Books
Forest Legend
Mother Nature struggles to maintain equilibrium in a changing world while fire, disease, logging, human displacement, and war destroy one forest of centuries-old trees after another. Split Toe, a legendary deer chosen at birth for an extraordinary education, travels through time on a sweeping adventure as he learns about the inner workings of Michigan’s forest and begins to understand the place of humans in the natural world. Along the way, he meets: Ice Age hunters who trap a mastodon; a young Ojibwe hunter who stalks Split Toe through swamp and forest; loggers clearcutting Michigan’s white pines; a forest woman advocating for the trees; early pioneers who become a first generation of family farmers; scientists from the future studying the impact of nuclear radiation. Split Toe sees two hundred years of conflict building between humans who fight to control the natural world and Mother Nature, who repeatedly reaches for balance. Split Toe wonders whether human ways will overtake Mother Nature until he meets a boy who changes everything.
Building the Bunkee
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After a full career in industry, Dan Ellens follows his dream to hand-build a log cabin in the forest, using supplies from the land where possible. "Building the Bunkee - A Photo Anthology of Custom Log Cabin Construction and One Man's Retirement Dream" is a step-by-step photo guide for do-it-yourself construction of a small, high-quality log cabin, outhouse, and woodshed. The book's techniques and designs focus on ensuring a trouble-free off-grid shelter for decades to come. Throughout his book, Dan describes the materials, tools, and hand-built fixtures used in the project, along with the work and love involved to finally bring the project to completion. Learn the construction sequence involved in fabricating a charming off-grid 14' x 16' log cabin, a luxury rural outhouse, and a durable woodshed! The cabin, made using hand-hewn logs, includes a large, covered porch, an open loft with a queen-size bed, and two handmade Murphy wall beds. It has woodstove heat, oil lamp lighting, and a fully equipped kitchenette with gravity-fed water. Its beams, braces, and columns are connected using hand-chiseled mortice and tenons, secured with wooden pegs. The log cabin, set up with all things necessary for off-grid life, could easily be classified as a 'Tiny House'.
Treehouse Letters
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In 'Treehouse Letters - The Unabridged Michigan Forest Life Journal', Ellens weaves a unique tale about a self-reliant lifestyle in harmony with nature through a compilation of letters written daily about his forest experiences. This volume provides information about treehouse design, wild animal habits, off-the-grid construction, maple syrup production, and rustic meal preparation. Ellens unfolds an inspiring message of how a tranquil, self-reliant life with nature can fit in with today's busy, civilized world. Ellens began his retirement years by spending more than half his time living in a hand-built treehouse in the forest, with oil lamp light, woodstove heat, and hand-pumped water. From the fall of 2018 until the summer of 2021, Ellens spent more than 500 days living off the grid. Ellens describes his treehouse, and expresses thoughts about life in the wilds, ways of forest property management, and daily activity to hand-build a guest log cabin using many resources from the forest itself.
Turning Ten
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"Turning Ten", first published in 2000, is a collection of four world-class adventures in the Great Lakes region made by children with their father when they reached their tenth birthdays. The stories of these trips are examples of how parents and children can bond as a team to reach challenging goals, with a guarantee of making lifelong memories in the process! Now, 30 years after the first "Turning Ten" adventure, this second edition includes reflections about the lasting legacy of these four trips. One by one, each of this book's four siblings joined the "Turning Ten" club. Their adventures included backpacking across Isle Royale, canoeing Michigan's Au Sable River, pedaling in the rear position of a tandem bicycle from Ann Arbor to Mackinaw Island, and paddling in the front position of a tandem kayak 80 miles through Lake Huron's North Channel. The book is filled with detailed descriptions of their experiences, their thoughts, and the routes these journeys follow. Filled with adventurous stories, thoughtful reflections, and insightful guidance, this is a must-read for parents everywhere. Get your copy today and learn how you can get closer with your children by bonding, exploring, and achieving.
A Time for India
Ellens tells a story of living with one foot in the 19th century and the other in the 21st century. It is a story of a family's introduction and adaptation to a world so different from their life in Michigan that every day seemed like a new adventure. The book, like a travelogue, describes what every visitor to India is sure to see, perhaps with wide eyes and unbridled curiosity, and often takes the reader to spots off the beaten trail. But it goes deeper than that, bringing to life the expatriate experience as a family with four school-age children who spend two years becoming part of a culture different from their own, and discover the ways in which this experience enriches their lives. Interspersed with this travelogue by Dan Ellens, are sections about the history of the country and its rich cultural underpinnings, written by Lakshmi Srinivas, who was born and raised in India. The 2nd edition provides a timeless addition to the book with a story of change. Since 1998, Ellens has returned to India more than 80 times, watching, with an outsider's view, the country transform in ways that seemed impossible not so long ago. The 2nd edition tells the rest of the story.​​​