Black Lake Mountain Retreat. The rural setting welcomes birds and bird watchers.

I am a painter and photographer as well as an avid gardener, orchid lover, and pet owner. My home is situated is situated in the valley of the Little Coyote on two and half acres of meadow. I have an organic garden and am attempting to keep to native plants which attract birds, bees, and butterflies. In 2007 I had a large studio added to the south side of the duplex which contains my home and the guest house.

My artist's studio is a passive solar greenhouse where there is a constant competition between plants and art. My father serving in the US Air Force wanted to live on his two acres of land in Missouri and never leave. I think I inherited that dream and am doing what I can to make it come true. Not easy in the best of times. During the pandemic, with the attached rental unit empty I decided to turn it into a vacation rental to share once the lockdown was over. It was like having a full sized doll house I could paint and furnish and ultimately use its walls to showcase paintings I had no room for in my studio.

I am also a blogger and freelance writer. Jacqui of all trades. When I decided to do a short term vacation rental with the attached apartment to my home I wanted to maintain my quiet rural existence. I want to share the beauty of this valley in the hills and mountains of this historic ranching area just five miles from the Angel Fire Resort without disturbing the birds and deer and other photography subjects. Black Lake is a retreat for me and I want to make it a quiet retreat for my visitors. I think Charley's Hideaway has done that.

The minute I saw this duplex I saw the potential of a home on one side and a rental property to support it on the other. Two and a half acres of meadow just a short drive off of a paved road and away from the resort just five miles to the north. At the time I worked for the resort as a ski instructor but I wanted to support myself as an artist so as soon as I could I built the studio addition. And as a single woman and artist I wanted to be able to get in and out in all kinds of weather but still feel away from it all.

Black Lake is in the middle of several fantastic parks and wildlife areas for day trips with my camera. And just a couple miles from the Carson National Forest with easy access to Forest Road 76 running along the spine of the mountain just to the west. Sunrises and sunsets are favorite subjects for my camera are all the hawks and birds the open meadow attracts. I do everything I can to preserve a chemical and pesticide free environment. Happily my few neighbors feel the same. The county roads connecting to HWY 434 are great paths for walking dogs and recording the wildflowers in the summer.

Always something to record like the red tail hawks that hunt in the meadow from their perches on tops of trees or the power pole by the fence separating the neighborhood from the small cattle ranch behind. This last summer, because of the extremes in weather the hummingbird migrations were disrupted and all decided to spend the summer in the mountains. I had six feeders I filled twice a day. I almost have them trained to pose. They will be back.

As I photographer there is always something amazing to photograph from the hunting red tail hawks to sunrises and sunsets, the world blanketed by snow, or the wide variety of wildflowers which appear when the snow melts. It is a dark sky area where all the neighbors are early to bed. Well, except for the deer and the elk. And the pair of great horned owls you hear rather than see.

The location of Charley's Hideaway allows visitors to enjoy a slice of rural mountain life which is easily accessed and still close to a resort which offers golfing, fishing, skiing, mountain biking, dining, and off road adventures. This section of New Mexico has been rated as one of the best for hunters for trophy elk, deer and antelope. Which you can also seek out with cameras. Black Lake is in the middle of several state parks and wildlife preserves for easy day trips. Coyote and Cimarron State parks have great fly fishing. Or day shopping on the other side of the mountain in Taos or down to Santa Fe for the day.

Book for a couple weeks or a month and experience all the location has to offer without having to pack up and move.