Texas beauty... or "It's all on your perspective."

I don't usually tag my blogs but I want to link all the travel ones since they are so different from my usual writing.  Well, the tags did something and a bunch of people read the blog on Marfa.  And a couple of them chewed me out.  It was a bit snarky in tone and I do apologize for that.

I remember walking on the sidewalk of my own little-town-in-the-middle-of-nowhere. A tourist was complaining about how the one "decent" restaurant was closed on Sundays.  "What?  Why? What a terrible place, who would live here," etc.   I'd love to say that I stopped and directed her to another restaurant and gave her a tour of my really cool artsy town where I know everyone and where there's lots to do.

I didn't. I just kept walking and thought, "With that attitude, you don't need to stick around anyway."


So- for those of you who love Marfa and know I missed a cool place, I am sorry. I wish I had met you there and had a tour of your home town.  But I didn't.

I went back to Alpine, Texas to the Maverick Inn where I had booked a room.  I read how people hated that place, too- not the town but the inn. Well, a busy railroad does run through the middle of Alpine.... but they have earplugs in the rooms. And trains don't bother me. The inn management was very gracious and generous with me- full kitchen and a big space. So I cooked, wrote and wondered if it would be worth the effort to figure out the tv. Nope.



The next morning, the sun turned the sky that fabulous, just before sunrise light of pinks with promises of gold.   I raced down the road toward the light  (turns out there was a wonderful view ... the other way, up on a hill overlooking the desert and the distant mountains.)  It didn't matter- I had left the memory card for the camera in the room.  But later I did take some more pictures and there's some lessons here- for photography, for perspective, for finding beauty anywhere.  Probably it was in Marfa, Texas, if only I had looked harder.

Pink with promise of gold....

The promised gold.
And the end of my camera memory.

So I decided there would be more sunrises and it wasn't worth the stress of racing around for a memory card and a decent place to view it.

The lesson?

  Don't sweat the small stuff. 

The sun will rise tomorrow, and if it doesn't? 

- a whole new adventure awaits. 

_________________________

Light on railroad tracks

The big picture.

And a train on the tracks.

Up close and personal with a train. 

What happened to the light? 

The lesson?

If you hang around, if you just show up- stuff happens. 

Trains come and get closer and closer. 

Cool light makes everything look better- even railroad tracks. 

Step back and look at the big picture.

And if the light isn't fabulous, mess with your photos.

Find beauty or make beauty. 

______________________

The lesson?

Light is life.

 It makes cool silhouettes,

 it makes bare branches stand out like a burning bush.

And sometimes getting closer,

in photography and  in life, 

gives you a whole new perspective.

_____________________________

A empty street, an abandoned church or... an opportunity.

A grim scene, a sad church. With a dumpster. 

And broken windows.

But there is the light.
Transforming light. 

Golden windows.
Texture.
Story.

A new look.




The lesson?

Beauty is where you look for it.
The church wasn't appealing until I looked for the light on the eastern wall.
The sky wasn't great but the empty bell frame is the focus now.

There's a story in that church.

________________

So when you run out of memory or patience or time or even money, breathe.  Know that there will be another sunrise.  Relax. Rest.  THIS is the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in IT. 

When there seems there's nothing to do- just show up, expect, wait. A train's coming, there's a new way to look at your world.

Look for the big picture and the up close and personal details.  The structure of the far tree and the tangle of the near branches. 

When you are frustrated with the results, play with your tools!  My camera isn't fancy and I don't use Photoshop but I have found some fun features of my computer that I didn't know I had.  

We usually have more resources than we think.

And, last but not least- it's all about the light. 

God gives light to each new day. 

Beauty is everywhere you choose to look.  

Look closely,

 find it. 

Or be a part of creating it. 

Road Trip! West Texas revisited.

I have been found out- I'm a snob AND scatterbrained.  This post is now edited because frankly, in the original post I was snarky and sarcastic and... messed up my towns in West Texas!

 I was rude And the locals called me on it. So- for the sake of honesty and a little humility, I quote my "fans". And if it were not for them- however they found my site- I'd still be smug and that's not a place I want to live. So thanks.  I think.

6 comments:

1. 
   AnonymousFebruary 7, 2013 at 6:36 PM

   I guess you went on the wrong day. Marfa is fabulous. Next time visit the Chinati Foundation and eat at the Food Shark.

   ReplyDelete
2. 
   Someone who doesn't live in Van HornFebruary 7, 2013 at 7:44 PM

   Yeah, I guess all the small towns look the same around here.

   ReplyDelete
3. 
   AnonymousFebruary 7, 2013 at 9:24 PM

   Nice. You obviously have no clue about West Texas. You don't know the difference between Marfa and Van Horn. Perfect. Stay away and leave Marfa to those that appreciate it's beauty. Maybe Disney World is more to your liking.

   ReplyDelete
4. 
   KathrynFebruary 7, 2013 at 10:38 PM

   Wow- this is what happens when I tag my blogs! I really wanted to like Marfa but I couldn't find Chinati- I know, how hard did I look?   It just felt so empty, deserted and the few people I talked to were pretty negative. I did love West Texas- it's a beautiful landscape. Sorry if I offended anyone- maybe I'll have to return.

   ReplyDelete
5. 
   AnonymousFebruary 8, 2013 at 7:20 AM

   Just to echo the previous comments, which maybe you didn't entirely understand, the majority of your "ugly" pictures are from Van Horn, which is like an hour and a half away from Marfa. That's like going to New Haven, CT, and complaining that Times Square wasn't quite what you expected it would be, and you couldn't find the Met anywhere.

   ReplyDelete
6. 
   KathrynFebruary 11, 2013 at 7:49 PM

   Oh, good grief. I just checked my photo data and you are right, of course. I got the two towns mixed up. Except for the courthouse- whew. Well, not sure if anyone will care but the post is coming off the blog. And I will so careful after this!
    I actually really liked West Texas. Ok- not the well... very empty towns. Clearly everyone was enjoying the Food Shark while I was in Marfa.  WIsh the hotel staff had recommended it. 

   But please, never think I'm a Disney World fan. 

So rather than just quietly removing the offensive post

- which seems cowardly, 

my rewrite will be to amend my pictures and my comments. 

I found this blog and loved this quote- 

       "Getting from here to there is one thing. 
What happens in between is the great unknown....But road tripping is an art. It’s not unlike writing a novel: The writer (rider?) tells herself she knows where she’s going, but she doesn’t really know. There’s an imaginary destination, a sparkling mirage on the horizon, but all it provides is a general direction. As she writes, the story opens up to her the same way the world does when she turns left instead of right, stops here instead of there. The road she ends up taking is as much a surprise to her as it is to us. Barreling down the two-lane blacktop with the wind in her hair and time on her hands is a mystical splendor unmatched, unmatchable. She may never get where she thinks she’s going, but that’s okay. Soon—tomorrow, the next day, next week or next year—she can just turn around if she wants to. Because while there’s nothing better than leaving home, there’s nothing better than coming back." Art of the Road Trip

BY DANIEL WALLACE - JUNE/JULY 2012.

http://www.thewesternvault.com/news/news.asp?page_id=400

That's my story... ok, the wind doesn't really blow my hair around but I did open the sunroof.   I just love the image Daniel Wallace gives.  The.... "She may never get where she thinks she's going, but that's okay." Yep.


So the end of this road trip is Tucson. I'll be here for a few weeks- maybe a quick trip to California... but I'll try my hand at some Sonoran desert photography. I've been practicing. :)  

Meanwhile, I'll finish up the road trip with the last few stories. And the first one ends up in a way I didn't anticipate. "She may never get where she thinks she's going...", or she may get there and wonder why. 

________________________

We left our intrepid but careless hiker with a smile on her face and her iPhone safe in her zippered pocket.  She headed out of Big Bend Ranch State Park and it's fabulous roads

Thanks for the dirt, Big Bend....

 and headed north to Marfa, Texas. I had heard of this art community in a tiny Texas town- had to check it out. I love art, I love quirky, I'm going love Marfa, Texas.  ( I really did think I would.)

Lots of this view on the way.
It really is beautiful- austere, big, open sky.
ahh

_____________________________

First I drove through the quiet town of Van Horn, Texas.  

Chuy's is a famous Texas chain with great Mexican food.

 Jesus "Chuy" Uranga grew up in nearby Marfa.

And John Madden did visit here at the Van Horn, Texas Chuy's  restaurant.

And loved it. 

http://chuys1959.com/history.php

Cool old hotel- this one was reopened in 2007.

It was a bank and has  been remodeled back into a hotel.

http://www.hotelinvanhorn.com/

"The building is essentially the identical floor plan of its sister hotel The Hotel Paisano in Marfa. It was one of the five Gateway Hotels in a chain built by Charles Bassett in Eastern New Mexico and West Texas. The other three hotels were the Hildago, in Lordsburg, New Mexico, The La Caverna, in Carlsbad, New Mexico and The Gateway Hotel in downtown El Paso, Texas. Besides The El Capitan, The Paisano and The Gateway Hotel in El Paso are still open today. Bassett built the hotels in an attempt to encourage tourism within 200 miles of El Paso. Renowned architect Henry C. Trost was responsible for the design of over 550 buildings from California to Texas during the early 1900's until his death in 1933. He studied architecture under Louis Sullivan in Chicago and was influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright."
 http://www.hotelinvanhorn.com/

Awesome lobby.
Bored but funny desk clerk.

Look!

The first car my husband and I bought together-

1978 Volkswagen Rabbit

 Love the desert air- this would be a pile of rust on the east coast. 

______________________

On to Marfa, Texas- famous for its art scene. I got there about 4:30 in the afternoon. Great light but the town was pretty quiet.  Clearly, I missed the art scene. Next trip.

All Texas towns seem to be county seats and have these incredible courthouses.

That would be an interesting road trip- go see them all.

More about Marfa- 

http://www.marfacc.com/about/history.php

Check out the steer antlers on...
yep, it's a custom painted hearse.

That's the courthouse you see in the background.
And you don't want to see the custom scenes on the hearse.
 Trust me.

____________________________

So sometimes you don't "get" your destination once you get there.  Clearly as the blog comments suggest, I missed the real Marfa. 


"There’s an imaginary destination, a sparkling mirage on the horizon, but all it provides is a general direction. As she writes, the story opens up to her the same way the world does when she turns left instead of right, stops here instead of there. The road she ends up taking is as much a surprise to her as it is to us."


And my story this time? Being rude is just, well rude. Not witty or clever. I'm really not a East Coast snob, I hope. For heaven's sake, I grew up on a farm in rural Alaska and have moved back West to a cabin out in the boonies.  But I really missed the story here in Marfa and ended up writing something I'm not proud of. 

I also missed the art in Marfa and  possibly missed seeing the mysterious Marfa Lights.  http://www.marfacc.com/todo/marfalights.php

I did stop at the very nice visitor center set up to view the lights. Good job by high school students!

And I learned a valuable lesson and that's never a bad thing. Thanks for calling me on it, Anyonomus.

View this mysterious phenomenon any time after sunset at the Marfa Lights Viewing Area, nine miles east of Marfa on Highway 90. The Marfa Mystery Lights are viewable year round.  The Marfa Lights Viewing Area was designed by the Marfa High School Gifted and Talented students with the help of Texas Department of Transportation.

Adventure .... and lost and found

I had one last adventure before I left Big Bend State Park- a solo hike.  Safe, easy, close to the road. ha!

It was close to the road- the road opens to a little parking area and there is a sign for Cinco Tinajas. "Five Jars"- or in this case, naturally formed pools.



 I did pay attention to that little voice, "Take the walking poles" even though the path looked pretty flat to me.  I had my water in my new hydration pack. I had TWO cameras- one Sony, one iPhone which takes great photos but didn't have cell coverage anywhere on Big Bend Ranch. So it was just a camera. I had my sun hat so shouldn't need sunscreen... wrong. But off I went- water and chocolate on my back.

This is the last flat part of the hike. The "road" at the bottom?  The dry river bed.

This canyon becomes central to my story....view from the top.

Those poles were really helpful, invaluable actually getting down the steep path of volcanic scree. Photos don't do it justice. It was steep. But the dry river at the bottom was worth the scramble. The whole place is a photograph waiting to happen. Lovely.  I wandered alone- it's amazing how comforting fellow human footprints are. And the horseshoes prints were fun to follow.




The big cat prints?  Not so comforting. But I would be out before dark.

God's Zen garden. 

My destination. It's hard to get the scale.
Huge. 

Great photos, good hike, lovely day.

See the happy smile. She has no idea what the next few hours will bring.
Happiness is bliss. 

Except, after a rigorous scramble out of the canyon several hours later, I realized I had lost my iPhone/camera... in the canyon.  Not quite panic- which is a big step for me; and no self-loathing, no self-recrimination- a HUGE step for me.  OK- I made a mistake and Lord, if this is a lesson or a blessing, please,  don't let me become lunch for that kitty with those big paws.

Back down the scree. Hike into the canyon- what side was I on when I scrambled out?  Why isn't my phone in a neon case? Why didn't I put a lock on it in case I don't find it? What exactly IS on my contact list- did I really put all my passwords there?  OK- now a bit of concern is creeping in.


But- God is good. Even when we don't find lost cameras/phones/wallets/ car keys, He is always good.... but He was very good, very gracious to me that day and there, on the ledge high above the small pool of water was my phone AND... a bright blue carabiner, which caught my eye.




 
 Bread and wine? Water and chocolate!  The trusty walking poles- thank you, Drew. Come and get them back any time. Love the backpack, Steve and Abby. Thanks!

Gee- don't I look happy? Well, I was.
 Just a bit tired after my second scramble back out!

The hike out of the canyon wasn't that hard- my heart was light.  The hat was helpful but I must remember sunscreen in these desert wanders. The kitty remained invisible. The lost was found.

 It was a good day.

Amazing cactus growing on the side of the canyon wall. 

Coexistence. 

Tour of Big Bend Ranch

Before I forget again.... http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/big-bend-ranch

Welcome to the Other Side of Nowhere!

Big Bend Ranch State Park, the largest state park in Texas, lies over more than 300,000 acres of Chihuahuan Desert wilderness in a remarkably rugged, remote and unpopulated setting. The park extends along the Rio Grande from southeast of Presidio to near Lajitas in both Brewster and Presidio Counties. Embracing some of the most remote and rugged terrain in the Southwest, it encompasses two mountain ranges containing ancient extinct volcanoes, precipitous canyons, and "waterfalls" (quotes added.... trust me). The area has been a crossroads of human activities for over 11,000 years, as diverse people and cultures have been drawn by the abundant resources of the Rio Grande/Rio Bravo corridor. If you are looking for a "wild west" experience...

Captured from the Park website... little quarter image on the left, no extra charge.

Wish I had a horse there! 

On my one full day at the ranch a park ranger, Blaine Hall, took me out in HIS 4wheel vehicle and showed me the park.  I should say he showed me a tiny portion of the over 300,000 acres of the park. It’s bigger than Rhode Island and much harder to traverse.  One of the outstanding features is a huge...well, hole in the ground. Blaine is a geologist and he was thrilled  to go into the details of the big hole.( I jest- he must explain this to dozens of people a year)  But he tells great geology and history. And ties it all together.  I'd go back just for another tour I learned so much.  My college geology course was wasted on my youth. All I wanted to do was date a certain geologist student. 

Solitario- ten miles from edge to edge.
We wandered in a Suburban along the west flank.
HUGE

Wikipeidia says this, “The Solitario is a large geologic formation in Big Bend Ranch State Park in West Texas. Viewed from above it suggests an impact crater, though it is actually the eroded remains of a laccolith.”

I wish we could have seen the Solitario from above but the uplifted sides are really spectacular, too. As are the roads.  These are easily the worst roads I have ever been on and I’m only sorry that I couldn’t capture them on film.  I was busy hanging on.

I think I’ll just do some pictures- these are mine. 

Gary Nored is a park volunteer and generous photographer.  Here’s his link if you are smitten with this beautiful area of Texas.   http://www.flickr.com/photos/aneyefortexas/

If you are a true glutton for punishment, how about biking this place? 

http://www.tpwmagazine.com/archive/2009/nov/ed_1/

We found a cliff overhand near the river bed. 

Ancient petrographs- paint from pigments on an overhang. 

This is probably 3, 000 years old.
Still there- a testimony to man's desire to leave his mark.

 Likely a place of worship or  healing. They assume a spiritual significance

I loved these.
They are all sizes but obviously printed by a human hand and life size. 

The earth layers are beautiful.

We left the Suburaban and hiked along the river bottom in Fresno Canyon.

That isn't snow- it's the exposed white limestone bedrock of an ancient sea.
 It butts up to a layered formation on the right.

And the  seasonal water flow deposited the black gravel. 

Same scene- messing with black and white.

At the bottom of the Fresno Canyon there is a spring and an abandoned ranch. It was a goat and sheep ranch from the turn of the last century to the 1950's when drought ended the ranching days.  Interested? The full story is in the park's newsletter. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/publications/pwdpubs/media/pwd_br_p4507_1437_05_10.pdf


I just thought a few pictures of the ranch would be fun.  Now I'm going to convert more to the cool sepia. Fun with iPhoto.

View for a ranch wife.

It was a family's life,
now the desert will reclaim it. 

Sit for a spell.

Enduring adobe. 

Love the texture. 

We climbed out of the canyon and left the ranch behind.

View of the Solitario's flanks, the Flatirons, so named for their resemblance to the old flat irons
placed on hot wood stoves and used by our terribly industrious forebears.

It was a great day. Thank you, Blaine.

My kids and friends were concerned with me going alone to the Texas/Mexico border. So instead I hired a guide and spent the day alone in a remote desert with a complete stranger. We're laughing here remembering our lunch. I told him their concern and he assured he wasn't a psychopath.
Lovely man and has forgotten more information about the natural world than I've learned!