Mom turns 60 (in Marfa!)

It was a celebration weekend for the Forsythe family. My mother, Pat, turned 60 and we whisked her away for a surprise weekend. I will be the first to say that Marfa, Texas is probably not the first thing that comes to anyone's mind when they think of an exciting weekend getaway. But hear me out.

The Thunderbird Hotel (hip!)

pool chair @ The Thunderbird

My parents are explorers. Particularly within the state of Texas. They (though more my Dad then Mom) have a fondness for the Old West. Plus, we needed any easy way to whisk JR and Ashley in/out of Texas in a short time frame and El Paso seemed a likely gateway. So we gambled.

Food Shark mobile dining car

JR and Ashley found this fantastic little hotel called The Thunderbird - modern digs that played on the minimalist style. I felt pretty trendy staying there. Not even going to lie on that one. Plenty of room for a family of 3 (which included a pack-n-play). I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone who might find themselves in Marfa at some point.

West Texas family

Marfa in itself is such a contradiction. The town, upon entry looks depressed. Run down. More abandoned buildings than not. Middle-of-nowhere, Texas. Who would live here? But wait. Is that a Prada store? Is that a high-end dining establishment? Where did these come from? Art galleries? Beer gardens? huh? Isn't the closest major city El Paso or San Antonio which are each hundreds of miles away? I am thouroughly confused by you, Marfa!!!

Ash and JR dancing in the street

The story, as it goes, is that a renowned minimalist artist, Donald Judd, moved to Marfa from NYC. After years of renting diggs he bought two hangars and some buildings to display his work on a larger scale. His love for the desert kept him there and attracted other artists. In recent years, Marfa has attracted even more interest from the art community such as artists, film makers and thespians. More info can be found here.

But back to our story.

Mom was blown away that JR and Ashley joined us. We all managed to keep it secretive, particularly on the car ride, where she kept asking questions (where are we going? what are we doing?). We are so very fortunate that JR and Ash have been so flexible in coming back to Texas for major events. I know it's not always easy, but they are troopers! Thanks guys.

After the big reveal, we decided to walk the town (not too large, but we were only a few blocks from the main square). We had dinner that night at Maiya's Restaraunt. I thought it was pretty good, but definitely pricey. Note to all future traveler's to Marfa. Take cash.

KT & Grumps

We headed out to see the Marfa Lights afterward. I had seen them as a kid, but since then they have built a viewing platform (building) since the site has become very popular. The night was super cool and the stars were gorgeous. We didn't have to wait long to see the lights. They appeared only a few moments after we arrived. Don't expect anything super exciting. They are lights afterall. But the lights in themselves are so mysterious, that there is definitely an element of excitement and mystery that keeps it interesting.

On Saturday morning, it was officially Mom's bday! We headed out to try to find a restaurant that was open (this is a serious issue in a small town) and were successful. Our game plan was to head to Valentine, Texas to view their supposed ghost town. It was obvious upon entry that the town only had about 5 residents. Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, but not far off. The town was a little creepy, though. We went over railroad tracks and onto dirt roads (named Main Street) to try and find some life in this town. Then things started to feel a little "Deliverance" like. So we decided, to hell with the ghost town, we love life - let's jet!!!

We took a scenic drive through the Davis Mountains headed toward Fort Davis. I wish I could show you the awesome views, but my CF card on my cam got jacked - and I lost pretty much all my photos from Saturday. I've already cried. I have no more tears. I have to move on.

As a kid, we spent time in Fort Davis, camping at Davis Mountains State Park and visiting the McDonald Observatory. Plus a few years ago, I attended an outdoor workshop out there, but it had still been awhile. The area is really rich with history, if you are a buff.

We headed up to the Observatory and grabbed tickets for that nights Star Party. For being so remote, the Observatory does well for itself. In terms of attendance. I've been to three star parties and they all seem pretty packed. But it's no wonder. They put on a great show. Everyone is outside in an ampitheater while the astronomer uses a green laser to point to the night sky and points out a ton of constellations and star clusters. To try to explain the beauty of the stars in the west texas sky would not be enough. It's gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous. It takes my breath away. The Milky Way was just gorgeous above us. Millions upon millions of stars overhead could be seen. Absolutely amazing. Trust me, you should go see it. In my opinion, it's worth the 6-hour car ride.

After getting the tickets we toured around Ft. Davis and then headed back to Marfa to relax a bit and eat some cake! I tried to light all the candles on Mom's cake (much to her dismay) but we truly were worried about the flames (sorry, Mom) and so we had only lit about half of them before she blew them out. The cake was delicious, something I had snuch into the car without her being the wiser. It actually did okay, considering the circumstances. Only miner shifting cracks. Another great creation from Cupcacke Couture. We then hit up a very discreet Beer Garden, that, had not Ashley and JR discovered this treasure, we'd of never checked it out! So cool. Their setup was so cool - a dug out teepee, some Christmas lights, a jukebox and a molting parrot. Odd, but it worked. What a gem! After a beer, it was back to the hotel to get ready to go back to the Observatory.

After the star party, we drove 45 minutes back to Marfa. And we all crashed. On Sunday morning, we rose early and after two unsuccessful attempts to find a place to eat breakfast, we finally found a place called Cochineal. By far my favorite meal of the trip. Affordable. Delicious. And yet it provides the artsy, atmosphere that everyone wants. Win!

Then it was time to say our goodbyes to JR and Ashley so we could make our 6-hour car ride back to San Antonio. KT did so well on the car ride up there, I was a little nervous how she would handle this one. She did great - for the first 4 hours. But after that, she was ready to be DONE with the car seat! And I can't say I can blame her. Poor baby was NOT a happy camper Sunday evening. But we finally made it home where we let her crawl till her heart was content! She crashed early and slept all night. And it was back to reality this morning.

What a weekend. Happy Birthday to my Mother - we love you! Remember, 60 is only a number! Make it the best so far! :)