The lots at Cooke Road are finally split. The ink on the legal paperwork is barely dry — wha lah — our realtor will be taking things to market here in the very near future.

To be fair, we’ve have some nibbles of interest — though nothing definitive yet. So if you, or someone you know has always wanted to live on a ravine whilst still taking advantage of all that close proximity to the city has to offer — well, tell them to make us an offer!

For those that are just tuning in, our Dovetail Lodge is a mere memory. Save for the 3,500 square feet of her basement foot print - THAT part is very much present, presenting us with issues and opportunities. After the house was demolished, the hole in our hearts was replaced by two (OSHA standardized) holes in the ground. One of which tends to resemble Shrek’s swamp after every big rain storm. After the third or fourth go at literally draining the swamp — we’ve opted for moving some dirt around so as to encourage run off in a more sustainable way until we can split and then sell one of the lots. This latest round of DIY adventures is best summed up as oh dear, oh deere, oh deer

This April 9th of 2023 is Easter Sunday. It is the time of year when we mark the rebirthing rituals of spring after the dormancy of a long winter’s nap. This is especially true for us as we contemplate the memory of Dovetail Lodge. She went up in a blaze of glory April 9th of last year and it has taken us all of these past 365 days to come to terms with all of that. Keeping with the theme of spring and resurrection, we have finally is determined that the path forward is to rebuild something that honors the original homestead on the land of the original homestead. The other lot we need to sell in order to recreate a vision of any sort. If you or someone you know is interested, please have them contact us at djnral2.0@dovetaillodge.com.

It’s almost time to turn the page to a new year. Which of course means putting away the Christmas decorations and moving forward with new year’s resolutions and all that good stuff. While I am more than ready to get going in a new direction, I am reluctant to put Christmas away - especially this year. Not staying stuck in the past, just lingering in those spaces between the past, present and future that this year’s Christmas decorations represent - and all of it is imbued with the Christmas magic on which I grew up. That any décor is still here to gaze upon is incredulous. Because anything that made it safely out of the fire at Dovetail Lodge is miraculous. Albeit still a bit mangled, a few Xmas bins were spared; their contents carefully curated by my personal “spirits of ancestors past” nostalgic for the Christmas history in our family. Let me explain…

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It was the fall of 2018 when we said YES to reclaiming, restoring, renovating and reimagining this beautiful house at 595 East Cooke Road. The original homestead for this area, she will become a mere memory by the end of this month, October 2022.

For those of you who’ve been following — and those tuning in to this final chapter, it is with great sadness that we share the news that our beloved Dovetail Lodge is gone. She went up in a blaze of glory early morn Saturday, April 9th. At over 100 years of age, she was the original homestead of this neighborhood. There is comfort in knowing we are not alone as we grieve and mourn for a dearly departed loved one. It has also been reaffirming to know that neighbors we know and more we don’t, have been supportive and patient with the glacial pace of our reclamation and reimagining of this matriarch of Indian Springs. Given the history of the land and the burial rites of the Native Americans who lived here long before any of us, it makes sense that she went away cloaked in brilliant flames.

The song, “Button Up Your Overcoat” was published in 1928 and premiered on the air waves and the Broadway stage soon after. I’d like to think someone living inside our Dovetail Lodge during that era was heard whistling this ditty. Certainly in 2021, I was humming this tune as we put down the third layer of tarps on neglected portions of the roof while the wind bustled about, billowing our tarps as if we were playing parachute games. All in good fun really as it was a gorgeous fall day for this necessary care giving. With every bang of the hammer, we reminded ourselves that fixing the roof properly will happen all in good time. For now, “buttoning up her overcoat” is the best that we could do for our future home.

After this Spring’s herculean efforts of one Mr. Ralph Kerr to rebuild part of the roof while still on the mend from spine and hip surgery — whilst sustaining a high ankle sprain on the first day of this major repair mind you — it was time to step away for a bit. Grounding him from his aerial stunts provided opportunities also for getting grounded and reconnected with the more important parts of life outside of this epic project. With injuries mostly behind him and the accessibility of vaccination in front of us all — it was way past time to meet up again with family n friends. First up was an incredible May visit with both of our daughters home at the same time. For June, we ventured to the wild west where forgetting the list of to do’s was easily accomplished by staring at the ocean. The sound of the tide rolling in and out carried our exhaustion and angst out to sea. The hiatus has been good for us. Upon return we've discovered it’s also been good for the deer who have taken to bedding down in the tall silky grasses. They will not be pleased once we find the weed whacker and get ourselves up and going again in the continued quest to make this lodge livable.

500 square feet; her new spring bonnet

promise to protect, finish the couture

(of her) supercentenarian bone structure

Lavishing attention, hence this sonnet

You should not see the sky through your roof

Check with Dick Strawbridge if you need more proof

SHOUT remains our mascot of Dovetail Lodge as so much of her energy is in all the work we’ve done — her muddy paw prints are in every room of the house and all of the mud puddles outside. Getting in the van to get over here to get something done was one of her favorite things to do. Her motivation will keep R and myself going as we both learn how to navigate without her along for the ride.

Negotiating the seven steps between the bungalow and the van provides ample opportunities for deepening one’s communication skills with one’s partner;) It is also helping us to look very carefully at the finer details of embedding elements of “universal design” into the lodge in both practical and aesthetically pleasing ways. Nothing like primary research eh? As convalescing continues, so too does the burgeoning of creative decisions for the interior of the lodge. More about all that later. For the moment we are just thrilled to say, hip hip hurray, R is OK!

The winter solstice historically marks a time when people gathered together to celebrate the light with feasts, festivals and fun. In that spirit we wish you a holiday season full of those things and more — albeit from a safe distance. During this season of dormancy, darkness and cold, it’s a great time to sit by the fire and snuggle up with a good book (or blog:) Imagining what it will be like to sit by any one of four fireplaces at the lodge, we shall content ourselves with the look and sound of a roaring fire coming from the TV. During our hibernation, R will be having surgery on his hip at the start of the new year — to compliment the surgery he’s just had on his spine. Puts a new spin on a long winter’s nap eh?

Just in case you missed the memo, “Home of the Buckeyes” is code for Columbus, Ohio. Our state, for whatever reason, decided to make the buckeye the official tree of our state’s symbolism. Decades before that decision, the buckeye had become the athletic nickname of Ohio’s largest public university aka THE Ohio State University. For those of us born and bred here, Brutus the Buckeye is quite an admired mascot. To anyone aware that from leaves to bark, the buckeye tree is a poisonous plant? I’m thinking we come off as slightly nutty. Nevertheless — Dovetail Lodge is nearby yet feels far away from this land grant institution. (Dear Reader, I mention all this as it is something to keep in mind should this place transform into an BnB and you are looking for lodging near OSU - all TBD.)

P.S.: R is doing much better by the way. His herniated lumbar disc was one for the books as it fell into that rare 3% category of more difficult procedures. Very grateful that the surgeon and his team took all the time they needed to be certain to do it right. Totally worth the wait. Also good practice for developing more patience and remaining positive. Healing and mending take time. Sometimes it’s hard for him — me — all of us — to remember that. Let’s all tread gently, shall we?

We know there are a lot of questions about this adventure of ours. Yet to date, “Is it time to get in the car yet?” is the most frequently asked question by SHOUT, our big, blonde, and beautiful dog. She is most definitely the mascot of Dovetail Lodge, curiously investigating every inch every time we head over to work on the place. Yet if you have more specific questions, feel free to reach out to us at djnral2.0@dovetaillodge.com.

Also be sure to check out our FAQ page — maybe the answer is already there!?!