Meet Marsha

Marsha Mason’s life is like a multi-faceted crystal – each “face” a different talent. The celebrated actress of theater, film and television has garnered four Academy Award nominations (one for the popular “Goodbye Girl”), as well as an Emmy and two Golden Globes. In recent years, she also became a successful entrepreneur, producing Resting in the River Natural Products on her certified organic farm, Rio Abajo Rio, in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

Today, after years of thriving on her land by the Chama River, she feels the pull of the theater. She will soon co-star in Michael Jacob’s play “Impressionism,” along with Jeremy Irons and Joan Allen.

Truth be told, Marsha Mason never really left the theater. While running her business in New Mexico, she was reunited in 1999 with her “Goodbye Girl” co-star Richard Dreyfuss in Neil Simon's “The Prisoner of Second Avenue” at the Royal Haymarket Theatre in London.

The Land

Then four-time Oscar-nominated Marsha Mason came to Abiquiu, New Mexico years ago, the land had sat idle for many years. As she nurtured it back to life, the land nurtured her, and she created Rio Abajo Rio, her certified organic medicinal herb farm, which yielded Resting in the River Natural Products. Today, the fertile soil produces medicinals and flowers – gifts from the earth that heal and nourish. This land is mystical as well as healing and is a safe haven for the wildlife she loves. It captivates and energizes, is full of rugged beauty and precious water. Crystalline air and glorious light bring the colors of nature and dwellings in sharp relief. New Mexico’s voices echo from the past – Native American, Hispanic, Anglo – and this land holds their stories.

The name Rio Abajo Rio means River Beneath the River. The land runs along a two-mile stretch of the Rio Chama and also has ponds. In a state where water is precious and scarce, abundant water rights are available throughout the property’s 247 acres, ready to accommodate a wealth of possibilities. There is also a rainwater gathering system for the dwellings. The views across the fields to the river and beyond are both tranquil and exciting. The changes that Mother Nature brings to the land and sky are a never-ending entertainment to those who live here.

Verbage from Marsha Mason Splash Page

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	Just minutes from where Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and surroundings breathed life into her masterpieces lies Rio Abajo Rio.
Inspired by a book on Argentinean estancias, Marsha Mason built her home as deliberately as she nurtured the land. Taking two years to complete, the main house encircles a central courtyard and a fountain – a classic estancia. It hugs the earth – a long, screened portal overlooks the fields and ponds, mountains and sky. The home’s traditional Spanish-European elements comfortably take their place within New Mexico’s ethnic mix. Stone door and window surrounds, intricate ironwork, beamed ceilings, Spanish-tiled floors, artisan-designed doors from Spain, Italy, and India, and fireplaces from Europe detail airy rooms. Thick adobe walls keep summers cool and winters warm. "

Briggs Freeman Lists Marsha Mason's Land

Hey Everyone,

Sorry I forgot to post this last time, but here is the link to Briggs Freeman's virtual tour/info micropage about Marsha's property. Check it out! It's really fascinating and provides lots of details, not just about the land and house, but also about Marsha herself and Abiquiu.

Click Me!

Marsha Mason's Mystical Land

Briggs Freeman Real Estate Brokerage of Dallas -- A luxury real estate broker that frequently handles some of the most elite properties inside (and sometimes outside) of the Dallas region -- has recently taken on the task of listing film and stage celebrity, Marsha Mason's property in Abiquiu, New Mexico.

O.k., so usually I'm not a big fan of New Mexico. My grandparents live in Portales, with a front yard view of a 40 acre peanut farm. I remember the grey/brown boredom I always felt at their secluded home, wishing that something, ANYTHING, would happen to relive my otherwise eventless days. Since then, any mention of New Mexico sprouted sprialing visions of dreary tumble weeds, tired horses chumping listlessly on dried, dusty hay, and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles and miles of flat, brown horizon. Abiquiu, however, is something entirely different.

Here, the landscape swirls with deep, seductive hues of burgendy, bronze, gold, and azure blue. Understandably, painters from all over the world have specifically sought out Abiquiu to perfect their craft. Most notably, Georga O'Kieffe lived and painted only a few miles from Marsha Mason's property. This land breaths life, color, emotion with every curve of the rolling hill and steep peaks of the soaring mountains.




Most particularlly, though, I'm so excited to hear about Marsha Mason's property, not so much because of her beautiful adobe mansion, as for her gorgeous spralling acres of certified organic farm land. For the past several years, Marsha has dedicated much of her time to crafting a medicinal floral garden which she's used to create her singular health and beauty products, such as luxurious body butter, body wash, and fragrent body mists. Her company, "Resting in the River," promotes organic living through the use of sustainable farming practices as well as high quality beauty products. With the national move toward greener living, many "organic" farms still slide harmful chemicals into their products. Marsha Mason's land, however, ranks among the highest levels of orgnic certification: biodynamic farming. I hope that whoever purchases her beautiful property will maintain her level of organic integrity and continue to provide great products for the many of us seeking to achieve a greener lifesytle!