Marfa 5.0

Gosh, it's been more than a month since I promised to write more frequently--alas! I will try to do better in the future! And I know I also promised a little post on Mifune and her ongoing battle with the Ugly Dolls, but that will have to wait. First, I'd like to bring you up-to-date on our latest foray into far west Texas--our fifth trip to Marfa.

As we traveled the now-familiar route from El Paso to Marfa, it dawned on us that we knew a lot of the landmarks... more than we would have expected! For example, I knew within two minutes prior to seeing the sign that we were approaching the immigration checkpoint near Sierra Blanca, and I even made a comment to Jeff along those lines. Then voila! There it was. And this time, for the first time, we were actually questioned as opposed to waved through--of course, this time I could not figure out how to lower the windows on the rental car... sheesh. But they bought our story that we were American citizens (heh), and on we went. Anyway, the landmarks kept coming: the pecan orchard that signaled we were getting close to the ruins of Lobo (a town sold and bought on ebay), the famous Prada Marfa installation north of Valentine, Valentine itself, the drug blimp... and then Marfa, where we checked into our usual digs at the Hotel el Paisano

and headed to Maiya's for a lovely dinner with Rachel and Chase. We ended the evening at the town's new watering hole (well, new to us since the last time we were in town), Padre's. Good bar--lots of room indoors and out, plus game tables, a great jukebox, and live music on many occasions.

Our stay in Marfa reinforced our opinion that it is a charmed place. Our adventures this visit included a jovial cocktail party thrown by the brothers who host the book review program on Marfa Public Radio. It was great to find yet more kindred spirits in the Chihuahuan Desert. We had excellent meals, both out on the town (or should I say "towns," as we fine dined in both Marfa and Alpine) and prepared by Rachel and Chase. They are good vegan cooks, and quite a few of the dishes they prepared were right out of their own garden. There are a number of good breakfast places in town, from the basic bacon and eggs and migas (including the superlative pecan waffles at the Austin Street Cafe,) but we really loved the breakfast at Cochineal, a restaurant that has opened since our last visit.



We witnessed several storms making their way across the vast expanse of desert toward and over the mountains,

but no rain fell on Marfa while we were there.



We went to Ft. Davis, where we browsed a used bookstore,


hunted treasure at an antique mall,


and observed this little guy, a street-wise horned lizard.



We drove a bit farther to Balmorhea, a town with a very productive spring that feeds the local state park swimming pool, and the run-off from the spring gathers in one of the most unexpected land- (or should I say water-) scapes in west Texas: Lake Balmorhea.


The town itself, although Rachel and Chase say they love the place and want to buy a vacation home there, is--to be most charitable--a diamond in the rough.


Seen better days, if you know what I mean. And this was downright scary:



Back in Marfa, we had great milkshakes at the laundromat/ice cream stand. On Saturday night, we attended a reading by Ibrahim Muhawi at the Marfa Book Company, followed by a wind orchestra and choral concert--a benefit for Marfa Public Radio--at the local auditorium, followed by a launch party at Padres to celebrate the release of local artist, musician, and Food Shark maven Adam Bork. Somehow in the midst of all that, we managed to grab dinner at Cochineal... whew! I got pulled over by a cop in Alpine for exceeding the speed limit (got off with a warning--thanks, officer!), and that same night, I saw a meteor streak turquoise and gold across the broad western sky.

During almost every one of our sojourns in Marfa, either Jeff or I comment that we could live in that little town. After all, the more we visit, the more people we get to know--and they remember us when we return... But that comment is always the cue for the other of us to say "What? Are you kidding? It's TEXAS, fergodsake!" This time, the comment came when we were walking up Highland, facing the courthouse... and neither one of us said a word... That said, I don't think we're cut out for small-town life OR life as Texans. However... we do love to visit, Rachel and Chase are such fun to be with, and they make us feel so welcome that we get a tad melancholy when it's time to leave.

And so ends another trip to the high desert. We definitely are looking forward to next time!

Party Time!

I know you are longing to hear about and see photographic evidence of the big-ass party to honor Chasel (the prevailing conflation of the happy couple's names), but first, a plug for a wonderful Marfa business.



As I mentioned in the previous entry, the blessing and the party (the sacred and the profane, if you will...) took place on our wedding anniversary. Exactly twelve years ago, Jeff and I emerged from Grand Caverns--a historic show-cave in the Shenandoah Valley--as husband and wife. Knowing my penchant for sparkly things in general and cool tumbled/polished stones in particular, Jeff took me to Marfa's own Moonlight Gemstones, where I picked out two small, matched turquoise rectangles for Paul, the proprietor, to make into a pair of earrings. Paul, it turned out, was the artisan who made Rachel and Chase's wedding rings, so this anniversary gift was very special. He thought he could have the earrings ready the next day, but he took our address down in case he had to send them.

We headed out to the homestead to help set up for the big do...

Folks started filtering in around 5:30/6:00-ish, at about the time the Food Shark (the local yummy food purveyor on wheels, and the caterer for the party) put out some tortilla chips, hummos, and an amazing pureed carrot dip.



You can see the Food Shark truck over there, right beyond the carport.

It was great to reconnect with Rachel's friends Karen (left) and Tobin (between Rachel and Jeff), whom we had met on previous trips to West Texas.



Before too long, the band showed up--a trio who regaled us with lots of old-timey music. And guess who the mandolin player was? None other than Paul, from Moonlight Gemstones! And not only that, he had a small golden box for me--within it lay my new turquoise earrings!! How fast is that?? How COOL is that?? Wow... the next time we go to Marfa, I'm going to see about getting some of the local agates made into shiny things for me to gaze at and wear! That's Paul, on the left. (The guy in the middle is Drew, who works at the radio station with Rachel).



Then the Food Shark folks laid out a spread of vegan food to please anyone, even the most inveterate carnivore. No, there was no meat to be had, but the food was amazing. I have never in my life tasted such wonderful guacamole, and that's saying something, considering I spent eleven years of life as a Californian.



Although the party was not a wedding reception in any way, shape, or form, the erstwhile bridal couple did make one nod to convention: They had a cake, and they cut it. Actually, there were two cakes: a vegan cake and a regular bakery cake. And therein lies a photo-op. Several, in fact.

The cutting of the vegan cake began in the normal manner--maniacally beaming couple wielding big knife through a rich, chocolate-y commestible unadulterated by dairy products of any kind:



But wait! What's happening???



Oh no!! Someone cue the Psycho shower scene music, please!



Rachel, exhausted from her traumatic foray into cake-cutting, left the slicing of the bakery cake to her brother and her husband:



They did a superlative job. And they didn't even try to attack one another. Now, that is what I call a good in-law relationship.

One of the most-appreciated wedding gifts received during the party was the brand-spanking-new potato gun Chase's Dallas pals assembled and brought to him. I'm sure the gun will get lots of use out on the "back five."



As night fell, the old-timey trio packed up their instruments and joined the party as revellers. A D-J took over the musical duties, the lights went on in the little bar-equipped barn, and the dancing began.



The couple took a turn around the floor (sorry it's a tad fuzzy, but I try to hold off using the flash as long as I can. I'm goin' fer atmosphere, don't ya know?):



Rachel and Em-Jo cut a rug:



Greg was the life and soul of the party--as we knew he would be.



And of course, every party needs its Elaine...at this one, it happened to be a guy, and no--he's not elbowing Em-Jo. Really, he's not.



All in all, a great time was had by all, as you can plainly see:



And so, we bid farewell once again to the wide skies and broad horizons of West Texas... until our next visit.

Back to Marfa!

Last weekend we headed back to Marfa for Rachel and Chase's big blowout party to celebrate their wedding back in April. If you haven't read about it yet, hie thee back to the archives for some of nice pictures of the happy couple. Their wedding was small and private, but this weekend was quite public and very well attended.

First, though, they enlisted parental help (their parents and their friends' parents) to get their place in order for the big do. And here are the results:

The "front" of the house:



The "back" of the house:



The "den," or, if you will, the "great room" (although it is not the largest room, by far):



The kitchen:



One view of the living room (which IS the largest room in the house... it used to be the courtyard):



Please note the large triptych. Chase's mom Janelle painted that and gave it to them as a wedding gift. It depicts sunset (or maybe sunrise?) over the Chisos.

Here's another view of the living room, from another angle. Note the red painting. That is also one of Chase's mom's paintings--this one is of the tiny chapel that will play an integral role in the next entry.



Here is the master bedroom (there are two more bedrooms with en suite bathrooms off the living room):



And here is part of the new master bathroom. They're going for a kind of minimalist, industrial theme, as will become apparent...



And here is their tub! They didn't have enough money for a new (or even an old) clawfoot tub (which they hope, eventually, to afford), so they made do with this galvanized water trough! It's deep, it's spacious... it's genius!



The land is looking more civilized (i.e., mowed) than it did back in May. Balloux, the alpha dog of the spread, loves lording it over their five acres. Here, he surveys his territory:



And here is June, an erstwhile stray they took in several months ago. Someone was very, very abusive to poor Juney, and she's not the best-socialized canine... although she's a lot better than she was when we met her in May. Usually, she kind of skulks around, accepting pats from people, but not showing much doggy joy. Except when someone turns on the hose. Then she turns into a wild and overgrown pup! It's hilarious! Here she is, having fun:



In the next post, I'll regale you with tales of and photos from the "meet 'n' greet" evening that took place at Chase's coffee house on Friday, as well as the blessing of the union that took place Saturday morning about an hour north of Marfa in one of the most remote but perfect spots... until then, here's a glimpse of the view from the happy couple's driveway:

No Country for Flimsy Canvas Pirate Shoes

(With a nod to Cormac McCarthy and the Coen Brothers)

It's been quite a month or so for Rachel and Chase: First, they got married...



and then they bought a house and five acres of land.



(No, that's not their house, it's their neighbor's... but the land in the foreground is theirs.)

I'm not going to post any pictures of the house yet because, although it's a cute, kind of sprawling and ranchy place, it currently bears all the exterior and interior marks of renovation. I want to show it at its best, so you'll have to wait a few months until our next visit. Mark my words, though: It will be a fine, fine place when it is all shined up. Magpie-worthy!

So, you say... what's with the flimsy shoe reference? And well you may ask. It's a warning not to wear flimsy canvas slip-ons (even ones embellished with rhinestone-encrusted jolly roger accents) to pick your way through the scrub of the Chihuahuan Desert. I can offer that warning because, you see, I made that mistake.

When Jeff and I went with Rachel to get our first glimpse of the house, she led us out through this gate onto the the less civilized portion of their property:



I picked my way through the brush, following her lead, but I hadn't gotten ten feet outside the gate when my right foot erupted in the jangling pain of what seemed like a hundred tiny electric shocks. Actually, it felt like a mild stinging nettle attack, and for a moment I thought, "Are there nettles here? Why, I haven't been stung by nettles since the second time I was in England." Then I looked down. There, on the top of my foot ('cause y'know, I wasn't wearing any socks...) were thirty or more tiny red ants, just biting away. It makes me shudder just to think of it, even now. And the stinging was no longer mild. It was really starting to hurt. I brushed and slapped them away and bravely went on... for a few more steps.

That was when I got what I though was a rock in my shoe. But I couldn't shake it loose. And I sure was not going to take the shoe off in the middle of ant central (even though I was now watching the ground for signs of the nasty buggers). Eventually, I decided that these shoes were not the shoes to wear while trekking ANY part of the land outside the gate, and I made my way back to the carport, near the house. There, I discovered that there was no rock in my shoe. No...there was a little thorn or sticker or really nasty burr--but with very hard, very sharp spikes--embedded in the sole of my flimsy canvas pirate shoe and poking through right to my instep. Ouch! (Okay, pardner, go ahead: call me a tenderfoot. I dare you.) Rachel and Chase said they were from some kind of invasive species... they were all around. The dogs kept stepping on them and prising them out of their feet with their teeth after they had hopped around on three legs for a while.

Despite all these dangers to those who don't dress their feet properly, the spread is spacious and beautiful in a stark kind of way. There are birds everywhere, singing and warbling like nobody's business. There are even owls nearby--I heard them hooting several times. I'm sure there are all kinds of wildlife (other than those damned ants). And, since it had been raining fairly frequently (we experienced some amazing storms wild with lightning that lit up the desert and set the mountains between Marfa and Alpine into sharp relief in the dark desert night), the place was blooming with wildflowers... including this lovely prickly pear by their fence:



By the way, I paid for my flimsy footwear with a swollen foot that lasted through the night. At least it was only swollen--it didn't continue to jangle in pain.

Next up, the promised discussion of the magic of Marfa, some great eats, and the barn dance. Stay tuned!

Our Return to Marfa

Last weekend, we went to Marfa to visit Rachel and her new husband Chase.



This is our second visit (you can read about the first back in the July 2006 archives), and we were even more charmed by the place this time than last.

Thanks to a friendly commenter on the first set of Marfa entries, way back when, we flew a nonstop into El Paso and drove from there. That route was infinitely preferable than the Midland/Odessa via Dallas route that we took the first time. Chicagoans thinking of visiting Marfa, take note. The drive is not any shorter, but you'll have mountains to look at the whole way.

A side question here: Who the heck gets the parking places less than half a mile away from the airport transit station in O'Hare's economy parking lot E? We have driven into that lot early, late, and in-between, and we always end up parked way the hell on the outskirts. Just wondering what the secret is...

Anyway, back to Marfa.

We stayed at the Hotel Paisano again.



This time our room was a bit larger than before, but it didn't have the lovely balcony. It was also on the other side of the building, with a view of a tin roof and the dome of the Presidio County Courthouse. The statue of (I'm guessing) Justice that graces the top of the dome watched over our room day and night. Apparently, Justice used to be holding the customary scales, but ages ago some cowboy shot them out of her hands. That's the legend I read on-line, at least.



Here's a photo of the main drag, looking north. It offers perspective on the placement of said statue:



And here is a photo of the main drag, looking in the other direction:



Chase manages the brand new coffeehouse about two blocks south of here. The coffeehouse used to be part of Marfa Book Company, a top-notch bookstore in the heart of this tiny west Texas town. Chase used to work at the coffee bar in the bookstore, until the owners decided to concentrate on books only (well, and on the cool, clean gallery space near the rear of the building). But, what to do with the relatively new and definitely costly espresso makers purchased to equip said coffee bar only a few years ago? Why, partition the building to make a separate coffeehouse and wine bar, and hire Chase to manage it. Voila! Several problems solved. The coffeehouse (which doesn't yet have a formal name) opened the day before we arrived, and it appears to be an instant hit. I think you will agree that it looks quite sophisticated and cosmopolitan:



That is Chase behind the bar, serving Jeff some coffee. And I'm not saying this because of family loyalty: the coffee here is good. Excellent, in fact. If you find yourself in Marfa, be sure to get some. The coffeehouse is between the bookstore and the Marfa Public Radio office.

The space is very inviting, offering options to sit and converse, to read quietly, or to get some work done--an option Rachel availed herself of:



Marfa continues to enchant and amaze us--in the next installment, I'll discuss how several locals described the place to me as "magical," and why I am inclined to believe them. Stay tuned for that, for a discussion of Rachel and Chase's newly bought property, for an account of a couple of amazing thunderstorms (you were wondering, no doubt, about how cloudy Marfa appears in these pictures), and for pictures of the barn dance.

First, though, here is a picture of some local flora--some sotol:



Word has it that sotol is the source of a mildly hallucinogenic liquor...not that I can vouch for that. At least, not yet. Maybe next visit!