Seeking Kinky Freedman and Donald Judd

Texas. I once had visions of dusty pickups dragging people in their wake, drivers tossing beercans out the window in a drug and alcohol induced wave of destruction. We're hoping to avoid that Texas. We're also hoping to avoid the Texas of public defenders who sleep through capital offense trials, resulting in rampant death penalties and the Texas of spewing oil wells and their liposuctioned, pinky ringed owners. In other words, the Texas of white gentile country clubs and well oiled insider deals.

Hopefully there is another Texas, where people like Kinky Freedman and Donald Judd live out their unlikely lives and attract a following. Friday we load Magnifico and Marcel DuChamp into the Rav 4 and take Route 10 through Roswell and Carlsbad. If you are not from New Mexico, you cannot imagine the emptiness of the open road here, where you can go for 45 minutes and not see a car and intersections marked "Congested Area" clock perhaps 8 vehicles a day. We'll keep you posted and if you have memories of Texas, weigh in!