Alternate Title: Man O Man Did I Need That
Alternate Title Deux: [Long Happy Sigh Noise of Happiness + Ahh]
Alternate PG Title: Travel Exhaustion, Writer's Brain Cramp, and the Necessity to Veg Out and Abuse Netflix for a Couple of Days While Doing Nothing Except Cooking and Sleeping
If it sounds whiny and privileged that I needed a vacation from my vacation, please allow me to raspberry in your general direction and also laugh in your direct face. As the 2008 kids say, Sorrynotsorry.
I was so excited to go to Magdalena, and not because I knew anything about the town, wanted to hike and find artifacts from old mines, or fall down one and scream and scream, or even because the VLA (Very Large Array) is right there (20 miles). I knew none of these things--nor that it was historic or darling for other reasons--and I did not care. I saw the pictures of that casita (small house) and knew I had to stay there.
When I made the reservation, I had no set plans other than writing, but by the time I got there I just wanted to zone to the drone of Netflix (and, it turns out, hours of Last Week Tonight clips on YouTube)...so that is what I did, with a little writing thrown in, but the pace was decidedly less rigorous.
Let me tell you about this place: It's beautiful. The owner, Gwen, is an artist who specializes in glasswork. She is opening up her own studio in Magdalena (Facebook page linked here) and you can see her work around her home, yard, and the casita itself. I could never get a good picture of it, but the best piece was in the bathroom--the window was this beautiful glass patchwork of different compositions, mostly white or clear, but with some iridescent sheen thrown in for good measure.
The living room had a comfortable futon that I spent most of my waking hours lolling on, with the ever-present cup of coffee and Candy Crush at the ready. I made good use of the kitchen, though will admit the main "cooking" was all about breakfast...everything else was sandwiches, sandwiches. Soup.
The absolute best part, though, was the bedroom. It was what sealed the deal when I was working out my route for the trip. That cool blue? That beautiful room with the wood trim walls and soft looking sheets? Even better in real life. The funny thing about the casita is how short it is--she warns people about it in the ad: If you are above 5'10" you probably won't be very comfortable. I am 5'5" so it was not a problem for me...but what countered any lack of vertical space was the light panels in the ceiling. They were basically skylights throughout the whole casita (except the bathroom), sealed tight and laid over with painted burlap that matched the staining on the walls. All day long I would look up and think I'd left lights on somewhere, but it was just the natural light coming in from above.
The warm glow of the skylights coupled with the blue curtains made the bedroom a perfect cave of comfort--dorky, I know, but SERIOUSLY, y'all. Albuquerque is one hour and forty minutes away...if I am ever in the area again and need to stay somewhere near there, I'm driving out to Magdalena. It was by far the best AirBNB experience I've had up to this point. I so loved staying with Gwen and her gorgeous, bear-like dog, Charlie. (Side note: I'd never seen a long-haired German Shepard before. She's pregnant, to boot, so that made her extra bear-ish. Gwen promises to email me pictures once the babies arrive. I predict they will be 1% dog, 99% fluffage.)
You could stay in ABQ--it's a great town and all that--but hotels will charge you $120/night for a farty little room and act like they are doing you a favor. At this writing, the Magdalena casita is $50/night. It's completely detached from the main house and has independent plumbing, electric, wifi, etc. When you open the back door to your own little oasis? Mountains. Gwen was warm, kind, and respectful of my privacy--a perfect AirBNB host. And the town is as cute as a button...more on that in the next post!
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