One Saturday afternoon at Building 98

David and I have had the good fortune of befriending Rudy and Mona Garcia, gracious proprietors of the Arcon Inn of Marfa. Mona is also the president of the International Woman's Foundation, housed in Building 98. Building 98 was formerly the bachelor officers' quarters and officers' club at Fort D.A. Russell.

So many Marfa buildings appear modest on the exterior, yet house wonderful things. Building 98 has been beautifully restored on the outside, yet the true treasures are housed within its walls.

One late summer afternoon, just after our first meeting, Mrs. Garcia invited us to tour Building 98. It was a fascinating tour, from the officers' quarters to the fantastic now-preserved murals painted by the POWs, followed by a relaxed chat in the former officers' club, which still houses the bar where General Patton spent so much time.

This last Marfa trip included a lovely visit with the Garcias and another trip to Building 98. This time, we had the privilege of meeting Bonita Barlow, the current artist in residence. We were treated to a private viewing of her work, Light Sculptures.

Most who know me well know how I love the road, be it the highway, highway construction, a road trip, or a railroad. So, it is no surprise that I loved Bonita Barlow's paintings, which incorporate the reflective materials of highway markings, but in a most unusual and colorful presentation. Bonita herself was a charming hostess and we thoroughly enjoyed her work and company.

As we finished up our visit with Bonita, Mona arrived and invited us all for a glass of wine in the former officers' quarters. Shortly after, we were joined by Heiko Schulze, a sculptor, and film photographer, whom we had noticed when he was riding his bicycle earlier in the day. He was hard to miss, riding his bike along Lincoln Street in the very cold Marfan winter weather, his camera with a rather tremendous lens slung over his shoulder, sans bag.

Heiko shared photos of his sculptures, interesting human and animal figures. They were quite delightful. I would love to see more of them.

We have discovered that it is quite typical to awake in Marfa expecting the usual, and yet find one's self doing something completely extraordinary, as evidenced in an afternoon visit to Building 98.

Please sign our guest book!

We have a guest book in the house. We love to read the comments that people leave after their time in Marfa. Draw a picture, or maybe glue a photo in our guest book. Or just leave an opinion. We love to read what people have to say! One of the first things I do once we arrive at the house is check for new guest book comments.

These entries have been left over the past year since we acquired Casa Cielo:

Thank you David + Amanda - Your house is beautiful. A perfect base for my PhD research; I hope to return some time next year. (J.H.,  Cambridge, England  Nov/Dec 2009)

Had a great time with family here in Marfa. You have a beautiful/cozy house. Thanks!! (L.M & R.L., Artesia, NM and C.R. & R.R., Austin, TX)

This was our 1st trip to Marfa and Big Bend Country. What a beautiful part of Texas! We'll be back again. (T.F. & C.F., Austin, TX  Dec/Jan 2010)

We had a great time here in Marfa and loved Big Bend! Thank you for the cozy and clean home. (R.D. & S.S.  Jan 2010)

This is a lovely place! Thank you for sharing it with us. We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend! (C.R. & J.R., Cedar Park, TX  Feb 2010)

We had a wonderful time here in MARFA! Your house is so lovely! We can't wait to come back again to enjoy all of the great food and culture some more! (D.C. & S.B., Houston, TX  March 2010)

Marfa was marvelous and your home was cozy and comfortable. We loved walking everywhere. (C.R. & J.R., Norman, OK & C.R. & M.S., "points east")

Great beds and linens! Thanks for furnishing your house so comfortably. Love the energy efficient bathroom too! (C.S., Austin, TX & C.S., Los Angeles, CA  April 2010)

This was our 4th trip to Marfa and it was so pleasant to stay at your home. (D.F. & P.F., May 2010)

Thank you for providing such a homey place that had everything. (D.L. & K.L., San Antonio, TX  Sept 2010)

Amanda & David - Thank you for allowing us to share your home. It was our 1st adventure to West Texas. We enjoyed the trip and Casa Cielo was a comfy place to come home to. (P.W. & M.J., Kerrville TX  Oct 2010)
We agree! The 4 of us enjoyed your home! (K.S. & D.S. Oct 2010)

Amanda & David - Thank you for sharing your house and knowledge of Marfa with us! We very much enjoyed having Casa Cielo as our home base for exploring the area. (W.B. & J.B., Los Altos, CA  Nov 2010)

Amanda & David, we enjoyed so much this great little house and getting to see Marfa. K & A are so lucky to have friends like you. (G.C.,  Austin, TX & C.H., Plano, TX  Nov 2010)

David & Amanda, thanks for the use of your very nice home. So cozy, so clean, so quaint. We had a great time and hope to come back soon. (M&B, Dec 2010)

Thank you for sharing your wonderful home. We had an amazing time in Marfa. I can't wait to come back! (M.J., Austin, TX  Dec 2010)

BEST MARFA TRIP EVER!! Great hm, location & shenanigans. (K.D., Austin, TX  Dec 2010)

Shopping in Marfa

Trifecta (noun) - any achievement involving three successful outcomes.

Marfa has three stores that sell groceries and general provisions. Most days, any substantial shopping list will involve a stop at all three.

The Get Go is a great store with a fantastic wine selection, fresh local vegetables and herbs, and a ton of organics. Also, the largest selection of mate that we have seen since visiting Argentina. Teas, fabulous fruit spreads, curry, fresh bread, organic cleaning supplies, energy bars, reusable water bottles and bags. Gourmet chocolates and excellent cheeses of many varieties. 208 S. Dean.

Pueblo Market is an independent market. They carry the normal grocery stuff: conventional produce, store brand items (Shure-fine). A wine and beer selection. They have meats and cheeses and breads, Little Debbie snack cakes, and the requisite Dr. Pepper knock-off. I saw a can of lice remover, but came up empty-handed when shopping for a comb. 717 W. San Antonio.

Finally, Dollar General, a chain discount store. If you need plastic ware, a colorful Bobbie Brooks tank top, batteries, a bag of ice, basic cosmetics or sunscreen, vinyl place mats, a comb, imitation maple syrup or commercial white bread, this is the place. On the east side of town town towards Alpine: 501 E. San Antonio St.

"Stuff Happens"

Sometimes, things just happen. I find this to be especially true in Marfa.

It's a small town, but there is always something happening. You just need to know where to look: Peruse the bulletin boards at Frama (the coffee shop), or Pueblo Market (the grocer), or the window of The Get Go (the other grocer). Check out Marfalist.org.

I arrived in town in the wee hours on Monday. Since then:

Monday AM: Public auction of abandoned storage items formerly belonging to the Quaids.
Monday PM: A movie showing at the bookstore - BYOB and leave a donation at the door. Great movies.
Tuesday: An impromptu free live music show at Padre's, one of the local bars.
Wednesday: Trivia night at Padre's. Teams compete with mini white boards. A local favorite.

Thursday, Thunderado and Black on Blonde play at Padre's at 8:30PM.

Friday and Saturday, Artwalk in Alpine features music and featured artist Boyd Elder.

I do know that there is an Arts & Crafts Fair at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Fort Davis on Saturday, November 27, 9:00 - 4:00.

More to follow, but you get the drift. There is always something happening in or near Marfa.

Museum of Electronic Wonders and Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour

Yes, you read that right, late night eats in Marfa, Texas.

Now, when you leave Padre's after a night of dancing and/or shuffleboard, you can make the evening last a little while longer by visiting the Museum of Electronic Wonders and Late Night Grilled Cheese Parlour.

Think Food Shark good eats but without the truck (but with the bus!). Still the same awesome flavor combinations, delivered with a good dose of 1970s electronics. Click on the picture of the green menu, above, to appreciate these sandwiches.

On a recent visit, David proclaimed that the sandwich was the most perfectly cooked grilled cheese he had ever seen. I agree.

Photos used with permission from Adam Bork.

We've added a couple of amenities: Shampoo, conditioner and soap

We are adding shampoo, conditioner and liquid shower/body soap to the provided amenities.

They will be in a dispenser located on the wall in the shower and will be of very decent quality.

You may still wish to bring your own, but if this makes your packing a little easier (especially if you are flying), then enjoy! It will also make for less clutter in the shower, if you opt to use ours.

Add "bathrobe" to your packing list

If you are traveling VRBO with kids, or friends, keep in mind that in many parts of the world, bathrooms are not "en suite". Therefore, you may need to walk from the bathroom to your bedroom following your bath or shower. A bathrobe can come in mighty handy at such times.

Casa Cielo has only one bathroom, which is off the hall.

I have a cute polyester robe from Victoria's Secret. It's ideal for travel as it folds up to a very compact size and doesn't wrinkle. It's perfect.

Of course there are plenty of towels in the house, long and wide enough to wrap around the standard American body while dashing across the hall. But, a robe is especially handy.

Don't be afraid to VRBO!

Scammers are everywhere, but that's no reason to avoid traveling the VRBO way! Just use common sense, and maybe engage in some internet snooping.

Advertising on VRBO is not cheap, so scammers claiming to be owners are more likely to be found on free sites like Craigslist. I love Craigslist for many things but I have heard of people sending money for a vacation rental that simply does not exist.

Also, VRBO has a new(ish) "Carefee Rental Guarantee" where they will reimburse for vacations gone wrong in certain circumstances. Read their site for details, but basically:

"While most vacations go as planned, life is full of surprises. The Carefree Rental Guarantee from HomeAway protects you up to $10,000 if:

• The home has been foreclosed or is inbankruptcy
• The owner inadvertently double-books the property
• The owner wrongfully withholds your security deposit
• The property is misrepresented

It looks like the cost of this coverage is based on the amount of the rental, and starts at about $40.

Personally, I pay attention to the reviews. If a property has been on VRBO for any length of time, it should have reviews, unless the owner has opted out. Why one would do that, I don't know. With VRBO, an owner cannot pick and choose reviews that show up. They all do, or none do.

Also, pay attention to the way the owner does business. Are they organized? Do they have a contract? Do they respond to your inquiries in a timely manner? In defining timely, keep in mind that VRBOs are not hotels, and the owners are not manning a reservation desk. They are likely at work, or at the store, or taking care of business. A one day response time for the initial contact is not bad.

Does the owner offer more than one way to get in touch? And, does the owner encourage communication? No one wants to rent from a blabby, intrusive person during their private vacation, but make sure the door is open for communication in case an urgent need arises during your stay.

Personally, I have my phone with me at all times when someone is staying at Casa Cielo.

Plentiful in Marfa: Missing street signs

Another bit of feedback recently received was that Marfa sure is missing a lot of its street signs. This is definitely true. It would be very helpful, if you do not have Google Maps or similar on your phone, to carry a paper map with you. There are street signs, but if you don't know where you are going, you may need to guess here and there, and maybe make a couple of extra turns. But, you'll certainly get there!

Especially helpful is Google Maps and enabling GPS if it is a feature on your phone.

Or, you can always ask someone to point you in the right direction. Everyone is friendly.

Plentiful in Marfa: Freight trains

We love feedback. Some things we can change and improve, some things we can't.

Recent comments have included a couple of items that we simply cannot improve, but still are good to know about when visiting Marfa.

First of all, very active train tracks run through the center of town. Marfa was founded as a water stop for the trains. Freight trains pass through several times each day and night, and the Amtrak runs through several times per week, unless there is work being performed on the tracks (in which case you may notice the lack of trains).

 Marfa has three grade crossings, and the trains blow their horns regardless of the time. The train signal for approaching a grade crossing is two longs, a short, and a long. Nowhere in town are the horns not audible. This applies to the hotels as well as any VRBO in town.

We don't really notice the train at night, especially after the first night. Our friend from New York spent an entire month in Marfa and never got used to the train though.

We do keep a stash of earplugs in the kitchen drawer so help yourself if you need them. So far, no one has opened the package, but they are there for you.