ALPINE AND THE MARF(TX)

In late spring I had the pleasure of sharing a weekend road trip with my favorite (now retired) high school librarian.  She's a wonderful lady and a brave soul, and a many years ago she willingly chaperoned myself and eleven other high school girls on a graduation trip to the magical Cibolo Creek Ranch.

Anyway, my dear friend Ann (the librarian chaperone) remains one of my closest friends to this day, and after kicking cancer's butt last year, she decided it was time for a walk down memory lane.  Or rather, memory ranch road.  So we headed out to West Texas to see how the topography has changed.  The land, it turned out, looked much the same.  Dry, arid, expansive and beautiful in its own right.  The towns have evolved, however, and I wanted to share a few highlights.  Here is a loose look at our itinerary, and a few of our favorite stops along the way:

FRIDAY MORNING- Early departure

It was amazing to watch the day take shape as we cruised down Highway 290 through the Texas Hill Country.  Almost as amazing as the cinnamon roll we had at Mahaley's Cafe in Fredericksburg.  Seriously, I've thought about this cinnamon roll a LOT since this trip.  I would be willing to venture that it is worth the one and a half hour drive to Fredericksburg from Austin.  Fredericksburg is getting cuter, hipper, and more interesting every year.  I hope to spend a whole weekend there sometime soon.  And of course, eat many cinnamon rolls.

FRIDAY AFTERNOON- Arrive Alpine

Alpine, TX is an amazing little find.  It's neighbor, Marfa, has gotten a lot more attention lately (more on Marfa in a minute) but I have to say that I think I may just be an Alpine girl.  We stayed at The Maverick Inn which had great rooms, a killer Western decor, and a very friendly staff.  Their tag line is "A Roadhouse for Wanderers" which felt really spot on. 

The Maverick Inn

After settling in, we hit the galleries and shops downtown. One of my favorites was Ivey's Emporium. The lady behind the counter put a plate of candy together for us to sample which was delicious and so hospitable.  There are tons of things to look at in this store, so you kind of have to get psyched up, but I managed to get out with only one small retablo of St. Gabriel.  In the adjacent store next door, I loved these wool blankets from Pendleton Woolen Mills.  The whole store definitely inspired me to get my western groove on. Once the cocktail hour set in, we headed to the funky Saddle Club for drinks. They served up a delicious margarita, among other things.  By 7 pm or so, the bar had gotten extremely full but the local crowd seemed super laid back and in a great mood.  I could definitely pass a few lazy nights here and be just fine with it.

      

     The Saddle Club

After dinner at the very local La Casita, we headed back to The Maverick to get rested for the next day.

SATURDAY- More Alpine and Marfa, too

The Granada Yoga Studio

We started the day off with an UH-mazing yoga class at The Granada Yoga Studio located in the beautifully renovated building that also houses the lovely Granada Theatre.  The yoga was classic Iyengar, and the teacher (Jesse Moore Kelsch) was excellent.  I came in nursing an ankle injury, and Jesse suggested I stretch it in this particular way with a yoga strap, conceding that it would feel either awesome or awful and cautioning me to proceed with care.  It felt sort of awful at first, then very awesome, and I didn't have any problems with the ankle for the rest of the day.  Yay yoga!

Judd's 100 Works in Mill Aluminum at The Chinati Foundation

After a calm start, it was off to the races.  We headed west for a 30 minute drive to Marfa in order to hit up the abbreviated morning tour of Donald Judd's landmark sculptures at The Chinati Foundation.  I really loved Donald Judd's 100 Works in Mill Aluminum, and did find the way the work interacted with the landscape pretty breathtaking.  It struck me as especially ironic to look out of the building that houses the work and see an 18-wheeler hauling a double wide down the long street lined with trees that Judd planted himself to be in dialogue with his work. Hmmmmm. I wonder what that double wide would say to his 100 aluminum boxes?  The thought made me smile, which, to be frank, modern art rarely does.

At any rate, after finishing the walking tour at Chinati we found ourselves parched and famished, so we refreshed with an amazing burger and a beer at Padre's which totally hit the spot.  Otherwise, we had a great time poking around town and actually really loved the Presidio County Museum as well as the sweet octogenarian local who served as docent that day.  We briefly checked out both El Cosmico and the Hotel Paisano, both of which were impressive in their own right (El Cosmico a bit more rustic than I expected, and the Paisano a bit fancier).  Both very cool, though in Marfa, what else is to be expected?

We spent the afternoon visiting our old stomping grounds at Cibolo Creek Ranch and wondering how in the hell we managed to get out there at all.  It's literally about a 30 minute drive to the ranch road outside of Marfa (which, btw, feels kind of like the end of Earth anyway).  Once you turn on the ranch road, it's easily another 20 to 30 minutes down a gravel drive until you actually reach the ranch.   Bless our little librarian's heart, she did all this with 12 eighteen year old girls in her stead, years before the widespread advent of cell phones and internet (yes, I'm that old).  The woman is a complete bad ass.

A view of the historic fort at Cibolo Creek Ranch

Cibolo Creek was as dreamy as it was remote, and it was wonderful to walk down that particular stretch of memory lane together. 

A view of the ranch and surrounding terrain

After re-living the glory days, we furtively sought out a Dairy Queen (they are everywhere in rural Texas until you really NEED one) then headed back to Alpine to do some last minute shopping before changing clothes for dinner.  I had a blast checking out the lovely wares at La Junta Exchange downtown.  I went home with a pretty amazing skirt and a bright green belt for a great price.  I will definitely be back.   The icing on our cake was dinner at the famous Texas steak house Reata.  We chowed down on steak, these incredible house-made pecan biscuits with herbed butter, and Tenderloin Tamales with Pecan Mash.  There were also some Jalapeno Cheese Grits in the mix, and we washed it all down with a House Margarita.  Not exactly calorie conscious, but really freaking good.

It was an amazing trip, and I would love to do it again soon.  I'm not sure what the chances are, but it would be pretty priceless to have all twelve girls back in the saddle again, once more under the tutelage of our faithful librarian.  Some experiences are better left in the past, but I definitely think this one holds many happy trails still uncharted.

AFTERNOON DELIGHT

No, not the naughty kind.  If you haven't seen the Glee episode in which the OCD teacher Emma Pillsbury leads members of the Celibacy Club in a rendition of this 1976 classic unaware of it's "sexually suggestive wordplay" (thank you, Wikipedia), you should definitely make the effort.  I've been late on the Glee craze, and am seasons behind, but that was a particularly classic episode.

So, perhaps less exciting, yet none the less VERY satisfying, is my recent summer salad obsession:

I've been trying to find ways to take advantage of the wonderful peaches that are in season, and this has been my go-to lunch recently.  We are still exploring and trying lots of new foods on the GAPS diet which we've implemented to help in the treatment of my daughter's epilepsy, and through this experience I've re-discovered my love for blue cheese.  We've been using a brand called "Pacific Blue" from California which is cave aged and available for a bargain at Costco. Blue cheese is technically a raw food, and contains lots of nutritional properties (B-12, B-5, Zinc, Calcium, Phosphorus, Vitamin A) and the mold which makes it blue (Penicillium roqueforti) actually helps to fight harmful bacteria in the body.   And, it's freaking delicious. Toss a little oil and balsamic vinegar on those greens, peaches, and blue cheese, and I'm definitely a satisfied lady.

Southern Living really delivered a few months ago on some amazing and inspiring recipes for enjoying the peach harvest.  Here's a link to some of their scrumptious looking ideas:

                                                              Summer Peach Recipes

And for those of you for whom peaches just aren't enough, a little treat from Will Ferrell playing anchorman Ron Burgundy, with his own version of Afternoon Delight.  I love that he prefaces the song by explaining to his buds that this song is really "what love is..It's really quite simple.  It's kinda like...":

                                                              

BETTER BABY BOOK?

I wanted to offer a few quick thoughts and post to a link that I'm sharing with many of my close female friends.  Sometime this spring I read an article in Vogue magazine that peaked my interest, and I researched it more to find a link to the site of a California couple (she is an MD, he is a Nutritionist among other things) who have developed what they consider an ideal diet for conceiving, gestating, and nurturing a baby.  The article resonated with me, as we've been following the incredible GAPS diet to help control my child's epilepsy with great success.  Seriously, I am in love with this diet and wish I could send Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, the incredibly smart and articulate woman who developed the protocol, a giant hug via Cyberspace.

When I came across the article in Vogue it referred to many of the major ideas behind the GAPS diet.  I'm sharing it because I think it's wonderful advice, and nutritionally sound.  But I have to say, I find the book and blog title a little disconcerting, and so I offer the link with these thoughts and questions in mind:  Yes, I think nutrition is key and can enhance fertility and the health of babies.  That is awesome.  No, nutrition can not prevent everything, and as the mother of a child with a disability, I'm sort of offended by the obsession with building "better" babies.   Perhaps I'm overly sensitive, because I'm all about healthy kids, but does this mean that babies with out Downs Syndrome are "better" than babies with Downs Syndrome because of their most excellent, optimal health and genetic expression?  Does this indicate that parents of children with Cerebral Palsy, congenital abnormalities, or autism have done something to create their child's condition? And what does this say about our society in general?  I'm sure that's not what this couple intends to communicate, but there is something about the title that kind of chaps my Southern ass. If it didn't seem like they were right on the money in terms of nurturing a pre-pregnant, pregnant and post-pregnant body, I would be completely and totally annoyed.

At any rate, here's to sound nutrition and healthy mothers and children everywhere.  Besides, every mother knows her baby is the best after all!

 Without further adieu, the link:

                                               http://www.betterbabybook.com/diet/

KICK IT LIKE A CEO

I heard this interview with Xerox CEO Ursula Burns  a few weeks ago and I've been wanting to share it ever since.  It really resonated with me for many reasons, but primarily because of her articulate and insistent focus on the practical need for change and transformation in order to achieve your personal best.  Here is the specific excerpt that really got me: 

The world is changing. We all know this. And as that world changes, if you don't transform your company, you're stuck. I mean, even if you could figure out a way to be profitable and reasonably successful, I think you would be under-using your assets if you don't figure out a way to become more relevant as the world transforms and evolves. And that's a big piece of what a CEO does. 

Xerox CEO Ursula Burns

It was kind of an "aha" moment for me in relation to many aspects of my life right now.  Maybe if I started thinking more like a CEO and less like a "damn I miss rotary phones" kind of girl, I could embrace so much of what is evolving in the world and utilize it to build potential for me and those I love. If thinking like a CEO means seeing and embracing change for what it is, I'm on board.  Now if only the six digit salary would follow...

Like many others, my thirties have introduced life changes with a velocity that's left me feeling more than a little whiplashed.  Going from doing my young/single/writer/artist thing to having a husband, a day job, a house, a kid, and now a kid with special needs in the span of less than four years has, in the words of Beyonce, got me looking a little crazy right now.  Keeping it together is a freaking miracle some days.  Finding joy in it all, a mystery.

Yet we persist.  And thanks to Ursula Burns, I'm embracing.  Working with my peeps at the oh-so-awesome AYAVA House brings me so much grounding and insight every week, and this week was no exception.  As we reflected on the times in our life when we most feel the presence of God, I realized that, unbeknownst to my rigid consciousness, many of the things I engage in daily are currently bringing me the deepest sense of joy and groundedness.   I still miss having long stretches to read and write, but in the interim, I realize there are other things that I do have access to that also connect me to my deepest passion and truest self.  Having that space to reflect allowed me to see how my life is evolving, and offered me the chance to commit to evolve with it.  As Ursula Burns would say, if you don't transform your company to keep up with the changing world, you are not utilizing your assets.

Let's hear it for transformation in the face of change, and maximum productivity.

INSPIRATION

I stumbled on this video "Jacob and the Guitar Man" a few hours ago and it made my day.  Jacob is an autistic kid who is also blind, and clearly loves music.  The way he gravitated toward Tyler Gregory and his music on the streets of Lawrence, KS is powerful.  It definitely stirred something in my soul to see such clear purpose, intent, attraction, and love.  A clear reminder that sometimes having differences that some people consider "disabilities" actually allows one to be more closely connected to the things that really matter in life, and experience pleasure and joy in ways that we perhaps can only imagine.  Anyway, enough from me.  Here's the video:

Tyler Gregory

Definitely check out Tyler Gregory's response on his website.  I love the way he described his interaction with Jacob.  We need more people to testify about the mysterious exchange between people that constitutes the backbone of life.   Also, how can you not love a guy busking on the streets of Kansas, trying to sell enough CDs to buy an RV that runs off waste vegetable oil so he can tour and play more music?  Seriously, that alone is worth supporting him.  To read about his response, click here.

GOOD NIGHT, GANDHI

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.

                                                                                  -Mahatma Gandhi

About to call it a day after, well, a pretty dang difficult day.  I heard this quote the other night from a very unlikely source.  Let's just say it's in my Netflix queue and involves an epically naughty yet enchanting place called Wisteria Lane.  Anyway, that's neither here nor there.  It's the Gandhi quote that really matters.

Raising a child with special needs has been the adventure of a lifetime, and I'm so proud of how far our little family has come in such a short time.  Proud, but tired.  Some days just feel heavy in a way that nothing in life has really prepared me for thus far.  That's why this quote from Gandhi really resonated with me when I heard it.  It's hard but important to remember that sometimes we are called to have an indomitable will, even in the face of physical bodies that are less than perfect and can fail us.  Days when I worry, or start to feel overwhelmed, here's something else to think about from (who else?) Monsieur Gandhi:

                There is nothing that wastes the body like worry, and one who has any faith in God 
               should be ashamed to worry about anything whatsoever.

Get sassy, Gandhi.  I love that he's kind of a hard ass about this.  When I can actually feel my physical body exhausted from worry or concern over seizures, or development, or whatever particular thing might be plaguing my mind that day, I'm committing to remember Gandhi's words.  First of all, worry takes it's toll on our bodies.  Second, if we have faith in God, there is nothing for us to be worried about.

I know how totally naive this must sound to an atheist, but today it gives me a lot of comfort.  And come on, people, it's Gandhi for goodness sake.  He has to be kinda on to something.

So I'll leave you with a little hope at the close of day.  I just got this picture earlier in the week from someone who attended my child's baptism in New Orleans over Easter.  It was a magical evening, hosted by the incredible Worship Society of St. Polycarp in NOLA.  Such a welcoming bunch of people with a deep sense of celebration and investigation of their faith and its expression.  We were so honored to be part of this community for their Easter Vigil and our daughter's baptism.  It reminded me that the good in the universe really can find a way to shine through, even in the dark of night.

READER'S THEATER

Loving the home life