Marfa, Texas

Marfa has been on my "must visit" list for a long time.  When I tell people that I want to visit Marfa, it is always followed by a confused look on their face. "Muurrfa? Huh?, Where's that?"

Marfa is a small town in West Texas.  Founded in the early 1880's as a Railroad Water stop, now it's a tourist destination for people to come and see the mystery lights, Chinati Foundation and many galleries in town.

I was mostly interested in visiting El Cosmico.   Although I admire all of the trailers they have on their property, I was so delighted to learn that I could park campy overnight and use their facilities (for a small fee).  Max and I were the only overnight guests in the lot outside of their trailers during the week and that was fine by us!  I spent the day on my bike, "Lucy" to tour the town and snap photographs along the way.  With each block I peddled through, I kept telling myself, "I could live here!" I could picture myself living in a trailer and making art all day long.  However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized I don't think I could do it full time.

I asked each person I came across that wasn't a tourist, "how do you like living here?"  It's a question most people get all day long.  The answer was the same... "it has its up's and down's like any other small town."  I suppose I am always fascinated in how people live.  Perhaps that's why I enjoy taking the back road to travel.  Everyday is a surprise and the people who live far away from the major highways are the most interesting to me.

During my stay in Marfa, I spent the day on my bike riding around, enjoyed the museums, relaxed at El Cosmico, and toured the outskirts where the Prada Marfa art installation is located.  This town has captured my heart and I know I will be back.  Here are some images I took during the visit:

A Day At The Topsfield Fair

Danielle Dale, 2012 American Honey Princess

Who doesn't enjoy a day at the fair?  I can't think of a better community activity then going to the fair with friends and family and take in the sights, sounds and let's not forget, the food!  My friends, John and Ellyn were performing their Bubble Show at the Topsfield fair in Massachusetts so I had to take a drive out there to visit them!

I met John a few years ago on "my space" and we've become friends ever since.  My friends thought I was crazy to go to Mexico to meet a stranger (it was a little crazy) that I met online but I took a chance and I'm glad I did.

Little did I know but Topsfield fair is the oldest American fair that is held at the same place each year since 1910.  I've been to a few fairs across the country and I have to say that this one is most likely the nicest one I've visited thus far.  

John, Ellyn and Butch

As with all fairs, I find the people in attendance the most fascinating of all.  I get lost in the fair culture throughout the day with my camera, photographing people and things I find interesting the moment I see them.  During the day, I took photographs with my point and click and my iphone until both batteries died. After that, I had to just enjoy the fair without documenting it, which was an entirely new experience for me.  

I would highly recommend attending your local state or county fair.  You might be surprised at what you will find.  Here are some images of what I saw during my day at the fair.

Be a fan of the Bubble Show on Facebook by clicking HERE  They are touring all over the states so be  sure to catch a performance!

Lobster Fishing In Maine

Ever since my first visit to Maine, I've wanted to get on a lobster boat and spend a day with the lobster fishermen.  I am fascinated with the people who do it and why they continue to do it.  In a series of events one morning, it seemed as it happened in an instant.  One moment I was having coffee with Ralph and the locals and the next minute, I was on a lobster boat.  Jon the captain agreed to have me on board as long as I kept out of their way.  I agreed, hopped on board and the adventure began.

I'm always prepared to change direction at a moment's notice and this was no exception. As soon as I jumped on board, I stood to the side  to observe them and witness the synchronicity in their moments without speaking a word.  As if they could do it in their sleep, they knew the specific job at hand and did it seamlessly throughout the day.  Jon would locate the traps, bring them in one by one, discard lobsters who had eggs or weren't large enough, saved the ones that were while Ray put new bait in, and stacked the traps to drop into the sea once again.

In between traps, I would chat briefly with Jon and Ray about their lives and about fishing.  I didn't talk much since the idle time was very limited.  Mostly, I kept to myself and stayed in places on the boat where I wouldn't get in the way.

At one point, Jon suggested that I jump on a buoy (the one you see below in the distance) to get a shot of them in the boat, floating away.  I did and as I stood on the buoy, I started to wonder if the joke was on me. They circled around, laughed, took pictures of me and eventually picked me up once again.

I am thankful that captain Jon agreed to have a stranger jump on board during his workday.  After it was over, he said that not many visitors get on the boat with them so I felt fortunate.  It's always a thrill to be able to do something I've always wanted to do.  Sometimes it can be as easy as telling someone you want to do it.  Don't be afraid to ask for what you want because chances are, you just might get it!  Below are some images from the day on the water, fishing with Jon and Ray.

 Captain Jon

 Deckhand Ray