I was caught up in excitement. My sister was coming to New Mexico to visit for a week. Among other things, I planned a trip to Taos with an overnight stay. Best of all, we would be spending the night at the Mabel Dodge Lujan House. I would be able to experience and share with Margaret this most beautiful and peaceful retreat.
Taos is, without a doubt, my favorite place to visit in New Mexico. Michael and I have gone there together more times then I can remember. And it still doesn’t seem to be enough. If I have guests that are with us for more that a night or two Michael and I will take them to Taos. So when my sister arrived and stayed a whole week, I knew for sure we would head for Taos.
Mabel Dodge Lujan House...A Brief History
The Mabel Dodge Lujan House was the home that Mabel Dodge shared with her husband, Antonio Luhan. She was from high society of New York, a patron of the arts. He was an American Indian from Taos Pueblo. Mabel Dodge Lujan loved Taos Pueblo. ( And so do I! Check out the blog post about Taos Pueblo here: https://roadtosuchness.com/taos-pueblo ). When she first arrived to Taos she lived a short walking distance from the Pueblo. She took advantage of this to visit the native women who accepted her in their daily activities. Her marriage to Tony, her fourth, proved to be one of endurance and shared happiness.
The property where the lodge is now originally belonged to Tony. There was a small house there. It was expanded to have the many rooms and studio which still welcome artists and guests for retreats and workshops. This is where Mable hosted large gatherings The likes of Georgia O’Keefe, D.H. Lawrence, Willa Cather and Ansel Adams were guests in the house and studio. The list goes on with other artists and writers such as Gertrude Stein, John Reid and Isadora Duncan.
And having a great breakfast served in the morning made matters even better.
