The World Needs More Pie

"Give a Piece a Chance." — Books. Blog. Pie Classes. And a Pinch of Activism.

Five Reasons to Stay in Terlingua

When I loaded up my Mini Cooper and drove from LA to Texas I didn’t know how long I would stay. A week, maybe two. That’s what happens here. One writer friend said she moved from New York City to Marfa to stay for two months. That was three years ago and she’s still in Marfa. Is that what’s happening to me? In my quest for pie — which really means my search for simplicity, the lost values of slower times, and, for god’s sake, less rampant consumerism — I was led to this desert town of 200, sandwiched between Big Bend National Park and Mexico. Now into my third week with no signs of leaving I am asking myself, How the hell did I end up here and, more urgently, Should I stay?

So here you have it, Five Reasons to Stay in Terlingua:

1. Rent is cheap. While I adore my Venice Beach house I’m paying six times more for it than for the $250/month stone cottage I just moved into in Texas. Besides, I love the rustic style and the open air living. Bonus points: My new house has an outdoor shower.

2. The Yoga Studio is the coolest ever. I took an excellent yoga class last Friday for $5; it was held in a 100-year-old church with no windows and rough wooden plank floors. As I kneeled for my cat pose I smiled at the Our Lady of Guadalupe icons staring down from the altar. Terlingua churches know no religion; all are welcome to worship as they please. Even people who like to lie on rubber mats and twist their bodies into pretzel shapes. Bonus points: Dogs are allowed inside.

3. Adventures abound. Whether it’s a day trip to Mexico, a hike in the Chisos Mountains, or a rafting trip down the Rio Grande (pictured: Betty Moore and her friend Frank from Austin on our Sunday outing), there is no shortage of outdoor adventure. Bonus points: Every place is easily accessible, there are no crowds, and there are definitely no traffic jams here.

4. Naps are an accepted part of life. The ambitious, over-caffeinated, type-A pace of LA doesn’t allow for naptime. But here, in the afternoons when temperatures top the thermometer at over 100 degrees, a siesta is the only activity imaginable. Bonus points: A nap is even better in a hammock.

5. Terlingua needs pie! Mimi (my Venice neighbor who lured me to Texas in the first place — she is owner of the rustic-chic La Posada Milagro guest house here) is currently on a shopping excursion in Northern Texas. She was last seen at a Wal-Mart hunting for Pyrex pie plates and Crisco to ensure that I will have adequate baking supplies. Once she starts selling my pies at her espresso bar — we’re already envisioning people driving from miles around for a slice — she may never let me go. And I may never want to leave.