Marfa Part II: El Cosmico.

Another thing that made Marfa amazing... the accommodations. We stayed in a little place best be described as a boutique campsite. A place known as El Cosmico. Keeping in line with the Marfa theme, it was minimalist yet vintage, comfortable but not too flashy, and it just reeked of one-of-a-kind charm. In case you can't tell from the photo, the place is made up of suites of vintage travel trailers from the 1950s and 60s! Eek. Gasp. Swoon.

And not only was the place made up of vintage trailers, but it was decorated with a stark and restrained elegance that kept the place from being kitschy. Instead, the styling made if feel modern. There were no TVs, but instead little red radios tuned to Marfa public radio. The trailer featured golden wood from floor to curved ceiling, with nary a decoration to compete with the architecture. There was just a framed print of a Hindu god, a couple of wicker hanging lamps, a few offerenda candles, and a orange retro fan. Outside, our trailer had an open air claw foot bathtub and a rope chair that looked like sculpture. Inside, a tea kettle for brewing morning coffee dotted the two-burner store, and a tiny hotel-sized Dr. Bronners soap sat by the sink for the washing. It. was. HEAVEN.

The landscape is flat and dry, and perfect for lounging outdoors. It's so much less sweaty than San Antonio. And that chair looked like a piece of art.

The trailer had a living space with a "sofa", a dining table and stool, a cozy little kitchen with stove, fridge and sink, a toilet, and a bedroom. there was lots of storage and we moved right in to keep the place neat and pretty and home-like.

Our patio featured an old claw foot bathtub, surrounded on three sides by green canvas walls. It ran hot water for a bath under the clouds. The whole thing felt a bit obscene, as there was a definite chance of the neighbors spotting you as they walked to their own trailer, but the lack of modesty was somehow a bit appropriate in the wilds of Marfa.

To prepare ourselves for trailer sleep, Anne and I sat on our patio and drank some beers under the stars before bed, with Marfa public radio playing quietly in the background. They played Cher and old country and some new indie stuff and it was amazing. I slept in the bedroom and Anne choose to sleep on the sofa, so I had this little space all to myself. It looked so pretty and peaceful before I hit the hay. It turns out the windy Marfa evenings make a trailer rattle like the dickens, so I recommend earplugs next time, but it sure has ambiance even if it was noisy.

The second night at El Cosmico, our trailer was booked, so we moved in to a yurt in a sunny, grassy field. The yurt was charming and comfortable, with a raised wooden floor decorated in a cowhide rug, and a mattress with woolen blankets and a heating pad for the chilly night. A punched tin lantern hung from the ceiling. At night it lit up a pattern across the dome that made the whole round room glow like a Christmas ornament. There was an open roofed shower, toilet, and sink close by, plus a shared kitchen near the hammock grove for meals (not that we cooked). Really, it was glamorous camping, highly recommended for those of you that don't "camp" but want a taste of outdoor sleeping.

And did I mention the hammock grove? Nothing beats a mid-afternoon nap in some hammocks in the warm shade of Marfa, under a big blue sky.