“ We found our paradise . Now close the gates .” So how did so many more people find “ el despoblado ” in this very recent past ? Certainly articles in Outdoors magazine and in the New York Times travel section contributed . Word of mouth for sure . Then came Covid with its lockdowns , when we all were warned to keep distance from others . Out here seemed attractive , where distance from others was the natural state of being , where little effort had to be made to isolate oneself , where a person could feel their solitude and not see it as following rules of quarantine .
And so it has happened , springing up all over , white dots of trailers and houses . More people , but also a larger variety of people . Used to be that ... it took an adventurer to live out here , someone willing to live more spartanly , often someone who did not need electricity , who didn ’ t mind catching rainwater to drink . Nowadays , it ’ s not unusual for a person to purchase land here , have a well drilled , and bring in a readymade or manufactured home . And not necessarily a cabin but more like a suburban home .
In Terlingua some years back there was an annual tour of homes , a fundraiser for the local theater group . Each year we would pile into vans and be driven to 5 or 6 homes , examples of the unusual and creative ways that people found to build their homes , often using what was available to them on their own land . Stone , adobe , strawbale , papercrete . Outdoor showers , outdoor kitchens . Newcomers now are less likely to get to experience these wonders .
So , back to the finger wave . More people means it ’ s harder to keep track of everyone , to remember if you ’ ve met them , to remember what they drive . And of course , besides the new folks who have moved here , there is now also the abundance of vacation rentals , bringing all sorts of temporary people onto the local roads . It ’ s now more likely that you don ’ t know the person in the car coming towards you than you do .
But maybe that ’ s no longer important , should no longer be the consideration or the measure of whether to wave a howdo . What used to be is no longer what is , that ’ s obvious . Could it be that what is most important is to take a deep breath and open up to welcoming those who have been fortunate enough to find this paradise , even in its new version . Used to be that ... we did that with a finger wave . �
Cenizo Spring 202217