love in the time of coronavirus: sheltering at the haddaway house

staying home is fun when you live in a place as wild and fantastic as this!

shelter from the coronavirus with us

at the albuquerque home
of photographer barbara forshay and sculptor ed haddaway.

welcome to the haddaway house, a gorgeous 1880s adobe on two acres of land with a huge metal-working studio, pool, hot tub, an old train car, a couple of vintage airstreams, retro campers, tents, LOTS of sculptures, four cats, and a big dog. barb offers a stay in the main house, the campers, or the tents through airbnb, which is how my son and i came to be here for two months while we buy a house.

we were feeling weary and lonesome when we first arrived, having just left a very difficult situation with an ex partner. it was purely by chance that we chose this particular air bnb. i was looking for a quiet place to rest and lick my wounds while preparing for the next phase of our lives. i thought we were booking a little, isolated nook. i could not have been more wrong! life here is very communal and lively. after a few days, we could not resist joining in the fun and wow, did it help us heal. we were even adopted by one of the cats, who now sleeps and purrs in our room. 

this is a true oasis in the middle of the desert. the place attracts a flowing community of residents including artists, musicians, film-makers, travelers, and seekers of all types.

barb and ed are so wonderful that residents become friends and friends become family, returning time and time again to this magical place.



the kitchen is, of course, the heart of the house. the antique gas stove, irridescent teapot, and enormous spice collection are bathed in light from the many windows... my favorite tchotchke in here is the little teapot with rising steam on the window frame.

wee farmyard.

just about every night, the residents gather at the big table in the main house 

or the fire-pit in the yard 

to eat, smoke, drink wine or tea, dance, and laugh like crazy.

this house is a bohemian dream, with bookshelves full of poetry, philosophy, and every imaginable subject lining each room. the walls are covered with original works of art and gorgeous mexican talavera tiles. 

from magic eight-balls to antique embroidered elephants, this house has big and little treasures to inspire your creativity.

music makers and charlie, the big, big cat.

***

explore barb and ed's art!

barbara forshay

ed haddaway 

next time, we'll check out the yard and some of ed's sculptures!