El Rancho Chaa

Ranching: I cannot imagine a lifestyle which could be better suited to my nature. I must have said a very pure prayer at some point in my life. The sheer scale of it, with its huge spreads of land, big machinery and equipment, and large animals, thrills me. The myriad of skills which one must possess to be successful or even competent I find impressive. Then there is the nurturing of animals, the consistency of action and attention to detail. I am acutely aware of the sheer physicality required in ranching; it challenges me to my toes.

Whether or not I will get to engage in a ranching lifestyle remains unclear. That I am exposed to it through the graciousness of my ranch partners is something I am very grateful for. That I will live in proximity to it is evident.

The Chaa Ranch remains one of the true blessings of my life. Here are a few pictures of that amazing place. You see the approach, from the rugged drive up into the foothills of the Chinatis, a lazy late afternoon hanging out with our family of horses, Pilar returning from a 5-day backpacking trip into the wilderness, and Dane hauling water down to the garden trees.

Far West Texas; the real thing

I have come to live on the broad, luminous plains and broken terraces which feel to me like the farthest southern extremity of this nation. A vast geographic area which up until now has been isolated due to its extreme remoteness. I could be in Tierra del Fuego or Patagonia.

I am like a horse turned out into new country. I am imprinting my new interior landscape; the landscape I hope to inhabit for the rest of my life. The sweeping vistas and huge skies, the colors and shapes, smells, names, landmarks, and stories, are all pouring into my being. It is a tactile sensation of feeling my chest expanding, my heart softening towards the whole of this place. I try to imagine what it will be like one year, five, and twenty years from now. Will I ever get used to it? Yes. Will I take it for granted? I hope not.

Marathon, Alpine, Marfa, Ft. Stockton. The Marfa Plains, the Chinatis, Davis Mountains, Mitre Peak, Twin Peaks, Paisano Pass, The Divide. All are pictured here.

Each day brings new experiences, new sensations. This world is opening its arms to receive me. People go out of their way to accommodate me and make me feel comfortable. Texas hospitality.

To Alpine!

Unbelievable to finally be here! The permanence and blessed finality doesn't really sink in; it's too hard to understand after all these years of longing. I'm riding on a wave of trying, trying to pretend that it's real and knowing that only the passage of time will sink this knowledge into my bones and heart. It's all good, and I'm acutely aware of every stage.

As we drive the road to Alpine, I'm eager to snap shots which portray the beauty and magnificence of this land. I'm only marginally successful. As we descend the hill into my new home and I see the town framed by the Twin Peaks to the left and the university sitting on the hill to the right I am overcome by my strong emotions. I am incredibly lucky to be able to settle here.

Gosh, I have a lot of stuff! After all the sorting and sloughing off, it still fills a 20 x 20 storage unit to brimming. I am grateful to have two immensely strong and cheerful helpers. How Dane was able to walk down the gang plank with no visibility is still a mystery to me. You can see we experienced high spirits as the job neared its end. Roping a double barrelled shotgun feels like a uniquely Texan experience! And that's me, taking the rope and shotgun for the final pose.

Pilar

Texas Move: The Journey

No modern odyssey is complete without a traffic jam, and Denver was a doozey. Another feature of city life that I definitely will not miss. We slept on the road outside of Vaughn, New Mexico, and awoke to the vast open spaces of the Llano Estacado.

That rakish tilt of the UHaul truck is not due to the slope of the road surface - it was truly lopsided! The farther south we drove, the hotter it got and the better we felt.

We arrived to rain and rainbows at the journey's end at our partners' ranch in Ft. Stockton, Texas. That's MR showing the boys his pet turtle.

Pilar

Texas Move: Pine St. to storage; then into Sue

Hello All,

At long last I am reaching out to family and friends! Please forgive this format for checking in. I had fun photographing moments during the move, and I would like to share them - at your option to view. The move was indeed arduous, but also smooth. I had help from my mother Carole, Isaac (white hat), Travis (black hats), and T's friend Dane Hansen (no hat!). Travis and Dane drove with me all the way from Boulder to Texas, keeping me in good spirits with their humor and antics. I didn't really need too much encouragement in the good spirits department. Each sign post, each view and marker that we passed of my many long drives I silently saluted on this final journey. Of course I will return to Boulder and Colorado for visits, but never under the kind of duress which I have experienced these past 15 years. Never with the sinking feeling of sadness at leaving the place that I love.

The entire trip was colored by the huge ruined hulk of a rental truck which kept us constantly on edge. Never, never rent a truck from UHaul, especially a 27-footer!! We called her "Sue". ("Life ain't easy with a truck named Sue.......") To watch the two precious boys and all of my worldly goods listing and careening around corners in my rear view mirror was enough to keep me constantly alert at the wheel.

We arrived in St. Stockton with a huge sigh of relief. The next day we drove to Alpine, unloaded the van into my 20 x 20 storage unit (with very little room to spare!), returned "Sue" (more big sighs!) and drove back to FS. The following day saw Travis and me riding horseback on the neighboring ranch looking for MR's missing bull and - after 6 hours - got him to within 100 yards of MR and his trailer and expertise. We were easing the bull and 6 heifers through a brushy draw when they scattered and we lost them all! Welcome to West Texas, Pilar!

Here are a few descriptive pictures. I am not very good at electronic tasks; please bear with my ineptitudes. I will keep this going for a little while.

Love,

Pilar