This morning we left Las Cruces, NM and headed to Marfa, TX. It's a town of less than 2,000 in the high desert of far West Texas. It originated in the 1880s as a railroad water stop and the population peaked during WWII when the Marfa Army Airfield served as a training base for pilots. In the 70's, artist Donald Judd moved from NYC to Marfa. He acquired property that enabled him to install his large art pieces. Thanks to the Chinati and Judd Foundations, his work and legacy have persisted. In recent years, it has become somewhat of an artists colony supporting arts and crafts, galleries, film and music events, theater productions, and a writers in residency program. We spent the afternoon checking out the architecture; book store; an artist, his gallery, and his 13 dogs; and some craft shops. We wrapped up the afternoon at the Hotel St. George enjoying some delicious happy hour snacks and drinks. Their are two beautiful hotels downtown, the Hotel Paisano and the St. George. The St. George is actually about 43 years older than the Paisano, but it has been modernized in a minimalist style. The Hotel Paisano has a collection of photos of Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, James Dean, Dennis Hopper, and others, taken during the filming of Giant, which was made in the vicinity of Marfa. Coincidentally, you may recall that I posted our visit to the James Dean memorial near Parkfield, CA. Small world, huh. Marfa is the seat of Presidio County, and the courthouse is beautiful. We walked up to the tower to see the view . . . And a few more buildings from our stroll around Marfa.
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Many of you know how enamored I am of both gardens and small things. So you can imagine my interest in how desert RV park residents create gardens in small spaces under such harsh conditions. One prevalent solution is metal flowers! They seem to work quite well with cacti, rocks, birdbaths, fountains, statues, and gravel. You be the judge.
This evening we attended a dinner dance to support the astronomy club at the RV park where we are staying. There were about 200 people in attendance. Not only is there an astronomy club here, but there is a small astronomy dome on the premises. We dined with some folks from Saskatchewan, northern Ontario, Colorado, and Arizona. They were friendly and fun dinner companions. The Canadians talked about the great stargazing they have at home including fabulous view of the Northern Lights. I don't think any of them feel the need to join the astronomy club here. Music was provided by a quartet; drummer, two lead guitars, and one bass. We only stayed for a few numbers, but long enough to determine what song would get the dance floor filled. Post your guess under comments. (Hint: it was not the Macarena or Electric Slide.)
Back in Tucson for a week. We are staying at Rincon Valley East, which is similar to Towerpoint in Phoenix, but smaller and more rural. This morning, we rode the bus downtown to the Fourth Avenue Street Fair. It happens a couple of times a year and is kind of a mash-up of the Columbus Arts Fest, Hilliard Hollyfest, Winterfair, Independents' Day local musicians, and lots of fair food vendors, of course. One of the most intriguing products was iPhone speakers made out of found objects like antique trumpets, Model T headlights, and animal horns. To get you in the mood for festival season . . . |
AuthorAnn, Doug, Moose, Darla, Sunny, and with gratitude, Winnie and Chinny. Archives
February 2021
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