September 16, 2023
I used to be again in West Texas every week in the past to shoot gardens for my forthcoming e book (due out spring 2025). Being up at dawn and staying in gardens till after sundown meant I bought to take pleasure in some lovely skies day by day.
Lavender and mango sunsets have been a dime a dozen — and each one was magical underneath that massive sky.
Whereas admiring a wild patch of prickly pear alongside one Marfa road…
…I bought fun out of a plaintive little bit of graffiti on a cease signal: Cease speaking, it reads. As if!
Prada Marfa
Final time I used to be in Marfa, I missed seeing Prada Marfa, a well-known artwork set up alongside the freeway west of Marfa, close to tiny Valentine, Texas. This time I did a drive-by. Sure, it’s amusing to see a pretend Prada boutique, with precise Prada sneakers and purses, out in the midst of nowhere. Is it an efficient critique of consumerism and gentrification? Or has it grow to be an unironic homage to selfie tradition? What do you assume?
Presidio County Courthouse
I additionally climbed as much as the dome of the stunning, apricot-colored Presidio County Courthouse in downtown Marfa to absorb the views.
Climbing up a number of stairs
Nonetheless climbing
On the high! It was like an oven in that airless room, however the views have been good. I might see the Marfa water tower and mountains within the distance.
There’s the pink fireplace station and little park subsequent door.
And there’s Marfa’s primary drag with outlets, a restaurant or two, and the Resort Paisano — and sheets of rain within the distance!
Fort Davis
Sooner or later I used to be in Fort Davis and stopped on the Fort Davis Nationwide Historic Website to admire the volcanic hills behind the low-slung barracks.
What a dramatic backdrop for the outdated fort.
I noticed a number of roadrunners and the odd raccoon, rabbit, and coyote alongside the empty highways of West Texas. However this sighting was one of the best: a band of javelinas hustling throughout the blacktop as I approached. See ya, boys!
Yet one more West Texas dawn.
Up subsequent: I’ll present you the colourful landscaping at The Lincoln, the place I stayed whereas in Marfa.
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