit us very soon...we will be ready for you! Our employees will be here soon, and we are looking forward to some great changes at the coffeehouse. K-Bay out of Homer will continue to supply our coffee, and I have discovered an amazing Ethiopian bean they sell...Amayo Gayo...and hope to have it as one of our drip choices this summer. Amazing brew, but even more amazing as a cold coffee drink. Those that know me know that I generally like my coffee cold, and I brew coffee for myself with a cold-brew system that ends up without the bitterness you can get from old hot-brewed coffee. The cold-brew coffee concentrate from this Ethiopian organic bean is something for the nose to behold. Try some when you come up, you won't be disappointed. We'll still have the Dream Blend for espresso drinks, and likely also a Java bean I enjoyed last summer. Go to K-Bay's website and see what they offer, and you'll see why we pay a bit more for excellent quality and social responsibility.

That's all for now, the pups need a run in the snow, and then some breakfast. More about the yurt soon, and Karin will post some photos. Happy trails, all.

Jon