Lost Mule Lodge
…A Journey that Began with a Cabin in the Woods
Our Journey
We’ve all heard it…. Buy property they said, it will be a good investment they said.
We had been dreaming of a secluded place of our own for most of our lives, even when picking a camp site we would pick the one furthest from all the others, We have always felt the pull to the country life.
After years of racing out the door to fight the traffic – screaming “Look OUTTT” at the entrance ramps and that same dreaded sea of brake lights each morning and night, that was not the life we ever wanted. Every morning we would leave our home at dawn and return each evening near dusk. We ached to be outdoors, just to be able to build a bonfire or to hang out our laundry, but those things were frowned on in our subdivision. We would manage to scarf down an occasional meal together, collapse into bed, just to wake up and hit the snooze button again… and again… and again, to reluctantly start the race all over again. And that was only Tuesday!!!!
We needed space to breathe. So, we made that lifelong dream a reality. We found the most perfect crooked little cabin right in the middle of 36 acres, and believe it or not, the area is called…. Wait for it…… PURE AIR!!! What better place to breathe than a place called Pure Air??? The cabin was not considered an asset to the property… in fact it wasn’t even on the real estate listing. We considered it our bonus home. It came with running water, electricity, a wonderful wood stove and several generations of mice. That little cabin provided us warmth, shelter and more laughter and good times than we ever imagined.
It was our weekend retreat in the beginning. We lived for the weekends when we could escape to our secluded little paradise. It soon became our mission to do whatever it took to be able to wake up everyday to that glorious sunrise. While waiting for our current home to sell, we began improving our property by building a small lake and hiring a local Mennonite crew to build a shop. Finally, the day came when we could move into our crooked little cabin. This day changed our lives forever.
Although we loved our cabin life, the cabin itself was very small and … well… very crooked. We needed a place for friends and family to share in our new found passion. So we began designing our new home.
We hired Amish and Mennonite crews to frame and roof our new home that was inspired by Timber Frame construction. Since we were living in the cabin – about 250 feet from the new construction we were fascinated to be able to watch the daily progress.
When the drywall crews were finished, our work began. There was painting and staining and tons of trim to be measured and cut, flooring to be installed and showers to be built. I soon became an expert with a chop saw and a nail gun. I climbed a trembling ladder to heights I never imagined my shakey knees would carry me.
We have always been our happiest when working on a project, and this has been the project of a lifetime.
It is still a work in progress, but these walls have echoed countless hours of laughter and hosted many happy guests. The “Lodge” is truly amazing and in the moments I find myself in awe that I actually get to live here, I also know that I could have been very happy in our crooked little cabin in the woods. It is not just the building that makes this place so amazing. It is the land, the tranquil lifestyle, the feeling of peace and freedom that we love. The home that we have built gives us a place to bring family and friends together.
We cannot imagine our lives anywhere but right here. We have found home. I do occasionally miss the shopping, but Amazon is at my fingertips and our UPS driver has learned to maneuver our long curvy driveway very well.
Yes, we would have to agree that buying this land with the bonus cabin was the best investment we could have ever made – it has enriched our lives at an enormous rate of return.
And that alarm clock with the snooze button… it must have been lost in the move…. wink – wink… we haven’t had a clock in our bedroom since we moved here!!
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