Day 5 - Georgia O'Keefe's House at Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch

Today we had to be at the Abiquiu Inn by 9:15 a.m. for a tour of Georgia O'Keefe's home at Abiquiu. Up early and on the road again, we arrived at the Abiquiu Inn by 8:45 a.m., which gave Carol time for a quick watercolor sketch she wanted to leave as a thank-you for Leonard, the weekend security guard who lives in Abiquiu and who had been so kind and helpful to us on Day 2. Carol painted the quick watercolor sketch below from memory of an old chapel we passed by at Abiquiu on Sunday afternoon, the day we met Leonard.

Le Morada, Abiquiu - from memory by J. Carol Gardner

To see Georgia O'Keefe's home at Abiquiu was a special treat for both of us. The tours fill up quickly and only 12 people are allowed to go at a time, 3 tours a day. When we made our reservations on Monday, the earliest we could go was Thursday. Fortunately, we were called yesterday and got bumped in to the 9:30 tour this morning.

We were not allowed to take journals, purses, cameras - the privacy of Ms. O'Keefe's home and the town of Abiquiu is respected, and when you get to her home you understand why - this is a place of solitude.

The oldest part of the adobe house is from the 18th century, and parts have been updated, repaired and restored - the house has remained 5000 square feet but most of the rooms originally would have been smaller. Several interior walls were removed, making rooms such as the living room more spacious and large windows were installed which seemed to merge the building, the land and the light. She kept the mud floors and always wore soft soled shoes while living there. And certainly - what a thrill to see the artist's studio!

After the tour, Carol and I ate at Bode's General Store (and it really is just that - a general store) in Abiquiu, then on to "The White Place" or "Plaza Blanco" which is a site about 10 minutes from Bode's where Georgia O'Keefe sketched and painted. Another breathtaking moment - a place where we would have loved to spend some time sketching but there was no shade and the sun was hot and brilliant:

The White Place

Then we returned to Ghost Ranch to paint a bit. Below are some of our watercolor sketches from today:

The Pedernal from Ghost Ranch by J. Carol Gardner

Adobe Welcome - Ghost Ranch by Amelia Whaley

Finally return to Santa Fe for an early dinner and to get rested up for Taos tomorrow!

Day 3 - Echo Amphitheatre and Ghost Ranch

Ready Early and On the Road

Our wake-up call came at 4:45 a.m., we were on the road to try out some of Leonard's suggestions on where to paint, and our plan had been to be at Echo Amphitheatre to watch the sunrise. Well, we were about an hour late for sunrise, but the light and the colors of the rocks and the sky were breathtaking as the sun lit the tops of the rocks and we were immersed in the colors of the Southwest - the reds, purples, yellows of the rocks, the variety of lush greens in the trees, shrubs and grasses and the clear blue of the sky - was the early morning drive worth it - you bet! I feel as though I have shapes, textures, line, color and value of the landscape burned into my being.

As we drove past Abiquiu toward Ghost Ranch and Echo, suddenly the landscape was immediate and "upon us" - we pulled over to the shoulder, jumped out of the car, ran to the top of the ridge - and there below, clear and winding, was the Chama River, another familiar face from Georgia O'Keefe's artwork.

Chama River

Carol reminded me to watch out for rattlesnakes, bears, coyotes, etc...(what do you mean, RATTLESNAKES, BEARS, COYOTES, ETC.????) Really encouraging for a Southern girl in capri pants and flowered flipflops... The good news is - we didn't see any and we were not bitten or eaten for breakfast.

The other good news is that we did not get lost today. We did, however, lose the rental car keys at lunch but eventually found them. And Mimi drove back, only having to do 3 U-turns to stay on track road-wise!

We continued driving and suddenly, this vast landscape gets upclose and more personal..., well we're out of the car again, awestruck with the landscape before us.

It just keeps getting better as we get closer to Echo Amphitheatre:

Approaching Echo

On the other side of the "Mushroom Top" Rock at Echo
with The Pedernal (flat top) in the far distance

Sunflowers at Echo with The Pedernal in the Distance

Georgia O'Keefe said "God told me if I painted Pedernal enough, I could have it."

Echo Amphitheatre - Leonard was Right - Wow!

Ready to paint, Carol and I took off in different directions to do watercolor studies. Below you see Carol's watercolor study of the massive upright jutting rock at Echo.

Carol Gardner's Watercolor Study at Echo Amphitheatre

Mimi painted the small watercolor study below of The Pedernal.

Amelia Whaley's Watercolor Study of The Pedernal from Echo Amphitheatre

Then, at 9:00 a.m., we left Echo and traveled to Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O'Keefe stayed for several months each year in one of the guest houses before she finally bought the house at Abiquiu. Ghost Ranch is now owned by the Presbyterian Church, and serves as a wonderful retreat. For $10.00 a professional artist can hike, walk the grounds and paint.

Entrance to Ghost Ranch

We visited Ghost House, the first house on the property. We were amazed as we walked through the small adobe house how cool it was on a hot summer day.

Ghost House at Ghost Ranch

We arrived back at the Sage Inn, freshened up, and ate dinner at The Shed in downtown Santa Fe. A great dinner to top off a great day!