I grew up on the east coast in a suburban community of New York. I've been in the West since I attended graduate school in San Diego, where I now live with my family. I was a Chemistry & Biochemistry Professor at the University of San Diego for many years but retired to spend more time with my family and to develop science enrichment activities for K-12 grades.

Leigh Plesniak purchased this house in 2012

We have visited Santa Fe many times over the years as a family and I knew exactly where I wanted to buy a house. We are thrilled with this location. It's peaceful, has a rustic rural feel but we are minutes walking to the heart of Santa Fe, the plaza. We walk to restaurants, galleries and museums. We hike up the arroyo trails right out of the neighborhood into Ft. Marcy park. La Posada is nearby (0.5 mile) for a drink on the patio or a massage at the spa. We can take the shuttle to the Albuquerque airport or to the Opera from nearby the hotels.

Normally not an adventurous decorator, the Casa was finished with vibrant colors in the plaster walls. The colors gave me the license to be more playful with the art and furnishings. Our home is decorated with the art from a good friend's gallery in Albuquerque (Sumner & Dene) and from art that friends of ours have made. The natural burl edge kitchen table was crafted by a friend from a eucalyptus tree that was destined for the landfill, victim to a construction project in Rancho Santa Fe in San Diego County.