More on Marfa...and a Barn Dance

The first evening Jeff and I were in Marfa, after we had enjoyed a tasty (but pricey) meal at Maiya's with Rachel, we hung out at Chase's new coffeehouse and chatted with some of the folks who make Marfa what it is. There was a silk-screen artist who had seen some of Jeff's cartoon-like line art and expressed an interest in making some of the pen-and-ink drawings into posters. There was a musician. There was (much to my delight!) Gina, one of the ladies behind a favorite blog of mine, Yarnbar. Sip, Sip, Knit. My kind of gal. We talked about Marfa, and about Rachel and Chase. They told us that they loved Rachel and Chase. And that Marfa was a magic place.

Then we made our way over the bar at the Paisano, where we met yet more folks who told us how much they loved Rachel and Chase. One couple, Daeryl and Steve, had just gotten married up in the cupola of the courthouse. They had been inspired by Rachel and Chase's wedding. Steve told us proudly about Daeryl's first horrifying glimpse of the stark beauty of West Texas, but how she warmed to the place quickly. And they all told us that Marfa was a magic place.

The next evening, as we tipped a few back at the bar at the Thunderbird Motel after an excellent meal at the Blue Javelina (pesto made with cilantro and pecans, anyone? mmmmm), we met another Steve, an artist from London, now living in Brooklyn, who came to Marfa on vacation and then found a way to come back to work on an art project. HE told us Marfa was a magic place.

And you know, it is. This realization finally hit us full force when we attended a local event, a "conversation" between Lawrence Weschler and Robert Irwin. In a town of a little more than 2,000 people, the venue--which easily held 300 or more--was standing room only. The crowd was appreciative and engaged. The conversation was mesmerizing. Would such an event held in Chicago at, say, the Newberry, bring in as large an audience? Something to ponder.

Anyway... besides the magic that surrounds and infuses Marfa, the one other thing that everyone seemed to be talking about was the Barn Dance, a soiree being tossed by Tigie, a woman who owns a ranch just outside of town. This event was a fund-raiser for the local library, and it attracted quite a turnout.



When we arrived, a quartet was performing old-timey tunes on banjo, guitars, and mandolin. When they were done, the main band took over--which also featured some of the players from the old-timey band.



Some of the members own the Brown Recluse Coffeehouse in Marfa (although word has it they are closing the sale of it), another is the editor of the local paper. Some of them play in a punk band as well. They did a variety of numbers, from country and western standards to Cajun and Zydeco to Reggae inspired oldies to Rock to everyone's favorite, "Waltz Across Texas."



Everyone moved and grooved,



including Rachel, and, despite appearances



everyone, young and old and in between, had a wonderful time.



Alas, the trip was over way too soon. We took a lingering look at the distant town from the kids' yard and turned our rental car north towards El Paso and a flight home to Chicago. We plan to be back in August, though, for more Marfa magic.



Next stop? Freeport, the Bahamas. Stay tuned.