20 Oct Loving a Lodge retreat
When I was a young girl, I spent countless weekends with my brother and grandparents at a very beautiful and quiet property in central Ohio called Brush Lake. It had been in my grandmother’s family and used as a fishing camp, but many years before that it was a private swim club.
Thankfully, my brother kept these great photos. You can barely read Brush Lake on the swimsuit of the girl in the back row on the far left. Don’t you love the caps? And the only man in the photo looks like the water was cold!
The lake has been studied over the years by Ohio State because it occupies a depression of the glacial deposit which covers the entire region for miles around. A considerable part of Ohio was once covered by a glacier so there was a thick deposit of drift, making it interesting to look at the plant geography.
I won’t bore you with more details of the ecological study but I will share a few more historical photos before jumping ahead in time to how it looks today.
Brush Lake was a popular destination. At one time, there was even a hotel near the lake.
President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral train stopped at the lake to collect water for its steam engines.
But time marches on, and things changed.
My career led me to different cities, but my brother Mark stayed in the area and always had a passion and deep love for the lake, great fishing and the simple beauty of this place.
Eventually, he decided to build a lodge on the same spot where an ice house, and even a dance hall had once stood.
There have been many weddings and family gatherings here over the last ten years. People seem to love getting away from the hustle and bustle of their daily lives.
I’ve always loved the lily pads, weeping willows and in particular, the brilliant colors in the fall.
But most of all, the special memories with my family, laughing and eating fish out of the lake on a Sunday night.
As the sun goes down, often the only noise you hear is a symphony of bull frogs. That’s music to my ears after a long day sitting at the computer or being on the phone. The Lodge at Brush Lake is a simple retreat that refreshes the soul.
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