Casa Paloma - Centrally Located Abiquiu Gem: great views, roomy, gourmet kitchen

About Peter Gianniny & Laura Cockerille Giannini

Pete & I have been coming to the northern New Mexico from Virginia for 15 years now, falling more & more in love with the unique ancient lands, the turquoise skies & red rock mesas. The Sangre de Christos are captivating. So a couple of years ago, we decided to buy into our dream of coming here to 'land & stay awhile'. Pete just retired: I paint & write & one does not retire creativity, so we've set up a studio in part of Casa Paloma. I've now begun a series of paintings on local coyotes while there in the winter, which now adorn the walls leading to the upper bedroom suite. Meanwhile, you can come & be creative in any way you should chose... Painting, writing, poetry, photography... Or simply just reading about the local area & all of its deep history. Paloma, & this spiritual Abiquiu area, quietly stir the creative juices in one's soul... Come join us & enjoy the absolute peace of place that we happily share with you when we are away.

Peter Gianniny & Laura Cockerille Giannini purchased this House in 2015

Why Peter Gianniny & Laura Cockerille Giannini chose Abiquiu

In our search, many properties for sale in Santa Fe & Abiquiu were out of our league, financially. We reached w/ this purchase, as it was a bit of a fixer-upper. Pete & I spent the month of April in Abiquiu in 2015 upgrading our new home. We updated plumbing (including a brand new kitchen faucet, a pump for the Jacuzzi upstairs & a water softener. Soon after a brand new, water-efficient was installed downstairs). We also painted, inside & out, including re-treading many of the deck steps & giving it several new coats of paint. We also cleared the "Goat Heads" (evil sandspurs) out of the yard, a despicable task. (You & your dogs will thank us.) Our sweat equity is your sweet gain, as all y'all have to do is come & enjoy some downtime in this lovely home & surrounding areas. Oh, & yes, in April of 2015 we added a large Terra Stone 'viewing' patio to the front, & in the fall we came back & built a multi-level wall to flow with the land around it. We commissioned an iron entry gate to be built, then Pete & I finished it beautifully in "Southwest style". We also completed a large (3,000 sq.') dog run outside of the patio & 'rabbit-fenced' a couple of garden areas around it. Pete has built a large picnic table for the shady back area & a convertible bench for the balcony while I interwove the coyote fencing, as part of the dog run. Lots to love! Oh, & yes - there are the endless miles of walking, down to the arroyo below us, or on the plateaus above us, for walking the trails & enjoying magnificent landscapes, without ever even getting in your car.

What makes this House unique

We chose this home for several reasons: one, we liked how centrally located it was to everywhere we wanted to be, see, or do. The roads in are also better than many. But it was the lay-out of the house than sealed the deal. We love the Ponderosa pine beams throughout the downstairs, the Mexican tiles in both baths, the open & airy quality & flow of living - and the quaint wood stove built into the SW fireplace, w/ its nooks, crannies & nichos. Pete & I both enjoy cooking, so the kitchen was a lovely bonus, w/ spaciousness for two to cook-up a feast. (We have left spices & herbs for you to enjoy w/ your own culinary creations - & there are many cookbooks, as well. Oh, & we have two coolers for you to use, when you go to Santa Fe or Los Alamos for groceries: a larger one for perishables & a smaller one for picnics. There are also a few cloth shopping bags, as Santa Fe has banned plastic.) The views are magnificent, so typical of this area, from most windows of Paloma. One sees the Jemez Mountain Range directly from the portal, w/ the old triangular 'walls' where the caldera (volcano) used to be behind them. There, of course, is Cerra Pedernal, appearing ghostly in the ever-changing skies, & the entire Sierra Negra range is to the west of us. Just to the north is a fascinating red mesa that Pete has dubbed "Laura's Mesa" that I have truly fallen in love with: it will be one of my first subjects for oils, on return. It is far more intricate & challenging than it seems... (I know; I tried to catch the intricacies in a sketch.) And the skies... What can one say about Abiquiu skies? Except that they are endless & eat the mountains & swallow the earth & they change constantly, the Drama Queens of New Mexico, day or night. Come, see for yourself. Sit on the viewing patio or the portal, or have lunch on the shady patio behind the house, & just breathe it all in. One need not leave Casa Paloma to enjoy your stay. But still, there is SO much to do just outside your door ...