WWTBAM Bored

For thems who care:

Tucson was pretty, but the weather was bad when we were there. We played golf in sleet. Had to leave the course when it lightninged on 15.

Because of the weather, we couldn't go up to Kitt Observatory for their night time viewing program. It was snowing on the mountain.

Went to Kartchner Caverns outside of Benson, AZ. It was really neat. I believe it is the only cavern that is completely ADA accessible.

We went to Tombstone. Meh.

We stayed at a really cool bed and breakfast in Benson. It's called the Astronomer's Inn and they have a bunch of telescopes there. You pay extra to get someone from Tucson to work the telescopes for you. It was really neat. The decor of the place is kitchy and timewarped, but it was a neat place.

The best part of the trip was going to Marfa, Texas. The beginning of No Country for Old Men was shot there. Gorgeous part of the world. And the strangest town I've ever been in. Lots of art galleries. No tourist junk shops. The houses are small but decorated really cool. We were fortunate to have one of the residents of town who knows everyone show us around--her house is the hippest decorated place I've ever been to.

And the weird thing is that Marfa is so remote and small, but has some of the best restaurants I've ever eaten at. It's like a part of NYC is plunked in the middle of a dinky dinky town. You have to have reservations to go to the expensive restaurants, and the people who go there are the hippest looking people on the planet.

They have really obscure wines on their wine lists that you would be pressed to find on a list in a big town, like a sancerre rouge.

It is weird. There is also an art installation in the middle of nowhere called the "Marfa Prada Shop." It looks like a Prada store, with shoes and purses, but isn't. It's on the side of a really desolate road with just ranch as far as you can see. I had to get my husband to turn around to go back to see it because he had no idea what I was talking about.

http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasArt/Prada-Marfa.htm

Strange wonderful place.

I didn't know you were going or I'd have sent some suggestions such as Chuy's in Van Horn, Texas, featuring great Mexican food as well as the John Madden Haul of Fame. Also, I would have suggested you go south of Tucson to Tubac which is now an artists' colony but is a historic town that dates back to the 1700s. One branch of my family moved there back then and had two large land grants.

Too bad about the weather. One guy on my work team lives in a motor home and is staying near Tucson right now. I'll have to kid him about the snow.

Bob Juch wrote:I didn't know you were going or I'd have sent some suggestions such as Chuy's in Van Horn, Texas, featuring great Mexican food as well as the John Madden Haul of Fame. Also, I would have suggested you go south of Tucson to Tubac which is now an artists' colony but is a historic town that dates back to the 1700s. One branch of my family moved there back then and had two large land grants.

Too bad about the weather. One guy on my work team lives in a motor home and is staying near Tucson right now. I'll have to kid him about the snow.

We thought about going to Tubac, but the weather was kind of rainy and bad and didn't want to drive that far to something that looked like it carried a lot of southwestern trinkets. (The spouse can't deal with trinkets. We went to a great telescope shop instead that day and he bought a fabu telescope to replace his old one).

We didn't eat in Van Horn because it was the wrong time of day, but I got a classic picture of me in front of a really ratty liquor store.

We had some great mexican food in Benson, but I can't remember the name of the place. Delicious tortilla soup and the best chile rellenos I've ever eaten. If I had room, I would have ordered another. It was certainly the type of trip where I was happy to ask waiters what is good on the menu.

So has Marfa turned into an artist's colony? Into the latest, trendy get-away for folks from Hollywood?

"Aspen has gotten too crowded, so let's go to West Texas!"

If by trinkets you mean cheap junk probably made in China, that's not Tubac. There are many galleries with locally made pottery and paintings. Bring your platinum card.

Your meh for Tombstone is a higher rating than I would give it. I spent a week there. No really. a week - 7 freakin' days.

Deadwood was funner and Deadwood didn't rate a meh.

MarleysGh0st wrote:So has Marfa turned into an artist's colony? Into the latest, trendy get-away for folks from Hollywood?

"Aspen has gotten too crowded, so let's go to West Texas!"

Could be! The 1st Annual Marfa Film Festival is coming up the first five days of May.

There Will be Blood was also shot near there.

peacock2121 wrote:Your meh for Tombstone is a higher rating than I would give it. I spent a week there. No really. a week - 7 freakin' days.

Deadwood was funner and Deadwood didn't rate a meh.

Was someone trying to tell you something?

Bob Juch wrote:

peacock2121 wrote:Your meh for Tombstone is a higher rating than I would give it. I spent a week there. No really. a week - 7 freakin' days.

Deadwood was funner and Deadwood didn't rate a meh.

Was someone trying to tell you something?

He loves that crap. I was trying to tell him I love him.

I got an amusement park trip the next year. Hit 8 of them. He didn't rate it as high as a meh and I loved it, loved it, loved it!

peacock2121 wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:

peacock2121 wrote:Your meh for Tombstone is a higher rating than I would give it. I spent a week there. No really. a week - 7 freakin' days.

Deadwood was funner and Deadwood didn't rate a meh.

Was someone trying to tell you something?

He loves that crap. I was trying to tell him I love him.

I got an amusement park trip the next year. Hit 8 of them. He didn't rate it as high as a meh and I loved it, loved it, loved it!

7 days?

Seven days??????

Seven freaking days??????

You love him very very much.

Bob Juch wrote:If by trinkets you mean cheap junk probably made in China, that's not Tubac. There are many galleries with locally made pottery and paintings. Bring your platinum card.

No I mean, all that stuff that people tend to bring in from Mexico, and upcharge a little bit. Pottery, jewelry and the like. You have to wade through all that stuff to find a few nice things.

We saw brochures. The brochures gave my husband the shakes.

Only thing that gives him bigger shakes is the womens shoe department.

MarleysGh0st wrote:So has Marfa turned into an artist's colony? Into the latest, trendy get-away for folks from Hollywood?

"Aspen has gotten too crowded, so let's go to West Texas!"

Weirder. And tinier.

Marfa couldn't be any smaller. There is nothing at all going on other than people living life and maybe making art. It would be a great place to do art because the light is so good.

But unlike places like Aspen, or Santa Fe or any of those foofy artsy places, there isn't skiing or any real activities there.

People dressed trendy but in a very low key western way. Groovy boots, strange jean jackets, hip glasses, tussled hair.

Some of the best food in town is found at the Food Shark. It is a silver old school looking RV with peach trim that parks under a large awning and serves healthy meditteranian food.

Probably more folks from Dallas and Houston there than NYC/Cali. It's just so hard to get to. We met a few people who live there full time, and a lot that visit six weeks at a time. Most of the houses there don't have AC or heat. We slept under a lot of blankets.

An NYC modern artist bought a lot of the property in town and then a foundation was created after he died. Other artists discovered the area. It's got pretty expensive there. Lots of land available, but few reliable builders--hard to get materials to the job site. Most good builders/remodellers in the area we were told are booked three years in advance.

Bixby17 wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:If by trinkets you mean cheap junk probably made in China, that's not Tubac. There are many galleries with locally made pottery and paintings. Bring your platinum card.

No I mean, all that stuff that people tend to bring in from Mexico, and upcharge a little bit. Pottery, jewelry and the like. You have to wade through all that stuff to find a few nice things.

We saw brochures. The brochures gave my husband the shakes.

Only thing that gives him bigger shakes is the womens shoe department.

Nope, nothing from Mexico. All from resident artists.

Hubby might get off cheaper in the women's shoe department.

Bob Juch wrote:

Bixby17 wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:If by trinkets you mean cheap junk probably made in China, that's not Tubac. There are many galleries with locally made pottery and paintings. Bring your platinum card.

No I mean, all that stuff that people tend to bring in from Mexico, and upcharge a little bit. Pottery, jewelry and the like. You have to wade through all that stuff to find a few nice things.

We saw brochures. The brochures gave my husband the shakes.

Only thing that gives him bigger shakes is the womens shoe department.

Nope, nothing from Mexico. All from resident artists.

Hubby might get off cheaper in the women's shoe department.

Are you sure? Sure looked like it from the brochure that the hotel gave us, and this website as well.

http://www.tubacarizona.com/

Tubac is the perfect shoppers' paradise with over eighty galleries and shops that feature hand-crafted items, sculpture, paintings, clothing and some of southern Arizona's best import shops.

(Code for a bunch of Mexican junk)

Looked like a bunch of southwestern touristy stuff. Especially stuff that costs more than shoes.

Bixby17 wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:

Bixby17 wrote: No I mean, all that stuff that people tend to bring in from Mexico, and upcharge a little bit. Pottery, jewelry and the like. You have to wade through all that stuff to find a few nice things.

We saw brochures. The brochures gave my husband the shakes.

Only thing that gives him bigger shakes is the womens shoe department.

Nope, nothing from Mexico. All from resident artists.

Hubby might get off cheaper in the women's shoe department.

Are you sure? Sure looked like it from the brochure that the hotel gave us, and this website as well.

http://www.tubacarizona.com/

Tubac is the perfect shoppers' paradise with over eighty galleries and shops that feature hand-crafted items, sculpture, paintings, clothing and some of southern Arizona's best import shops.

(Code for a bunch of Mexican junk)

Looked like a bunch of southwestern touristy stuff. Especially stuff that costs more than shoes.

made me laugh

Bixby17 wrote:

Bob Juch wrote:

Bixby17 wrote: No I mean, all that stuff that people tend to bring in from Mexico, and upcharge a little bit. Pottery, jewelry and the like. You have to wade through all that stuff to find a few nice things.

We saw brochures. The brochures gave my husband the shakes.

Only thing that gives him bigger shakes is the womens shoe department.

Nope, nothing from Mexico. All from resident artists.

Hubby might get off cheaper in the women's shoe department.

Are you sure? Sure looked like it from the brochure that the hotel gave us, and this website as well.

http://www.tubacarizona.com/

Tubac is the perfect shoppers' paradise with over eighty galleries and shops that feature hand-crafted items, sculpture, paintings, clothing and some of southern Arizona's best import shops.

(Code for a bunch of Mexican junk)

Looked like a bunch of southwestern touristy stuff. Especially stuff that costs more than shoes.

Well it's been awhile since I've been there, so perhaps they have a few junk shops, but there are real American art galleries.