Oh my gosh, how do any of us leave our homes and our lives for retreat or vacation? (see previous post Retreat and Rebirth) There’s always so much to do to get ready to go. As I dived into paperwork and phone calls I still needed to get caught up on I found myself out of breath with a rapidly pounding heart.
And that’s only one part of the difficulty of leaving. Then there are the people and animals we love, and the daily rituals we enjoy, that we’re leaving behind too. Do any of you stop at this point and wonder why you ever thought leaving sounded good? I sure did yesterday.
Trying to get out of Truchas was a little like those dreams where you’re supposed to be getting to school or to some other important place and you just can’t make it out of the house. That was me, stuck in some kind of nightmarish rewind or circular loop. I just couldn’t seem to make any progress toward leaving.
But FINALLY the car was packed, I’d said goodbye to Kim, and I turned the key in the ignition. This is what Finn thought of that, the silly drama queen…
But I left the settled warmth of my road anyway, despite Finn’s good efforts…
… and pulled onto County Road 75…
As I drove into Taos, onto the highway that runs through town, it felt disappointing to me as it always does when I’m on that main drag…
But then I pulled into the old part of the village and turned onto the road that leads to Mabel Dodge Luhan’s back street…
I’ve always said that Taos is deeply beautiful if you take the time to explore it, to go deep into what I call the old “rabbit warrens,” the twisty-turny little roads and alleyways, the passages that take one into the long lost past. There you’ll find her true beauty.
Another turn and I’m on Mabel’s road…
… and very quickly to her house…
… ah yes, this is more like it…
I arrived at the gate…
… looked around the property a bit…
Wonderful, isn’t it?
And all made of mud and straw…
These people, the Taos Indians and the Spaniards who built Mabel’s house, knew what they were doing. I was told yesterday that Mabel liked to spend time just watching them. Having left New York City and its busy industrialization, she saw the difference between the workers there and those here. In New York people were rushed and often angry and tired. Here she saw them laughing and taking time with their work, feeling the grace of it, putting their humanity into it, giving it time to grow out of them…
My muddy Jeep and I pulled right up to that grand old house as I was told to do…
See that room way up there on the top, the one that’s all windows? That’s where I’m staying. It’s Mabel’s solarium…
So I walked down the portal…
… and stepped into another world, one I wish I had been a part of when Mabel was here…
… but I’m here now. And I just discovered there’s a lunar eclipse tomorrow morning (and a full moon which I already knew about of course), while I’m snug, high up in the sky, in my glass-walled nest. This just can’t be a coincidence, can it?
I was welcomed here by Mariah, Judy and Julie in so many wonderful ways, one of which was the offer of a fresh cup of good hot coffee and cookies or brownies or muffins. This has to be paradise.
Then I faced the stairs…
… and what used to be a ladder but is now a set of stairs, sort of…
However a very nice young man carried the heaviest of my things up to my room…
… my room…
… ahhhhh this is just exactly what I’ve needed…
… every single detail is perfect…
… and I haven’t even begun to tell you about this place’s rich history. These bathroom windows were painted for privacy by D. H. Lawrence for instance…
As I settled in the sun was settling too…
… casting its warmth into Mabel’s solarium…
… into my heart…
… and then the sky went black and enveloped me in peace…
You know what I said about the hidden beauty in Taos being found off the beaten path and deep within her mud walled depths? Well I’m just finding that the same holds true about her people. What enjoyable, interesting and lovely individuals these are!
Then today I woke, after a sound night’s sleep, to the aroma of breakfast cooking and coffee brewing …
… and the sun casting its light on this ancient cottonwood out my window…
But just now as I write this I’m realizing I’m fighting a cold! NOooooo! However what I suspect is really happening here is the universe deciding it will have to force me into bed to read. I mean isn’t that the reason I came here in the first place, to spend days and days in bed reading? So to bed…
Oh, and the breakfasts are great, just so you know.
Love to you all,
Jeane
I, too, loved staying in Mabel’s sewing room, though it was quite warm in the afternoon and freezing at night when I was there in late September! And one of my favorite things about the room was the view from the throne! Seriously, when you are seated on the toilet, if you open the windows, it’s the biggest, most amazing vista ever…!! And the breakfasts are just superb…!!
There was quite a big windstorm last night that blew through every single window frame I swear. But I slept warmly and peacefully anyway. Tomorrow I move into Mabel’s room.
Wonderful! How I wish I were there!
Some day…