Two Weeks in Far West Texas

Marfa, TX

I have been home for two days now… and it feels good to be back. There’s nothing like being in your own house and sleeping in your own bed. 


But, I must say – to my complete surprise – this New England girl thoroughly enjoyed West Texas. I was in the tiny town of Marfa for two weeks for a documentary workshop. And believe me, it’s not an easy place to get to. You have to fly into El Paso (with no direct flight from NYC) and then you have to jump in a car and drive three hours to this dusty, little artsy town with a population of 2,000. 


Being in cowboy country in the middle of a two-week workshop does have its advantages though. 


Advantage No. 1: The fact that you can drive 85 miles-per-hour with your hair flying in the desert wind without a cop in sight. I actually think the speed limit is 75 in some places and they want to raise it to 80. Perfect for a lead-foot like myself. 


Advantage No. 2: Because it’s an artsy town filled with creative people, the coffee is amazing and so is the food.


Advantage No. 3: Being surrounded by the minimalist and wide open desert landscape. It really is a different kind of beauty.


Advantage No. 4: Meeting interesting -- salt of the earth people – that I would’ve never come across if it weren’t for this little town.


Advantage No. 5: Feeling inspired by all the new stuff I was learning. I actually know how to use a Canon XF305 professional video camera – and use it with confidence. For all of you in the production business (or news biz) I can white balance like a pro no matter what time of day it is, shoot at all different angles, edit in Final Cut Pro, hook up a wireless lavalier (lav) and adjust the audio until it’s just right. Being on the other side for many years as a producer, it’s empowering to know how to do all of these things! And I never shot blue video once!


Advantage No. 6: I have a completed short documentary, and as a result, feel like I can jump right in and start on my own documentary that I’ve wanted to do for almost a year now. (Once I get a link to my documentary, I will post it on my blog)


Advantage No. 7: Being completely distracted. I was so engrossed in what I was doing, I didn’t even think about the adoption, which was a welcome break. No obsessing over our wait. No fretting over if this will ever happen for us. It was truly refreshing.


Advantage No. 8: Saying you want to do something and actually doing it are two completely different things – and sometimes I find myself getting stuck in the middle. In limbo between having a goal and then really going after it and achieving it. It almost happened with this journey because I was ALMOST too much of wimp to go to a foreign place for two-weeks by myself. BUT I am so glad I did. I feel more confident not only in my professional life as a result of everything I learned, but also in my personal life. 


In the meantime, while I was gone, things started to happen on the adoption front. I don’t want to say exactly what it is, because I don’t want to jinx it. I will say it could be life-changing.


Until I have more news, here are a few pictures to enjoy of Marfa.

First day of shooting. Adam Bork (the subject of the documentary) fixing one of his many vintage cars.

Putting the story together, act by act.

The Food Shark (food truck) - run by Adam Bork and his wife Krista - was the subject of the documentary.

Main street in Marfa

Another view of Main St. at dusk

The night of the screening.