Judy Boston and her late husband, George, lived in Manhattan with a country place in Woodstock before moving to San Miguel in 2001 and buying a house in Colonia Guadiana. Since they had always been city folks with a country home, just having a city house wasn’t the lifestyle they were used to and thus began the search for the perfect place in the country.
And just what is the perfect country place?
What could be more perfect than a rural hectare (2 and ½ acres) with hundreds of agaves (many different kinds) and nopales surrounded by painstakingly built rock walls, a restored capilla next door, and mountains in the background? And all this on the picturesque road to Jalpa only 12 miles and 22 minutes from San Miguel.
Judy and her husband bought this undeveloped property in 2011 and within the year began construction. The first project involved fencing the property to keep out the wandering goats, sheep, and other farm animals. Next came the house, an early example of sustainable construction that has a solar-powered hot water system, rainwater catchment system, and absorbent thermal brick. On large rural properties the gardens can, for a long time, just take care of themselves. Here, however, there are tended beds encircling the house and highlighting the entry to the property.
We had visited Judy’s country house in June 2017, when we painted the nearby capilla.
La Capilla de Biznaga de Jaral is a good example of a traditional capilla with a plastered and painted façade and the remaining three sides of exposed rocks. (Painting by Lorie 2017)
On a subsequent painting trip later in 2017 along the road to Jalpa near Judy’s house, we were quite taken with the extraordinary bloom of cosmos and sunflowers everywhere and said that we must come back again to paint at the peak bloom time. (Painting by Linda 2017) It’s been two years but we did come back.
This year while there are many fields of cosmos and some sunflowers, it is not quite the bloom year that 2017 was but still remarkable.
Judy’s lovely landscaping immediately around the house, areas of mowed grass, and then more natural areas…all surrounded by hills and mountains was a delight to paint. It took some time to find a focus as there were so many choices.
Linda and I were painting almost back to back with my focus on the corner of the porch and Linda looking beyond Judy’s property. There are truly no bad views.
This spectacular and beautifully maintained country property is now for sale…a bittersweet decision for Judy as it was such a special place for her late husband. You can check out the listing on Christie’s https://cdrsanmiguel.com/property/casa-calma/
What isn’t featured in the listing is the garden setting surrounding the house and the pastoral views in all directions. Judy and George wanted a tranquil country place that showcased the beauty of the land and this property certainly meets those requirements.
We are most appreciative of Judy hosting us a second time.