Big Bend Video

A tour of the historic Hotel Paisano in Marfa, Texas. Visit the Hotel Paisano’s website.

A music video featuring the beautiful landscape of Terlingua, Texas.

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surf the local web! recommend this site to yr friends
this is yr thoughts, yr comments, yr voice
westtexasweekly.com

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Big Bend Events

Terlingua Arts & Crafts Market 10 AM to 5 PM Sunday, March 14 at the Party Barn of the Big Bend Resorts Motor Inn, at the junction of Hwy 118 and 170.
Jewelry, pottery, photos, paintings, condiments, and much more will be available.Click here for the official website.

– Need to upgrade your ride? Raffle tickets are now available for a chance to win a 2002 Triumph Bonneville Motorcycle. Proceeds benefit KRTS Marfa Public Radio, 93.5 FM.
Tickets for this raffle are $50 apiece, and no more than 200 tickets will be sold. Tickets are available online at marfapublicradio.org or at Transpecos Guitars on Holland Avenue in Alpine and at the KRTS studios on Highland Avenue in Marfa. You can also view the motorcycle at the KRTS studios, which is being displayed in the front window of the station.
The winner of the raffle will be selected at the KRTS “Radio Rendezvous” on Saturday, March 20 at the Capri in Marfa. This is the kickoff event for the KRTS Spring Membership Drive, which begins Friday, March 19 and runs through Monday, March 29.

[ Submit your Big Bend events to Matt Hodges. Click here to visit our events page and leave it as a comment to the public. Or, submit by email to matt [dot] hodges [at] live [dot] com.]

Big Bend Photos

Forget the club, use a wolf.

Contrails, Mark Ofenstein

Big Bend Tweets

RT @CBS7news: Terlingua Woman Jailed in Attempt 2 sneak Alcohol to Inmate http://bit.ly/b9Rv22
RT @duchessofrock: I hear there are trace amounts of lithium in the tap water in Marfa. No wonder my vacation has been so pleasant.
Congrats on Pizza Foundation getting mentioned in Rachel Ray’s magazine: http://bit.ly/aUBjx9 #marfa

Big Bend Dining Notes:The Pizza Foundation

To locals, this is a no-brainer; chewy, perfect crust and good ingredients make the best pizza in the Big Bend. The dining room is informal and you can watch the cooks toss the dough for your pie in the clean, organized kitchen.

The real proof is in the dough. Good pizza dough is elastic without being tough. All you need are flour, yeast, pure water and touch of salt and a lifetime of practical experience dealing with the stuff. You can get widely varying quality if you don’t know what you’re doing (which is why national chains like Papa John’s and Pizza Hut make their dough at a central location.) The dough at Pizza Foundation gets a consistent A+ from me. I recommend a traditional hearty pizza: italian sausage, onion and black olive, anyone?

The salads are great and filled with high quality produce. I love the Greek, but the bread salad is really the king. Fresh, hot bread, tangy tomatoes and copious amounts of olive oil make you forget you’re eating healthy. The fresh lime-ades are a great pick-me-up for a hot day. [A. S.]
Pizza Foundation: 102 U.S. 90, Marfa, TX. (432) 729-3377‎. $ (inexpensive)

Matt’s Pick This Week goes to A Few Too Many! 

Shows this weekend:

Thursday, March 11^th

• Kevin Dean at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
• Ted Arbogast at Starlight Theater in Terlingua, Texas, 8:00, PM

Friday, March 12^th

• Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
• Kevin Dean at La Trattoria in Alpine, 6:30 PM.
• Marathon Manhorse and Donkey Parade at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.
• Maria Moss and John Hogan at Starlight Theater in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.
• South City Jam at La Kiva in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.

Saturday, March 13^th

• A Few Too Many at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.
• Folkadelic at Starlight Theater in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.

Sunday, March 14^th

• The Dry Creek Diggers at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
• Midtown Dickens at Padres in Marfa, 10:00 PM.
• Moondogs at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.

Tuesday, March 16^th

• Big Mountain Boogaloo at Harry’s Tinaja in Apline, 8:00 PM.

[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]

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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:

Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!

La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown

La Junta Exchange– Vintage Clothing, Local Art, Curios

Kachingle is simple, user-centric, and a user-controlled alternative to cumbersome subscriptions, paywalls, and pay-per-article plans that some media outlets are considering. It requires virtually no effort on your part – you just become a Kachingler, giving $5 a month through PayPal, and then click once on the Kachingle medallion on our site. No credit cards, no passwords, no separate accounts for every site you visit. Kachingle will keep track of your monthly visits to each of the sites you’ve selected, and at the end of the month, your monthly pay-in to Kachingle will be distributed proportionally among those sites.

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“Brewster County voters agreed with County Judge Val Beard’s campaign slogan — “Keep Val Beard” — and returned her to office Tuesday. She will have no GOP opponent in November’s general election.”
Click here to read more at the Alpine Avalanche.

NIMBY NEWS ACCUSES AVALANCHE OF BIAS

The Avalanche’s completely confused editorial policy and demonstrably unprofessional unfairness toward Avinash Rangra and bias toward Judge Beard justifies the low esteem in which the American press is now held.

All over the Granite Newspapers website we read the words “community” as it relates to newspapers. Who among us is in Perry’s community?

Lastly, publisher/editor Mike Perry is directly accountable for this mess.

I know no one in journalism who works harder than Mike and Cindy Perry. But the proud traditions of the American press from the Colonial printers to the Washington Post and the New York Times in the Watergate mess demand that journalists be competent too.

Read the rest of McNamera’s coverage of the election at The Nimby News.

–For Presidio and Brewster County election results for state posts, click here.

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Nectar computers will get you running at top speed with expert skill and timely top-notch customer service.

Located at 800 N 5th St. in Alpine you can reach them at (432) 837-3021 or visit them at www.nectarcomputers.com.

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Big Bend Video

A wonderful event. I hope this video captures that.

–”Dustin Roller, Cody Higgins, Joseph Cupps being badasses. Sul Ross State University.” Thank you for the footage, Jayson.

–Marfa, My Dear: “An improvised absurdity starring Jaclyn Jonet, Black Moses and Lola “Prosciutto” Ruspoli. Directed by Tao Ruspoli, based on a story by Olivia Wilde www.lafco.tv www.marfafilmfestival.org”

–Judd at Tina Kim. Thanks to Marcelo.

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Big Bend Events

In celebration of Texas Independence and the battle of the Alamo, Dude of the Dead outdoor music festival in south Presidio County at the base of the Chinati Mountains, will take place Saturday March 6th, starting at 2pm. The festival is located 15 miles west of Presidio off HWY 170. Camping is free, BYOB encouraged. Seven bands are set to preform including local talent: Doodlin Hogwallops; Big Mountain Boogaloo, Cantina Fight and from Austin: Rayon Beach; The Flesh Lights; Shapes Have Fangs, Dead Space plus Randy Travesty.
The entry fee is $5 per person or $20 per car/truck/van load. Admission will be waived for the first 15 vehicles.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact Charlie Angell, 432.229.3713.

–Dumitrescu Gallery reception
The Dumitrescu Gallery, located inside Elms Bookkeeping at 108 N. 5th Street in Alpine, will have its final exhibition this month, with a reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 5. The gallery’s last day will be from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. April 3. Avram Dumitrescu is an illustrator and lecturer with the Center for Big Bend Studies at Sul Ross State University. His illustrations are featured in a new textbook, “Drawing Inspiration: Visual Artists at Work.”

–Sierra Club to hike Hancock Hill
Start your spring break with a hike up the Hancock Hill trail above Sul Ross State University on Saturday, March 6. Hikers will meet by 9 a.m. at the trailhead behind Mountainside dorm (entrance No. 4). The hike will take about 2 hours and is moderately strenuous. Participants should bring water, a hat and footwear appropriate for loose rocky surfaces. For more information, call Martha Latta at 432-837-1070.

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Enjoy only 2 cosmetics, enough sleep and Dr. Bronner’s ‘Magic Soap’ to clean body-mind-soul-spirit uniting One! All-One! Absolute cleanliness is Godliness! For facial packs, scalp & soothing body rub, add dash on bath towel in sink of hot water. Wring out. Lay over face & scalp. Massage with fingertips. Repeat 3 or 4 times ’til arms, legs and all are rubbed, always toward the heart. Rinse towel in plain hot water and massage again. Breathe deeply! Health is Wealth. For we’re ALL-ONE OR NONE! ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE! ALL-ONE!

Learn more about Dr. Bronner’s organic toiletries: http://www.drbronner.com/

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A Brief Editorial Note

You're number one!

Here at West Texas Weekly, you come first! My new layout and navigation reflects that:

• Popular Articles (now in the left sidebar of the homepage) features the popular articles that you comment on and that provoke discussion
• The Your Comments feature (now in the left sidebar of the homepage) provides an excerpt from your comment, a link to your homepage and your avatar. Your comments on Big Bend events are now displayed to the world.
• The User Hall of Fame (now in the left sidebar of the homepage) showcases those West Texas Weekly users who consistently provide their insight, opinions and information to the community.

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Big Bend Dining Notes: The Gulf Station Cafe

Flanked against the Alpine Amtrak Station stands one of the best little restaurants I’ve found in the Big Bend. The Gulf Station offers a limited lunch and dinner menu but packs a lot of joie de vivre from each item. Soups, sandwiches, burgers and salads are the main items but try the stuffed Portobello mushroom or roasted chicken.
It’s easy to go veggie here – we did it accidentally: Greek Salad, Garbanzo-Potato- Spinach soup and the killer choice of the night spinach pancakes made with Japanese panko, in a perfectly French beurre blanc sauce.
The place is cozy – something urban going on: tall ceilings, stained cement floors, polished aluminum tables, black chairs and Stella Artois on tap served in classic pint glasses – we could be on the left bank. The wine hangs from a chained raw iron rack with bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay from Argentina to Texas. At least the varieties are French.
Exposed three membrane brick colors one wall, a dead give-away for anything commercial built in Alpine in the 1930’s. The other wall glimmers with sheet metal and old photographs from the 1950’s – when the place was a true Gulf Station. Choo-choo-cha-boogie plays through speakers mounted near a large abstract on canvas. Chagall would not be impressed, but it is not bad.
The train horn blows, a signal for the pause that refreshes, a mistake for sure, not that the bathrooms weren’t beautiful – exquisite actually … his and hers, regular and ethyl, but when I return there is only a sliver of the home made Key Lime Pie, a sliver so small it reminds me of the inferior country to the east of France that makes the little wheels of soft cheese, packaged in tiny wedges. But the pie – par excellence! [M. Chenault]

Matt’s Pick This Week goes to SPONtaneous COMbustion!  Classic rock doesn’t get much better.

Shows this weekend:

Thursday, March 4^th

• Kevin Dean at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
• Leo Rondeau Trio at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.
• Ted Arbogast at Starlight Theater in Terlingua, Texas, 8:00, PM

Friday, March 5^th

• Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
• Kevin Dean at La Trattoria in Alpine, 6:30 PM.
• SPONtaneous COMbustion at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.
• Butch Hancock’s Townes Tribute at Starlight Theater in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.
• Trevor Reichman at La Kiva in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.
• Doodlin’ Hogwallops at Padres in Marfa, 10:00 PM.

Saturday, March 6^th

• Stone Honey at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.
• Moondogs at Padres in Marfa, 9:00 PM.
• Lady Gaga (Joe and Trevor) at La Kiva in Terlingua, 8:0o PM.

Sunday, March 7^th

• The Dry Creek Diggers at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.

Monday, March 8^th

• Trevor Hickle at Starlight Theater in Terlingua, 8:00 PM.

Tuesday, March 9^th

• Big Mountain Boogaloo at Harry’s Tinaja in Apline, 8:00 PM.

[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]

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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:

Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!

La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown

La Junta Exchange– Vintage Clothing, Local Art, Curios

BREWSTER COUNTY, DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY

RACE NAME PARTY PARTY EARLY VOTES PERCENT TOTAL VOTES PERCENT
U. S. Representative District 23
Miguel Ortiz DEM 204 24.87% 324 20.46%
Ciro D. Rodriguez – Incumbent DEM 616 75.12% 1,259 79.53%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 820 1,583
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
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Governor
Alma Ludivina Aguado DEM 41 5.30% 84 5.57%
Felix (Rodriguez) Alvarado DEM 60 7.76% 171 11.35%
Bill Dear DEM 15 1.94% 29 1.92%
Clement E. Glenn DEM 36 4.65% 58 3.85%
Star Locke DEM 26 3.36% 45 2.98%
Farouk Shami DEM 102 13.19% 205 13.61%
Bill White DEM 493 63.77% 914 60.69%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 773 1,506
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 23.63% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Lieutenant Governor
Linda Chavez-Thompson DEM 336 43.97% 734 52.54%
Ronnie Earle DEM 231 30.23% 390 27.91%
Marc Katz DEM 197 25.78% 273 19.54%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 764 1,397
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 21.92% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Attorney General
Barbara Ann Radnofsky DEM 516 100.00% 1,015 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 516 1,015
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 15.93% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of the General Land Office
Bill Burton DEM 381 56.44% 666 50.03%
Hector Uribe DEM 294 43.55% 665 49.96%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 675 1,331
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 20.89% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of Agriculture
Richard “Kinky” Friedman DEM 398 52.64% 830 57.39%
Hank Gilbert DEM 358 47.35% 616 42.60%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 756 1,446
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 22.69% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Railroad Commissioner
Jeff Weems DEM 511 100.00% 1,032 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 511 1,032
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 16.19% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
Jim Sharp DEM 518 100.00% 1,029 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 518 1,029
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 16.15% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5
Bill Moody DEM 496 100.00% 997 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 496 997
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 15.64% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9
Blake Bailey DEM 488 100.00% 886 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 488 886
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 13.90% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6
Keith Hampton DEM 500 100.00% 996 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 500 996
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 15.63% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
State Senator, District 19
Luis C. Juarez, Jr. DEM 167 22.93% 319 22.51%
Carlos Uresti – Incumbent DEM 561 77.06% 1,098 77.48%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 728 1,417
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%

BREWSTER COUNTY, REPUBLICAN PRIMARY

RACE NAME PARTY EARLY VOTES PERCENT TOTAL VOTES PERCENT
U. S. Representative District 23
Francisco “Quico” Canseco REP 29 13.48% 50 12.59%
Joseph Mack “Doc” Gould REP 41 19.06% 76 19.14%
Will Hurd REP 90 41.86% 171 43.07%
Mike Kueber REP 20 9.30% 34 8.56%
Robert (Doc) Lowry REP 35 16.27% 66 16.62%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 215 397
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
—————————————-
Governor
Kay Bailey Hutchison REP 50 21.36% 106 23.76%
Debra Medina REP 74 31.62% 130 29.14%
Rick Perry – Incumbent REP 110 47.00% 210 47.08%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 234 446
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 7.00% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Lieutenant Governor
David Dewhurst – Incumbent REP 190 100.00% 352 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 190 352
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 5.52% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Attorney General
Greg Abbott – Incumbent REP 186 100.00% 345 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 186 345
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 5.41% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Susan Combs – Incumbent REP 190 100.00% 352 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 190 352
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 5.52% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of the General Land Office
Jerry Patterson – Incumbent REP 186 100.00% 341 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 186 341
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 5.35% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of Agriculture
Todd Staples – Incumbent REP 188 100.00% 344 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 188 344
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 5.39% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Railroad Commissioner
Victor G. Carrillo – Incumbent REP 65 31.10% 109 28.68%
David Porter REP 144 68.89% 271 71.31%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 209 380
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 5.96% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
Jeff Brown REP 35 19.23% 66 20.12%
Rick Green REP 44 24.17% 73 22.25%
Debra Lehrmann REP 25 13.73% 43 13.10%
Jim Moseley REP 36 19.78% 66 20.12%
Rebecca Simmons REP 33 18.13% 56 17.07%
Rick Strange REP 9 4.94% 24 7.31%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 182 328
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 5.14% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5
Paul Green – Incumbent REP 171 100.00% 312 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 171 312
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 4.89% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9
Eva Guzman – Incumbent REP 107 63.31% 201 64.01%
Rose Vela REP 62 36.68% 113 35.98%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 169 314
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 4.92% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2
Lawrence “Larry” Meyers – Incumbent REP 169 100.00% 311 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 169 311
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 4.88% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5
Cheryl Johnson – Incumbent REP 170 100.00% 310 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 170 310
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 4.86% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6
Michael E. Keasler – Incumbent REP 170 100.00% 311 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 170 311
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 4.88% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
State Senator, District 19
Dick Bowen REP 143 75.66% 257 74.27%
Robert Sol Mayer REP 46 24.33% 89 25.72%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 189 346
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
—————————————-
State Representative District 74
Yolanda Sotelo Garza REP 37 18.87% 287 49.39%
Thomas (T.C.) Kincaid, Jr. REP 159 81.12% 294 50.60%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 196 581
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #1: Photo ID
YES REP 213 93.01% 389 53.43%
NO REP 16 6.98% 339 46.56%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 229 728
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 11.42% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #2: Controlling Government Growth
YES REP 213 93.42% 393 92.90%
NO REP 15 6.57% 30 7.09%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 228 423
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 6.63% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #3: Cutting Federal Income Taxes
YES REP 220 96.06% 405 94.62%
NO REP 9 3.93% 23 5.37%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 229 428
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 6.71% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #4: Public Acknowledgement of God
YES REP 222 95.27% 402 94.36%
NO REP 11 4.72% 24 5.63%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 233 426
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 6.68% 6,371 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #5: Sonograms
YES REP 152 67.85% 268 63.20%
NO REP 72 32.14% 156 36.79%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 224 424
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 1
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 6.65% 6,371 Registered Voters

PRESIDIO COUNTY, REPUBLICAN PRIMARY
RACE NAME PARTY EARLY VOTES PERCENT TOTAL VOTES PERCENT
U. S. Representative District 23
Francisco “Quico” Canseco REP 3 30.00% 4 20.00%
Joseph Mack “Doc” Gould REP 1 10.00% 4 20.00%
Will Hurd REP 2 20.00% 4 20.00%
Mike Kueber REP 1 10.00% 1 5.00%
Robert (Doc) Lowry REP 3 30.00% 7 35.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 10 20
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
—————————————-
Governor
Kay Bailey Hutchison REP 1 7.14% 4 16.00%
Debra Medina REP 5 35.71% 6 24.00%
Rick Perry – Incumbent REP 8 57.14% 15 60.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 14 25
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.50% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Lieutenant Governor
David Dewhurst – Incumbent REP 9 100.00% 18 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 9 18
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.36% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Attorney General
Greg Abbott – Incumbent REP 10 100.00% 19 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 10 19
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.38% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Comptroller of Public Accounts
Susan Combs – Incumbent REP 10 100.00% 19 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 10 19
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.38% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of the General Land Office
Jerry Patterson – Incumbent REP 10 100.00% 18 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 10 18
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.36% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of Agriculture
Todd Staples – Incumbent REP 8 100.00% 17 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 8 17
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.34% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Railroad Commissioner
Victor G. Carrillo – Incumbent REP 4 33.33% 6 26.08%
David Porter REP 8 66.66% 17 73.91%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 12 23
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.46% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
Jeff Brown REP 3 42.85% 7 38.88%
Rick Green REP 2 28.57% 4 22.22%
Debra Lehrmann REP 1 14.28% 6 33.33%
Jim Moseley REP 1 14.28% 1 5.55%
Rebecca Simmons REP 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
Rick Strange REP 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 7 18
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.36% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5
Paul Green – Incumbent REP 7 100.00% 16 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 7 16
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.32% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9
Eva Guzman – Incumbent REP 5 62.50% 8 53.33%
Rose Vela REP 3 37.50% 7 46.66%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 8 15
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.30% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 2
Lawrence “Larry” Meyers – Incumbent REP 9 100.00% 17 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 9 17
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.34% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 5
Cheryl Johnson – Incumbent REP 9 100.00% 18 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 9 18
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.36% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6
Michael E. Keasler – Incumbent REP 8 100.00% 17 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 8 17
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.34% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
State Senator, District 19
Dick Bowen REP 7 58.33% 16 53.33%
Robert Sol Mayer REP 5 41.66% 14 46.66%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 12 30
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
—————————————-
State Representative District 74
Yolanda Sotelo Garza REP 3 25.00% 23 54.76%
Thomas (T.C.) Kincaid, Jr. REP 9 75.00% 19 45.23%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 12 42
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #1: Photo ID
YES REP 12 92.30% 23 95.83%
NO REP 1 7.69% 1 4.16%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 13 24
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.48% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #2: Controlling Government Growth
YES REP 13 100.00% 24 100.00%
NO REP 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 13 24
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.48% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #3: Cutting Federal Income Taxes
YES REP 14 100.00% 24 100.00%
NO REP 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 14 24
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.48% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #4: Public Acknowledgement of God
YES REP 14 100.00% 23 100.00%
NO REP 0 0.00% 0 0.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 14 23
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.46% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Ballot Prop #5: Sonograms
YES REP 12 92.30% 19 86.36%
NO REP 1 7.69% 3 13.63%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 13 22
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 0.44% 4,932 Registered Voters

PRESIDIO COUNTY, DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY
RACE NAME PARTY PARTY EARLY VOTES PERCENT TOTAL VOTES PERCENT
U. S. Representative District 23
Miguel Ortiz DEM 77 15.94% 159 16.44%
Ciro D. Rodriguez – Incumbent DEM 406 84.05% 808 83.55%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 483 967
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
—————————————-
Governor
Alma Ludivina Aguado DEM 49 11.55% 93 10.83%
Felix (Rodriguez) Alvarado DEM 73 17.21% 154 17.94%
Bill Dear DEM 1 0.23% 6 0.69%
Clement E. Glenn DEM 11 2.59% 21 2.44%
Star Locke DEM 4 0.94% 13 1.51%
Farouk Shami DEM 73 17.21% 139 16.20%
Bill White DEM 213 50.23% 432 50.34%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 424 858
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 17.39% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Lieutenant Governor
Linda Chavez-Thompson DEM 237 68.10% 495 70.41%
Ronnie Earle DEM 71 20.40% 139 19.77%
Marc Katz DEM 40 11.49% 69 9.81%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 348 703
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 14.25% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Attorney General
Barbara Ann Radnofsky DEM 246 100.00% 480 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 246 480
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 9.73% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of the General Land Office
Bill Burton DEM 101 27.67% 217 29.76%
Hector Uribe DEM 264 72.32% 512 70.23%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 365 729
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 14.78% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Commissioner of Agriculture
Richard “Kinky” Friedman DEM 176 49.57% 393 54.73%
Hank Gilbert DEM 179 50.42% 325 45.26%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 355 718
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 14.55% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Railroad Commissioner
Jeff Weems DEM 260 100.00% 509 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 260 509
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 10.32% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 3
Jim Sharp DEM 261 100.00% 520 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 261 520
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 10.54% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 5
Bill Moody DEM 258 100.00% 509 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 258 509
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 10.32% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Justice, Supreme Court, Place 9
Blake Bailey DEM 250 100.00% 499 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 250 499
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 10.11% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals Place 6
Keith Hampton DEM 253 100.00% 501 100.00%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 253 501
Early Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Total Provisional Ballots Reported 0
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%
* County Turnout 10.15% 4,932 Registered Voters
—————————————-
State Senator, District 19
Luis C. Juarez, Jr. DEM 113 26.77% 319 33.82%
Carlos Uresti – Incumbent DEM 309 73.22% 624 66.17%
———– ———–
Total Votes Cast 422 943
Precincts Reported 8 of 8 Precincts 100.00%

We are Brothers in Brew

Hola! I am the Classic Wineaux, the Gonzo journalist who has the stones to bring you the lowdown on Big Bend watering holes, beer joints and dives.

Who is the Classic Wineaux? He is a middle-aged aspiring writer who smokes filter-tipped cigarettes, drinks bourbon and loves a 99 cent well drink. I live in an RV, clean my rifle and listen to Country and Western eight-tracks. Don’t f!@# with me!

The bar scene in the Big Bend is lame this time of year. Sorry, folks. My advice is to hit the French Quarter (the folks who don’t have enough money to leave NOLA after Mardi Gras are the real deal) or Austin’s pubs. If you’re not drawing a fat-ass disability check like I do, you may not have the resources to rent a weekly hotel room and do so. You might be stuck out here in this s#$%hole swilling Natural Light.

However, this article ain’t about where to go, it’s about where ain’t to go. What are the biggest s@#tholes where knife fights, ugly women and watery drinks abound?

And don’t get me wrong, I love dives. Here’s the secret to running a dive, though: get a lady of the white trash persuasion with tattoos, double Ds and a case of clinical psychosis behind the bar serving drinks. Let her slutty girlfriends run up huge tabs and sleep with the patrons. I’ll walk ten miles of corduroy road to drink at that bar! Second tip, have a jukebox with some Tom Petty and Bob Seeger on it. Third tip, let the spirits and friendship flow freely until someone shoots someone out there in the parking lot.

Here are the Classic Wineaux’s five worst bars in the Big Bend

1. The Pressboxx, Alpine, Texas
This is a dive. But it’s not a good dive. No liquor, just beer. No girls. Dingy, depressing and dirty. The only event is bi-weekly karaoke. Two pool tables and a jukebox full of pirated CDs are the only entertainment.

The Pressboxx is next to a s!@#$y hotel. It looks like the kind of place where truckers get handjobs.

2. Ray’s, Marfa, Texas
This is a wannabe punk rock dive that comes off forced. Hire some f@#$ing barmaids. Have some f@#$ing drink specials. Have a band someone actually gives a s#$% about. This place was re-modeled recently but it still looks like s@#$. Mainly decorated with promotional cut-outs from Budweiser. Only the most clueless suburban hipster would think that this was an authentic dive. If CBGB’s and an airport bar had a kid, it would look like this monstrosity.

3. The Whole Goddamn Fort Davis County of Texas
You wanna put an alcoholic in sobriety? Put ‘em in Fort Davis County after nine PM on any given night. Fort Davis has dry and wet precincts and if you are a drunk like me the whole thing is a confusing cluster!@#$. Good job! You’ve created the most boring county in Texas.

4. The Lobo, Alpine, Texas.
Nicknamed ‘the Low Blow’ by Sul Ross students, this place is 100% craptacular. The toilets are disgusting, there is no liquor and I haven’t seen that many tracksuits and beepers since I went to a Run DMC concert.

This is next to a shady motel and has a lame tropical theme. Be careful, you might get something on your d@#$ that whiskey won’t wash off.

5. La Kiva
In honor of this Cowboy Poetry bulls!@# The Classic Wineaux will give the following review of La Kiva as if I was an ignorant, shit-kicking yokel who loved poetry:

This place used to be cool
Way back in the day.
It’s more touristy now… subdued.
The staff are rude,
And crude,
And may serve food
What has ptomaine in it.
(dang! couldn’t get that to rhyme!)

If you want to submit a bar for the Classic Wineaux to review, go take a flying f@#$ at a do-nut. Peace to all bar staff, waitresses, bartenders and barbacks!

[The preceding article represents the opinions of the author alone. It does not represent the opinion of West Texas Weekly, its staff, or the editor.]

Marfa – Lineaus Hooper Lorette stands on the wood floor of his old adobe home on the south side of Marfa and nods to an acrylic collage he commissioned — a trio of civil rights workers gunned down in Philadelphia, Mississippi in 1964. He names them one by one as tears roll down his cheeks.

Barrel-chested, bespectacled with a thick white mustache, Lorette is running for public office again. The former 1982 Citizen’s Party candidate for Texas US Senate is on the ballot for Presidio County Judge on the March primary democratic ticket.

“My family has a tradition of social advocacy – and I got struck with the lightning bolt,” Lorette said. He sits down at his desk and his three dogs, Anna Louise Strong, Primo Levi and Kim Philby slink to his side.

The son of an oil field worker and a radical mother whose father was an avowed communist, Lorette’s family moved when he was a young boy from Oklahoma to Odessa. Soon he was part of the anti-Viet Nam war movement at UT Austin, planning protests at night while he earned a degree in accounting by day.

“I’m a communist with a little ‘c’. You can’t expect to be a successful communist in a country that holds private property in the esteem we do,” Lorette said. “It’s the only country in the world where the land owner owns the minerals below the surface.”

He rattles off statistics, stats an accountant would know.
“Ag exemptions for property taxes were once only for those who made their living on the land. Now any rich person can own thousands of acres and pay nearly nothing to the county for schools, roads and services.

And corporations – in the 1950’s they made up half of the IRS revenue, today only twenty per cent. They can write off everything where the family can only write off the interest on their home, if they’re lucky enough to own one.”

He quirks an eyebrow.

“I’m a little worried about this interview.”

Primo Levi barks.

“I won’t get many votes among the big ranchers, but I think they should pay their fair share of taxes.”

He strokes the Blue Healer, then offers philosophy.

“I believe in good and evil and corporations are evil,” Lorette said. “Small businesses still have a soul but when you separate the shareholder from the management, and your only focus is profit, you lose soul, and you lose responsibility to your fellow human and the earth.”

Lorette grew up in the Methodist Church of Odessa but later worked hand and hand with the Catholic Diocese in Austin, helping in the accounting, active in their protests. It was there he was introduced to Liberation Theology and the left-leaning priesthood’s infatuation with love and struggle in Mao’s thought.

“Mao believed that the central motivation for humanity is love and that through contrition and self-criticism, a personal revolution can be accomplished,” Lorette said.
“That’s why Mao was so bent in changing the Confucian ethics of China, because love is more important than rules.”

Lorette became a printer in Austin and offered his services free to people like Brown Beret Paul Hernandez , and organizations like Committee for Solidarity with El Salvador, Mobilization for Survival, South West Afrika Peoples Organization, and others.

“All I asked is that they bring a ream of paper and a set of clean hands,” Lorette said.

What makes him a good candidate for county judge in one of the poorest counties in Texas where 42 per cent of families with children are on food stamps, an 18 per cent unemployment rate, a county presently teetering on bankruptcy, dependent on government programs to survive, state welfare that some might call a form of communism, a county that some might say capitalism has not been kind to, where big ranches dominate the geography and those living under the poverty line dominate the demographics?

“I’m an accountant. I know money and how to manage it.” He rolls a pencil between his fingers. “That’s what I do.”

He gives the present judge, Jerry Agan, credit for bringing in grant money, but faults him for poor fiscal management.

“The county budget went through a two month review and the $150,000 under-estimated revenue was never caught. With us on the brink of bankruptcy, there is no room for error,” Lorette said.

“And I’m a good listener. When you listen to yourself for seven years as I did, you become a good listener.”

Lorette spent 7 years in psycho-analysis during the 1970’s.
In this Freudian method of self-understanding the psychologist’s sole purpose is to ask questions.

“The question is what’s important. And I think asking the right questions are part of the judge’s job too.”

Soon after psycho-analysis, Lorette became a Taoist, an eastern religion that emphasizes the three jewels of Dao: compassion, moderation and humility.

He has written two books including Medicine Ball Exercise Cycles, which compliments his sales and production of the fitness spheres under the sports label – Lineaus Line. He has also written a manifesto of how he believes the world can be governed both at the high level and the community level – called Communitarianism.

In Communitarianism, Lorette writes, “To live in peace, we must live under the rule of law. Peace and democracy demand the creation of Communities capable of making their own laws governing the behavior of their citizens and the creation of a global judiciary to protect individual freedoms and to prevent alienation of life and environment.”

The election of 1982, won by Lloyd Bentsen on the Democrat ticket, was also a success for the Citizens Party who managed to get on the ballot in a pro-business, conservative state. Founded by Washington University science professor, Barry Commoner, the pro-environment platform was not socialist as some believed but was concerned about corporate influence and elitism in government. Commoner’s ideal form of economic democracy was based on the motto “The business of business is to do business, but the business of government is to regulate business to prevent abuses.”

Today Lorette is a god-fearing Buddhist with a sense of compassion for the poor. He is well read, having combed the pages of Mao’s five volume treatise twice, along with other classics including Herodotus, Plutarch, the Bible and Rousseau.

He is presently translating to modern English, a book called The Conquest of Weast India, about the travails of the Spanish Conquistador Hernando Cortez. Written in 1523 by the explorer’s personal secretary Francisco Lopez de Gomera and rewritten in middle-English in 1573 by Thomas Nicholas.

“I’ve worn out two copies so far,” Lorette said, holding a frayed edition in one hand. “It’s an intellectual past time.”

In his office hang a number of icons: drawings of Hank Williams and Bob Wills, Agustin Casasola photographs of Poncho Villa and paintings of Jimi Hendrix, and Tennessee Williams. There’s a collection of nearly identical metal sculptures of a man beating his sword into a ploughshare, a replication of Evgeniy Vuchetich’s work that stands in front of the United Nations Building in New York.

On another counter stands a collection of Mao memorability from China’s Cultural Revolution of the 1960’s.

Lineaus Hooper Lorette picks up a three figure casting: a man in contrition, a woman with a flower and a man with a rifle.

“Before the revolution they made a lot of dragons but after the cultural change they focused on the people.”

The hostel is an inexpensive option for those traveling through West Texas, or going into the Big Bend National Park. It’s even free for bicyclists traveling down highway 90. If you cannot afford the $15 a night, there is also a work-trade option, and the hostel is host to several folks in the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) program. How refreshing to find a place where so much creativity and property is allowed to flow and the feeling is so laid-back. WWOOFers are encouraged to start whatever project they would like, and owner Guil funds the materials cost. A workshop is available for all who desire to use it. The result is papercrete buildings– some big, some small– a brick pizza oven, an organic garden, and pathways made of crushed glass tumbled smooth.

One WWOOFer, Jarrett, showed me around, and explained to me his vision for La Loma. He stays in a small steel trailer on the property that he hopes to collect rainwater from. The water would run off from the roof and onto a garden adjacent. A kiva-in-the-making will have a domed roof. At the time I was there, the kiva had been dug, lined with papercrete, and large tree stump set up in the middle to support the roof. In the warmer months, a movie projector is set up on the roof lounge of the main building, and pizzas are made in the brick oven. The roof lounge wall is decked with block letters forming the phrase “malls and malls of dessert in every direction,” which Jarrett interpreted as a commentary on suburban sprawl.

While I was there, a delivery of lumber, cinder blocks, and pavers was made, and everyone helped to unload, along with several neighbors, who Guil pays by the hour. Once the materials were unloaded, one WWOOFer exclaimed “beer time!” I really wished I could have stayed and enjoyed that beer time with everyone, but, alas, I had to depart on my way to San Antonio. See ya later, West Texas!

Matt’s pick this week goes to Radio La Chusma!  A fun mix of a variety of styles of music just waiting to get your party started.

Upcoming shows:

Wednesday, February 24^th

• Open Mic Night at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.

Thursday, February 25^th

• Kevin Dean at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.

Friday, February 26^th

• Open Mic Night at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.
• Kevin Dean at La Trattoria in Alpine, 6:30 PM.
• Los Pinche Gringos at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.

Saturday, February 27^th

• Groupo Exito at Padres in Marfa, 9:00 PM.
• Joe Green at the Antelope Lodge in Alpine, 2:00 PM.
• Radio La Chusma at The Railroad Blues in Alpine, 10:00 PM.

Sunday, February 28^th

• The Dry Creek Diggers at Harry’s Tinaja in Alpine, 8:00 PM.

Tuesday, March 2^nd

• Big Mountain Boogaloo at Harry’s Tinaja in Apline, 8:00 PM.

[Do you have a local live music event here in the Big Bend? Share it with the world, email Matt Hodges at matt.hodges@live.com You can also leave it as a comment on this post.]

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This article is brought to you by these local sponsors:

Railroad Blues The premier live music venue in the Big Bend– Try their world famous Sangria!

La Posada Milagro– Beautiful, unique rooms in the Historic Terlingua Ghosttown

La Junta Exchange– Vintage Clothing, Local Art, Curios