Jerry Ellis at Home:

                Tanager Retreat International

Tanager Retreat International  honors the courage and perseverance of the mere 20% of the birds that survive this bi-yearly marathon, mirroring the sheer determination required of those humans who, as Thoreau recommended, “shoot for the stars that they might reach the moon.”

 

A retreat from its inception, “the cottage” began as a just-for-fun summer project: a giant tree-house built on a secluded ridge overlooking Will’s Valley, Alabama, where in the 1820’s the famed Sequoyah single-handedly developed the Cherokee Alphabet. The addition of lower stories joined the tree-house to the ground, enabling Jerry and his wife, Debi, to live —

 

Tanager Retreat International, located in Fort Payne, Alabama, is named for migratory birds that winter in Central America and fly north in late May to breed in North America. This requires crossing the Gulf of Mexico in one, non-stop, make-it-or-break-it attempt.

The Chalet

by choice — in the manner and quality of Thoreau’s two year residence at Walden’s Pond.

 

After nearly a decade, however, the couple decided that Thoreau should have included “hot running water” in his definition of simplicity, and thus the three-story chalet was born.

The Cottage now serves as a guest house.

 

The original Tree-house Cottage

Jerry occasionally offers seminars and workshops at Tanager.  For current information please e-mail tanager@tds.net