Site Report No. 1: Marfa, Tx

Through “obstacles and ogres” (nod to Joseph Campbell), traps (speed) and terrain 2051 miles later: Marfa, Texas (pop. 2121). Driving in from the craggy Davis Mountains to high desert plains of cactus and brush in a straight line to this outpost.  It is remote, 57 miles north of the Mexican border.  It is hot and dusty.  The sun shines with purpose here.  Shadows are hard to find. The edges of everything, every object are sharp and clear, in hyper focus.  It’s intense.  Marfa was founded in 1883.  The railroad passed through town.  (It still does, often before sunrise.  Proof, John says, that I can sleep with a freight train running by, whistle blaring).  The story goes that the railroad engineer’s wife enjoyed reading Russian novels so the town was named after a character in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.  Also of note, the movie Giant (1955) was filmed in Marfa.  There are reminders of that history here and there.   Today I saw a photo of Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean from a recent Us Weekly magazine on the bulletin board at the local laundromat. 

Marfa might be considered the most super-cool, hippest place in America with its mix of cowboys and artists.  The people are friendly: they wave, say hello or simply nod your way.  The scene is a combination of decaying places and reclaimed spaces for galleries, stores, and restaurants.  (My midnight snack place is at The Museum of Electronic Wonders with its grilled Gruyère cheese, green chiles, and sriracha sauce).  All of this happened to Marfa because of artist Donald Judd (1928-94).  Under these vast skies and stars, he passed through Marfa as a serviceman from Alabama to Los Angeles en route to Korea.  Trying to escape city life, he started purchasing property in 1971 and moved here in 1972.
(Photos: Dostoyevsky's notes for Chapter 5 of The Brothers Karamazov and book jacket/en.wikipedia.org)