Ahh, Texas. This year for the first time I visited my parents who were snowbirding as usual during cold Wisconsin weather in Alpine, Texas. Alpine is a very nice town. It's got about 4 stop lights (ok, maybe a few more, since it's also got Sul Ross State University). All the streets are wide and straight (compared to the Bay Area, they are), and there is practically not a single hill in the whole town (except an incline leading up to the college). There is also a nice restaurant and hotel, Holland House, that purports to run the smallest brewery in Texas (the brewmaster, whom we couldn't meet because of some legal troubles he's having, came from Bavaria). We ate there and enjoyed the beer.
The highlight of the trip though was the 2 1/2 days I spent with Mom and Dad in Big Bend national park. The park is huge - it takes about 1 hour to drive through (similar to Yosemite, but less ups and downs). It's also semi-arid. And, a great place to take photographs. I stored my digital pictures here at yahoo photos (clicking "slideshow" will give you the easy to watch 5 minute show).
One photo of note is the "Prada Marfa" permanent art exhibit (shown below).
This exhibit, featuring real Prada shoes and handbags (I read on the sign these were donated by Prada Italy), has already been vandalized in the year or so since it opened in the middle of ranch country about 20 miles outside the town of Marfa (approx. pop. 2,000). A friend and I speculated this was because of the high price of the shoes, which apparently retail as a pair for over one thousand dollars! This friend, who is Texan, doesn't like the exhibit. She says it's an insult to the local people, because the exhibit says "you can look but you can't shop." (the door does not work) Or something like that. I think, hey, it adds coolness and hipness to the place.
In any case, "Bid Bend country" is a cool place to visit in winter. Also a real bargain compared to the West Coast. Put it on your destinations list...
