Tejas del oeste

Well, it looks like it's time for me to quit my job and move to West Texas. I went out there for Marty and Tex's wedding, and let me tell you, that place rules. Despite the fact that I've lived in Texas my entire life, it was my first visit to the part of state that actually looks like the stereotype of Texas. I'm already looking forward to my next visit.



At the barbecue before the wedding, we got to chill with good friends like Big John, who brought his impressive appetite all the way from Farmington, New Mexico.



Not to mention our very own New Orleans refugees, er, evacuees, a very pregnant Emily and Catfish Palit.



Now that's a serious outfit.



The wedding itself was quite the spectacle. About 400-500 guests on Marty's family's ranch outside of Alpine. The crowd was an amazing mix of Rice weenies and old Texas ranchers and oilmen in $5000 boots and white Stetsons. Congrats Marty and Tex!!!!!



The day afterwards, Oren, Julie, and I drove back to Midland via Marfa.



Marfa is a tiny little West Texas town that has become something of an artists' colony in recent years. The town is an odd mix of historical West Texas and Manhattan art scene.





And perhaps one of the coolest things I've ever seen is on US 90 outside of the even tinier town of Valentine: Prada Marfa.



Unfortunately it looks like it's been vandalized (again) since it originally opened at the beginning of October.

No, it's not actually a Prada store in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert. It's an art installation that's a replica of a Prada store in the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert. Yeah.



All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and a wonderful trip. And that's even considering the fact that I got to meet a nice Texas State Trooper on Interstate 20 outside of Odessa ;)

From Midland it was on to Austin for some business meetings and good hanging out time with the friends there. Damn I love Casino El Camino.