Burning Man, eat your heart out!

The dog yard is wide open and shadeless. Fine for running around or sunbathing, but sometimes it would be nice to be outside, but in the shade, right? This has been a yearly challenge, involving old sheets tied to the fence, a shade sail purchased from Ikea and tied to the fence, and even an actual shade like you'd see at a craft fair (courtesy of a friend who works at a place to which it was returned for some damage), also tied to the fence. None of them could stand up to the exposure and the strong winds we get here for more than the one season. Not to mention looking a bit like a collection of kids' forts made from blankets and furniture! Or like a homeless camp. Take your pick.

I had this fabulous idea to use PVC pipe as the ribs in a quonset-hut-style dog shelter. Isn't that a great idea? Well, yeah! I thought to myself, "Self, " I thought, "Self, I'm just guessing I'm not the only one to whom this faboo idea might have occurred." And I was right. It's all the rage for shelter-building at the big Burning Man event, apparently. And elsewhere for greenhouses and such. So, armed with some details gleaned from my online research, H and I began a modified version. We decided to do a 3 arch structure of two pipes per rib, joined with a female-female fitting, and fitted over aluminum pipe hammered into the ground at the right angle for each rib. Crossed in the middle, we'd end up with a round, igloo-shaped hut, which we'd have to cover with a tarp, staked to the ground.

Two ribs up. The platform and soggy dog bed on it was already there from last year or so. Funky, but not muddy. Or not AS muddy. Needs work!

We tried using the remains of the shade structure cover from last year.

Hm. Not such a good fit! :P
Wabi looks a bit skeptical of all the flapping, and, what was the point of this, anyway??


H bought a tarp, and staked it down, but .... it's a bit ... what's the word ...

small?

Even with the little rebound trampoline, covered with the old sleeping bag, for a bed, this is somehow not too inviting...


Well, it's a work in progress! I think we need to lose the platform, get a tarp that actually covers the structure, not fly it out to the fence but stake it firmly down to the ground so it keeps more wind out, and maybe get some outdoor beds made (I have a design in my head! :D) I'll let you know how it goes! Lucky you!