Getting the Hell Outta Dodge
(To a Glorious Silence)
by Rick Brown

Rick Brown doesn’t go back anywhere unless he really likes a place. I like this place. My wife Yvonne and I always ignore Valentine’s Day and opt for celebrating the anniversary of our first date…March 3rd (about 300 years ago!). This year we again decided to get the hell out of Dodge and retreat to the woods. So we returned to Summit Haven Retreat in Ohio’s Hocking Hills area. Owners Don and Cindy have only two (with a third in the works) cabins perched on the crest of a hill far enough from civilization that you will soon be forgetting about it.

These cabins are not like the cookie cutter kind most places rent in the area. Hand hewn beams…real wood molding…real stone fireplaces…make for a glorious environment both indoors as well as out. And the best thing for us is that dogs are welcome. So our Bichon, Henri…who is pretty picky about where he stays also…can romp to his heart’s content.

We decided to stay three nights. The first evening was spent chilling out. I had brought a number of CDs to listen to. But it was so quiet and I was so struck by it that we both sat listening to the fire…engaging in occasional idle chat…for the entire night. Between visits to the hot tub on the deck where we sat stargazing that is. Even “excitable boy” Henri settled in…once he established his power spots of course.

The next afternoon our good friends Harry and Nancy drove down to join us. The weather…especially for late February…was incredible. Clear skies and temperatures in the 60’s during the day are not common in Ohio this time of year. The five of us (counting French Boy Henri) spent the good part of the afternoon hiking in the woods. We had a wonderful meal together and afterwards got a nice fire going in the fireplace. Then Harry, Yvonne and I played our guitars until our fingers hurt. So we soaked them…along with everything else…in the hot tub again while pointing out constellations in the winter sky. And to end the evening right we smoked cigars while we sipped red wine in the glorious silence of this place. This was a delightfully immature way to end the night.

After breakfast the next morning Harry serenaded the rest of us with his accordion. Oh yeah…I know what you’re thinking. But you are wrong. A gift from Nancy’s father, Harry’s instrument is a beautiful Hohner built in Germany in the early 60’s. It’s smaller than the bigger accordions most of us connect with beer drinking and polkas. Once Harry began to play I immediately reminisced about the streets of Paris with its charming sidewalk cafes. And when he surprised us with a delightful rendition of Procol Harem’s “Whiter Shade of Pale” I felt like a giddy 14 year old thinking to himself “Man…we gotta start a band!”

Our friends were soon on their way home and the remaining three of us spent the rest of our time relaxing…with a capital “R”. I don’t think we took our pajamas off. Well…maybe a couple times for various “clothing optional” activities. And…of course…Henri doesn’t wear jammies. (I guess everything he does is clothing optional. He’s a rascal.)

The next morning we ran into owners Cindy and Don…chatting with them for a good while. Summit Haven Retreat is certainly a refection of their friendliness and warmth. I highly recommend to anyone wishing to get away from it all to check this place out. The silence alone is worth the effort. Rick Brown may not go back to a lot of places. But Summit Haven Retreat is never going to be on that list.

When you wanna get the hell outta Dodge contact Don and Cindy at www.hockinghills.com/summithaven/
Tell ‘em Rick, Yvonne and Henri sent ya!!