Thursday, March 5, 2009

Marfa Recap

© Joel Thomason
So I went to Marfa last weekend.  It was an extremely busy and incredibly fun trip, complete with cocktail parties, exhibition receptions, winding drives through desolate mountains, and relaxing afternoons at a natural hot springs.  Here's a quick recap of the weekend:

Friday
My friends Jeff, Nicole, and Holly picked me up for the drive from Odessa to Marfa, TX.  After dinner at our rental house, we headed to a cocktail party to celebrate Allison and her incredible work.  One highlight of the party was the musical entertainment - Chris Sand, aka Sandman The Rappin Cowboy.

Saturday
Most of Saturday we spent exploring the city of Marfa.  I bought a great little book, not for me but for someone special, at Fancy Pony Land.  In the afternoon, a few of us had the privilege of a private tour of the Chinati Foundation to see some work by Donald Judd and Dan Flavin.  Saturday night we got to check out Allison's Marfa Light installation and hang out at the Thunderbird Hotel.

Sunday
Sunday was dedicated to a drive along the Pinto Canyon Road - one of the most beautiful, and certainly the most desolate, drives I've ever taken - and an afternoon soaking at the Chinati Hot Springs.  Sunday night we ate dinner at the border town of Presidio, TX.

Monday
On the way back from Marfa to the airport in Midland/Odessa, we made a quick detour to see the McDonald Observatory, seated in the beautiful Davis Mountains.  It was a great way to end the trip.

But I'm back, and I've recovered from the flu that I came down with this week.  You can expect the blog to be back in action.  Also, if you ever have a chance to go to Marfa, you should go!

- Joel

3 comments:

abby! said...

Glad I got the update! Sounds like a fun trip... And the someone special that you bought the book for is me, right?

Anonymous said...

You did not get it from me!!! I didn't have the flu! Just wanted to make sure you knew.

Great shot by the way, where was that one taken?

Anonymous said...

That shot I actually took on my first trip to Marfa. It was from the middle of Highway 17, when I had stopped at one of those little pull off with the cool rocks.