Our escape to Casa Blanca



Three Days in Casa Blanca
In an age when everybody seems to be converting extra real estate to Air B&B, my sister is not. Her casita Casa Blanca fills up through word of mouth. It's tucked away in the tiny village of Jemez Springs, NM, where her husband, Roger, is the volunteer mayor and she is the resident artist.

We spent three magical days on the property, enjoying the river that irrigates the gardens, wandering the stone paths, and soaking in the natural hot springs next door.

Day 1: The Casita


Behind a blue door and down a 
stone corridor lies a private oasis for travelers.
It was created by Roger and Linda Sweet. Linda
is my sister. Roger is her spouse.


Roger was raised by a nature lover, with a deep appreciation for music, art, and the Indians of the southwest. 

Roger inherited his dad's love of land and penchant for collecting beautiful objects, which grace the rooms of Casa Blanca like intimate displays in a private museum.

Roger inherited more than his father's philosophy.  He received many of his father's physical artifacts, which are on display if you look closely at any room.




The living room is classic southwest design and decor


The kitchen is modest in size but fully stocked with cookware


The music room is stocked with games and knickknacks


The afternoon sunshine dapples the bed and invites guests to relax


Day 2: Dinner with the family in the big house


What's more fun than a barrel of monkeys? A wheelbarrow filled with Grandpa & Sage

Casa Blanca is for guests. My sister and her husband live in a bigger house next door. We shared delicious vegan dinners several nights with our extended family:  Baby Sage, Grandpa Roger, Mama Juliette, Daddy Adam & the Olendorfs. 

Donna and Linda - two of the three Vozar sisters

Grandpa gave Sage a ride in the wagon that belonged to his son Adam

Juliette watches more wheelbarrow fun.



Day 3: How to have fun 

Take a soothing mineral bath at the municipal tubs (Thank you Mayor Sweet!)

Enjoy the Giggling Springs outdoor pools


Spend quality time with your sister

Relax in a hammock

Explore local sights: Gilman's Tunnel

Take a selfie to prove it happened!





Comments

  1. AnonymousMay 15, 2022 at 7:11 PM

    Great job, Donna! Your next gig should be as Travel Writer. Thank you guys for visiting. May is the best month at Casa Blanca. It was so fun to see you guys and to hang out together. I loved every minute. Keep on truckin' and happy trails! Love, Linda

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 16, 2022 at 4:11 AM

    Holy moly! It's so beautiful. It looks like you had perfect weather and a wonderful visit. These pictures are giving me FOMO!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 17, 2022 at 8:56 AM

      Holy Moly -thanks for the comment. Who are you?

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 16, 2022 at 7:25 AM

    As the mother of the two Vozar sisters in the beautiful photos in this blog, I am delighted to see them enjoying each other as well as having such fun with Don, Roger, Adam, Juliette and of course the latest addition to my family, my great-grandson, Sage. I am SO happy for all of you and am with you in spirit.
    Much love to all,
    Lea

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousMay 17, 2022 at 4:02 AM

    After so many family reunions it is easy to imagine these good vibes. I love seeing everyone's smiling faces and watching you go on the local adventures.
    Stony

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 17, 2022 at 6:56 AM

      All made possible thanks to our wonderful cat sitter. Thanks for minding Garfunkel. Give her a kiss from her human folks.

      Delete
  5. Kristy OlendorfMay 17, 2022 at 6:45 PM

    What an enchanting place, what beautiful faces! Tell Linda I'm booking a New Mexican adventure soon!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
On our way to the southwest. We are trading Michigan's cold and snowy spring weather for the warmth of New Orleans and then on to the southwest desert. Along the way I'll visit my childhood homes in Arkansas and Louisiana. Please join us for our travels.  Our last Michigan hike to the Elberta dunes before heading south.
Read more

How to become a sculptor - in 50 short years

Image
My sister the potter sculptor  Everyone in the Vozar family knows that in the early 1970s, my mother spent a year in Italy on a teaching Fulbright scholarship with my two sisters and younger brother. But not everyone realizes the impact of that transformative year. Bobby played soccer, Mary studied pattern making, and Linda learned pottery.  Fifty years later, clay still holds magic for Linda's imagination. But don't call her a potter. Decades of throwing plates, cups, platters, and bowls left her bored with repetitious utilitarian forms. She is a sculptor now. Here are some snaps of Linda in her element - the Jemez Springs studio adjacent to her home. Linda in her bright new studio (built by Roger and Adam) with one of her goddess sculptures My sister began her transition from potter to sculptor about 10 years ago. Her studio inventory is slowing transitioning to reflect that change. Most of the family owns Linda's dark blue Italian style pottery, but to keep things inter
Read more

Crossett, Arkansas (my hometown from 1958 - 1963)

Image
"I was raised in a small town..."  I was born in Chicago and I've lived in Michigan for over 50 years, so I am a bona fide midwesterner.  But when I was a little girl between the ages of 4 and 13, I l ived in Louisiana and Arkansas.    I considered myself a Southerner and  I never wanted to leave.  The Crossett years We moved from my birthplace to Crossett when I was just 4 years old.   Nicknamed the "forestry capital of the south with two pine trees in the logo of its name to prove it,  Crossett is a company town. It  is home to a paper mill and lumber industry that supports a town of 5,500 people. More accurately, it used to support that population. When Koch Industries bought out Georgia Pacific, they cut the workforce by half.   About 10 years ago, the plywood factory burned down. The Koch brothers, The ruined plywood factory David and Charles, decided not to rebuild. This leaves Crossett residents facing the same grim economic circumstances that face hundreds of
Read more