Our vicarious cabin getaway

Star Tribune

Last update: December 2, 2008 - 2:08 PM

It's a Minnesota fantasy: Flee the fast lane and escape to a cabin in the woods. If you're lucky enough to own one, all you have to do is hop in the car. The rest of us need a road map. That's where "Cabinology" (Taunton Press, $25) comes in.

Written by Twin Cities architect and self-described "cabinologist" Dale Mulfinger, this new book is a follow-up to his 2001 book, "The Cabin." While the earlier book showcased a range of getaway homes, "Cabinology" gets down to the nitty-gritty of choosing a site, placing windows to maximize views and making a kitchen functional.

The book is filled with photos of enticingly rustic retreats and the reader-friendly text is presented in bite-size chunks, making it easy to scan. It also covers both prosaic and poetic topics, from how big a septic system you'll need to what books make up the "essential cabin library."

("Cabinology" earns its own spot on the cabin bookshelf by including practical extras, such as a recipe for simple breakfast crepes and "sure-fire" tips for starting a hearth-warming blaze.)

Essays and snapshots, submitted by readers of Mulfinger's earlier book, lend a personal touch to this celebration of the cabin. They help make the case that cabins fulfill not just a want but a need: "to bring some balance into your life, to recharge those rundown batteries, to cleanse the soul, to reconnect to nature."

KIM PALMER