Marfa nights
Vacation, January 2012.
The spareness of the Marfa landscape begs me to keep it short and sweet. I could wax poetic on our time in West Texas, but I won’t.
;)
;)
;)
This town is an old-wood hound’s heaven, further feeding my obsession with windows and doors.
;)
;)
;)
;)
Of course there were other noteworthy occasions during our stay in Marfa.
- Cacti!
This, I believe, is a cholla.
;)
- Donald Judd’s works in concrete, and the Chinati Foundation tour.
I’m not really a minimalist art fan, but experiencing the works of the three founding members of the Chinati Foundation, Donald Judd, John Chamberlain and Dan Flavin, was well worth it. It’s good to step outside your comfort zone and see something you might not understand right away.
;)
- artists who carve giant wooden pieces of pie (and chips and salsa, in the background)
;)
and pancakes
;)
I’m a little unclear on who the artist actually is, (Campbell Bosworth?) since the gallery host said ‘him’ in reference to the woodworking genius when I asked if I may photograph a couple pieces. She stamped a business card in my little notebook that had info for Camp Bosworth, a site which houses more aaah-mazing wood art and also appears to be led by (or is at least represented by) a woman named Buck. In any case, I like all of it. (Ongoing obsession with wood, duly noted.)
- our vacation meal packing/planning
Yes, I realize this has nothing to do with the intrinsic charm of our desert plateau landscape, but you probably recall our Fire Island vacation a couple years back. We cover our backs when it comes to travel food.
;)
We brought a whole, organic chicken and roasted it (in our cast iron wok, brought along in anticipation of shoddy pots and pans in our rented apartment kitchen) for meals and snacks for a few days.
;)
Friend-raised eggs, homemade bread.
;)
Move over gas station yogurt. Homemade greek yogurt with my brown sugar and honey gluten-free granola. (We take breakfast very seriously.)
Vacationing this year was leaner, but we made it work for us. Bringing our meals made it affordable for us to get away. How do you save money on getaways and vacations?
Inspiration, Travel
Reader Comments (8)
It's so nice to see other people bringing their food with them on vacation. That is my main money saver. I usually stay with friends or family, which is also a huge money saver, and I like being able to make a meal or two for them. It also gives me a little bit of a fancy schmancy feel, like I can afford to bring my own food and not eat the slop that you usually find on vacation. (Even though I'd be eating the same thing at home and am not spending any extra money!)
When I buy souvenirs, I buy recipe books made by people in the area, or soaps, lotions, potions, and food made by people in the area. Plus the obligatory postcards. It doesn't save me much money while I'm on the road, but for the most part, they are things that I would be purchasing anyway, I will use them and not just stick them in a drawer, and I can remember my vacation and the people I met when I was there. One of my favorite was from a cemetery in Atlanta, Georgia, of all places! They sold soaps, and had this gorgeous tombstone shaped black soap that had a wonderfully thick patchouli smell to it. I also look for bargains on museums and zoos, and like to visit places during the week, when they tend to either have discounted rates or free days.
All in all, I end up mainly spending money on gas & souvenirs, and maybe a meal out if there's a good restaurant in the area.
I know this isn't for everyone, but we sleep in the car. No, really. Like a few months ago when we were really itching to go to the beach, but didn't have the budget for it. We went anyway. It's not great sleep, It's rugged, It's uncomfortable, It is not for the luxury-required, and we couldn't do it more than one night, two maybe (which we've done), but it was better than sitting at home whining about how we wouldn't get to the beach that year.
Interesting blog! Interesting way to save money while on vacation. I will have to try this! The last time we went home to Alabama, we stayed with friends, too. It gave us a feeling of being at home and kept us from feeling isolated at night. Much fun! Blessings! Kathy
I live in Big Bend National Park - and I house sit in Austin for several weeks in the summer (AND I love your blog!!!). Love your pics of Marfa - I'm glad I'm not the only one that travels with food and cooking implements. I take my Vitamix everywhere I go - I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to get it on the plane to get to Disney World with my family next week. ;)
hi kate! i posted a long comment the other day here and it didn't post for some reason?
anywayz - just want to say (agian) that i am sooo happy that you got to experience marfa. i love donald judd, and i love marfa. his work there is breathtaking. the light there is awesome - did you get to see any antelopes running? you can catch a movement in the distance that just looks like shadows and then all the sudden you see them!
love your photos!
good for you! what a great vacation - and i bring food a lot too. for me it's not so much about budget, i just don't like eating junk and many times the best option is my own.
Looks great Kate! Makes me want to go to west texas! Very cool!
The chicken looks raw!! Was it eaten, or was that staged for photographic reason? Please don't tell me you ate that bloody leg!
Kris, It's partially the (crappy fluorescent) lighting and partially the fact that it's dark meat. It was cooked through to the safety zone for poultry, 165.