10/28/2014
Cheep, cheep, cheepcheep, cheep, tap, tap, tap, the birds decided to have a party on the top of the trailer. From the sound of things they were having a ball. Looking around at the picnic area it seemed there weren’t too many places for the little birds to play. The festivities came at the expense of mine and Crystal’s deep slumber. No more late starts.
The course was again very straight and pretty flat. I took off before Crystal and put in five quick miles before she caught up. It was morning and I hadn’t developed much of a thirst so she decided to drive ahead of me another five miles. I ran for what seemed like a few minutes before seeing her in my field of view. I was sure I hadn’t polished off five miles so quickly, so what was she doing. As I ran forward and her image came into focus. At first I thought she had found a stray dog but then I noticed the bright yellow rubber gloves. After a few more steps I thought she was taking the teeth off the skeleton of an animal. She had asked me to do that the last time I photographed bones. My assumption was not too far off. She was plucking feathers off a dead buzzard. For the ones that were more difficult, she even employed some handy clippers. Not wanting to be around a stinky carcass I left Crystal to do her thing and I continued to run.
The prairie stretched for miles and miles. I must have passed hundreds of roaming cattle. I prefer to see them grazing freely over seeing them scrunched together in a factory. I feel sad anytime I see the animals imprisoned in tight cramped spaces. It looked like the day would end early so when I had fourteen miles left to run Crystal and I decided she should travel ahead. That turned out to be a great move. While I travelled at a steady pace on the prairie, Crystal moved like a whirlwind making things happen in Marfa. First she checked us into a hip, cosmopolitan, desert hotel called the Thunderbird. They had concrete seats under a stick roof by their pool. The mattress was firm and the internet was strong. The tap water tasted nice too. But as always I looked forward to a soak in the hot bath tub. That would come later.
Before checking into the hotel, Crystal had arranged for us to have lunch at Memo’s Café. I ran right into the establishment from the 90 hwy. It was there that I met the proprietors Cynthia and Danny Hernandez. They were staunch advocates of children’s literacy and they welcomed us with culinary delights. I captured a video testimony of Cynthia while she prepared our lunch. She told me the story of what literacy meant to her late 95 year old grandmother. It was powerful to see how learning to read transformed this lady’s life as well as the fortune of her family. Shortly after recording, my tostadas came out. It was a platter of three crispy, crunchy tortillas topped with lard-free refried beans, cheese, lettuce, and tomato. It was perfect for me. As for Crystal, I’m sure you guessed, she ordered an enchilada plate. Even though they were getting ready to close for the day Danny graced us and their other customers with wonderful conversation about the history of Marfa. This place had been transformed into something of an art community. There are many reminders that the James Dean movie “Giant” was filmed in this town but the artistic vibe could not be denied. From the many classic cars to the, film festival, to the contemporary buildings this 2121 population town had an eclectic blend of many styles. Even the patrons of the café surprised us with generous donations.
From lunch, we ran over to the Big Bend Sentinel newspaper to give an interview. Rosario the paper’s editor kept the momentum going with yet another gracious gesture. During that time the staff got ahold of the local elementary school and booked us an event. Often times one positive action can set off a chain of events.
I barely had a moment to soak before being driven several miles outside of town to witness the “Marfa Lights”. There was a chill in air but a handful of people still gathered to view this spectacle. These lights are an unexplained phenomena that were first spotted in 1883. Some people think it is aliens, others say it is a reflection from Mexico, and others say it is headlights from a distance. They are said to be visible some twenty days out of the year. I was privileged enough to see them on the 58th day of my run. Every day the adventure just gets better and better.
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