Day 2 – Fort Hancock to Van Horn, TX

Posted by Brian on October 6, 2013
Posted in: Brian. 1 comment

Today’s ride totaled 76 miles and included 1400 feet of climbing, starting at an elevation of 3400 feet and getting up to about 4800 feet.  Much of the time we were climbing, we had the wind in our faces.  We started out on TX 20 and then took TX 192 for a while, and both of these are so-called Texas Farm Roads, where all of the vehicles using them are basically farmers.  For most of the day, except when we were actually on I-10 East, we saw very few vehicles and the ones we did were U.S. Border Patrol vehicles.

We also had a chance to chat with some Border Patrol officers at a check point on I-10 East.  They are all nice guys, eager to speak with crazy bikers on the way to Florida.  I guess we mix up their otherwise fairly routine day.

The terrain on today’s ride was almost identical to what we’ve experienced in California and Arizona.  It was the desert with cactus plants and mountains off in the distance.  It is not at all tiresome to me because I find it very beautiful.  I have some photos of our scenery below.

We started off at just after 9am MDT in Fort Hancock and took until about 4:30pm CDT to get to Van Horn, so our 76 mile journey today took us about 6.5 hours.  We made about 4 or 5 stops, most of them short except we probably did take a 20 minute lunch break along I-10.

We were on I-10 for maybe 15-20 miles today.  It’s not bad – the drivers are almost all very courteous, the truckers in particular will move over into the passing lane so that the wind they carry with them doesn’t make it to us.  Once we made it to I-10, which was right after TX 192 and with a little more that 50 miles left on our ride, we were either on I-10 or the frontage road alongside of it, variously known as either I-10 business or TX 80 – they’re the same road.  So here are some photos of our ride today.

Mark at our 1st rest stop along TX 192

Mark at our 1st rest stop along TX 192

 

Prickly pear cacti along TX 192. I thought we might not see many after this, but fortunately we did! :)

Prickly pear cacti along TX 192. I thought we might not see many after this, but fortunately we did! 🙂

 

Cacti and mountains at mile marker 95 on I-10.

Cacti and mountains at mile marker 95 on I-10.

 

We were surprised at how much green vegetation there was in the desert in October - much different from what we've been seeing in our March sojourns.

We were surprised at how much green vegetation there was in the desert in October – much different from what we’ve been seeing in our March sojourns.

 

Several times today we saw signs saying "Watch for Water in the Road." Apparently, when it rains here, it really rains. Here is a Flood Gauge sign along I-10 Business East, that can show how high the water in the road can get. There are some months of the year when you definitely could not do this bike trip.

Several times today we saw signs saying “Watch for Water in the Road.” Apparently, when it rains here, it really rains. Here is a Flood Gauge sign along I-10 Business East, that can show how high the water in the road can get. There are some months of the year when you definitely could not do this bike trip.

After getting into Van Horn, we inquired about the Catholic Church and were told it was within walking distance.  But then Beth looked up the Mass schedule for us, and there were no Masses on Saturday evening!  Sunday morning’s Mass is not until 10:00 am, and we have too far to ride to leave at 11 am or so and make it to our destination before sunset.  So unless there are Sunday evening Masses at our next stop, our quick stop to watch the St. Theresa Feast Day celebration in Fort Hancock at the start of today’s ride, and Beth and my visit to Van Horn’s Our Lady of Fatima Church (see below) will just have to do.

Our Lady of Fatima Church, Van Horn, TX.

Our Lady of Fatima Church, Van Horn, TX.

I took a couple of videos today.  Here is one of them.

Day 1 and 2. West Texas El Paso to Van Horn

Posted by Tim on October 5, 2013
Posted in: Tim. Leave a Comment

We are staying in an old, historic Hotel in Van Horn, TX called the El Capitan. It was built in 1930 as part of a chain of hotels to help the tourism industry in New Mexico and West Texas, We’ll see another one tomorrow in Marfa called the Hotel Paisano. Very elegant features and completely restored about 10 years ago. I guess it is the classiest place in Van Horn.

Yesterday’s ride was very peaceful once we got out of El Paso. We were on what is called Farm Roads on the street signs and there was very little traffic since everyone takes I-10. Flat roads, light traffic and a tail wind. Bicycle Heaven!!!

Beth picked us up in the SAG Wagon which is a Chevy pickup truck for this leg. We drove back to our hotel in El Paso and then got dropped off this morning at Fort Hancock. We have felt like the minority several times so far and Fort Hancock was one of them. We didn’t see any anglos but everyone is friendly, even when they don’t understand us.

Today was harder than any of us were expecting. We were spoiled by the easy ride yesterday. Had a head wind a large portion of the day and we were climbing. We also were on I-10 for maybe 20 miles. When we weren’t on I-10, we were on what is called a frontage road which parallels the interstate, The surface is rough but tolerable and no traffic. We were on frontage roads for 40 miles and only two vehicles passed us and both were Border Patrol. We went thru a Border Patrol checkpoint on I-10 and were able to talk to the officers. They aren’t getting paid because of the shutdown but were promised back pay when the shutdown is over.

We have gone almost 130 miles so far. We have a ways to go this leg. I have a charlie horse tonight in my right hamstring and Mark may be coming down with a cold. Tomorrow’s ride is supposed to be 73 miles on flat roads. Hopefully easier than today. I’ll be taking some Advil tomorrow for sure.

Fort Hancock to Van Horn, TX: For some reason, it was harder than it should have been

Posted by Mark on October 5, 2013
Posted in: Mark.

75 miles (121 km) – Total so far: 127 miles (204 km)

For the Texas leg of our ride, we rented a pickup truck. There are some remote parts of West Texas where we were not comfortable with Beth being by herself, so the pickup allows us to ferry the bikes to and from stopping points while staying in the same place for more than one night. Everyone else has a pickup anyway, so Beth looks like a local. She got the cowboy boots today in El Paso after dropping us off in Fort Hancock–a cowboy hat is next. This part of the route parallels or uses I-10 the entire length from El Paso to Van Horn. When we left Fort Hancock, we were on Texas farm roads for most of the morning. They are some of the best roads we have been on yet, and had almost no traffic at all. About at the halfway point, we started to use the I-10 shoulder or the frontage road when it was available. The frontage road (pictures to follow) was like our own private bike path. Less than a handful of cars passed us for many miles. We did some climbing today and that proved to be more difficult than we anticipated. I kept waiting for the long slog uphill to Van Horn to end, but it never really did. It was uphill for at least half of the ride. It never got too steep, but it just kept going up and the crosswind / headwind got stronger as the day went on. We are in an old restored hotel called The Hotel El Capitan and it’s very nice. Our steak dinner in the hotel restaurant with a spinach salad and asparagus was a real treat. Tomorrow we are heading to Marfa. Good god I hope it’s downhill.

Here is a real picture I took of the mission church in Fort Hancock this morning.

 

A mobile dental children’s office in Fort Hancock. I would have gone inside if it was open. No Saturday hours for this dentist either.

Here is a cotton field.

One of nice farm roads before we had to use I-10.

The I-10 shoulder. It was load when the trucks went by. The speed limit here is 80 mph.

The frontage road was great.

The railroad tracks are next to the frontage road.

The trains are long and they travel fast.

Day 1 of Leg 3

Posted by Brian on October 5, 2013
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After another sometimes frustrating experience of assembling my Richie Breakaway, Tim and Mark and I left the hotel to purchase some groceries and to purchase a spare tire to Tim and me.  Then around 11:30am, we left the hotel and began biking out of El Paso.  The traffic overall wasn’t too bad, and drivers by and large were courteous.

By 12:30pm we decided to stop for lunch just outside Socorro, which was the biggest town we rode through.  I have a few pictures of our stop there below.  We stopped a few more times, once to repair Mark’s flat, once to call Beth to ask her to leave the hotel by 2:15pm to meet us at Fort Hancock, and once more so that I could retie my shoes, since the laces were getting too close to the sprocket for comfort.  We made it to Fort Hancock just after 3pm and loaded our bikes up in the flatbed of Beth Chevy Silverado pickup truck.  Then we drove back to the hotel.  Tim, Mark and I took a dip in the pool and the hot tub.  We showered and changed, had a few beers while Tim read to us from “Conquering the Borderlands,” and went out to a fine dinner of (what else?) Mexican food!  I was in bed by 8:15pm!.

Here are some pictures from Day 1.

Mark and Tim at lunch stop past Socorro, TX

Mark and Tim at lunch stop past Socorro, TX

Here is what pecan trees look like with leaves on them.

Here is what pecan trees look like with leaves on them.

 

Tim and Mark drying off at hotel hot tub after Day 1

Tim and Mark drying off at hotel hot tub after Day 1.

Tim reading "Crossing the Borderlands" after Day 1

Tim reading “Crossing the Borderlands” after Day 1

 

El Paso to Fort Hancock, TX: A good start for West Texas riding

Posted by Mark on October 4, 2013
Posted in: Mark.

52 miles (84 km) – Total so far: 52 miles (84 km)

Yesterday was a long day—I worked a half day in the office starting at 7 a.m., and it wasn’t an easy schedule. Between fillings, 3 extractions, a crown and a few emergencies, I wondered, ” How am I ever gonna get out of here on time to make my flight?” Somehow, I did, and of course both of my flights were delayed anyway. We got into our hotel late, and I slept poorly, but I was awake by 6 a.m. and had my bike assembled quickly. I met Tim for breakfast at 8, but Brian never came down… Tim and both knew that meant trouble. We knocked on his door to see if we could help him get his bike together. He opened his door with shorts on, but no shirt. His chest and belly were smudged generously with grease stains and his fingers were black. He made a grave proclamation about committing bike murder. The three of us figured out the problems, brought the bike back to life, and Brian cleaned himself up. After a stop at the bike shop for spare tires and a trip to Walmart for Gatorade, beer, and snacks, we hit the road by 11:30. The ride through the rest of El Paso was not bad at all. We were able to get on the North Loop Rd. East easily from our hotel near the airport, and even though it has four lanes, it felt very safe: there were bike lanes and nice shoulders most of the way and the road surface was smooth. The drivers are extremely courteous in this part of the country. At the first traffic stop I picked up 2 pennies. Whenever I see loose change on the street, I think it’s going to be a good day. I did get the first flat tire of the whole trip, but with teamwork, the three of us were back riding in 20 minutes. The route out of El Paso follows The Don Juan Ornate Mission Trail. We passed through several small towns including Socorro, San Elizario, Fabens, Clint, and Acalo. A nice tailwind helped shove us along, and we made it to Fort Hancock by 3 p.m. The tall, metal border fence was visible for some of ride, as we were only about 1 mile away from Mexico for most of the day. Pecan Orchards, rows of cotton, fields of corn and alfalfa were prevalent. It was a very flat ride, too. Some of these pictures are from Google images because Brian was setting such a fast pace with the nice tailwind that we only took one break the entire ride. I’m still waiting to see my first armadillo and javelina.

The mission church in Socorro, TX

Mission Church in San Elizario, TX

This is the one in Fort Hancock, TX

The mountains are across the border in Mexico

A flaming margarita at dinner

I-10 in El Paso as seen from the hotel window. Did you know that El Paso is the safest city in the United States! Yes, it’s true.

6 more weeks of waiting

Posted by Mark on August 19, 2013
Posted in: Mark.

My brothers and I are riding the Southern Tier from coast to coast, but we can only do it one week at a time—we aren’t yet retired, and can’t afford to be away from our jobs for long periods of time. On the upside, it gives us something to look forward to, and motivates us to stay in perpetual touring shape. The first two segments went very well: We did San Diego to Phoenix in March of 2012, and last March we completed another section and ended in El Paso. Here is where you can look at those journals:

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=10093

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?doc_id=11834

It has been a strange summer. We have had more rain than South Florida! I am not riding outside as much as I had hoped, but my training is going fine.

Here is what this morning’s rain was like on Rt. 72 in LBI, NJ.

 I am getting lots of reading done while spinning away on my stationary bike. I do so many intervals that I actually feel very strong when I do get outside. It’s probably safer in the long run, anyway. I don’t mind the road to nowhere as long as I have a good book. My daughter and wife gave me a Kindle for Father’s Day, and the local library has an eBook rental program. I’m never without a good non-fiction history book or a decent mystery.

I had my first shouting match with a motorist this summer. I was riding in Long Beach Island, NJ, one early Sunday morning in July. The south end of the island has a nice beach road, and it gets crowded with bicyclists, runners, pedestrians with dogs, etc. Cars are not prohibited, but the four-lane boulevard is only 1 or 2 blocks away, so car traffic is (and should be) minimal. For this reason, the beach road is a great place to train. I was riding in Beach Haven at a good 20-mph clip when I was forced to slow down for a “Sunday driver.” The police require bicyclists to stop at stop signs, and I was doing so—therefore, I could not get around this car. Finally, I pulled alongside him (his passenger window was down and he had a coffee cup in hand) and I asked him to please drive on the Boulevard for safety reasons. I said I had been following him for 2 miles, and he was obviously going somewhere other than a just around the corner or looking for beach access. That’s when he called me a jerk, started to shout, and told me where to go. I might have called him a few bad names to supplement my argument. It was a memorable encounter. I had some extra adrenaline for some fast, hard riding. I should get in more arguments with drivers!

Maybe not.

The view of the ocean from the beach road in Ship Bottom on LBI.

 

Chloride, NM

Posted by Mark on March 17, 2013
Posted in: Mark, Uncategorized.

There has been a little interest in the pictures of the ghost town I posted the other day. So here is some more about the place. Chloride is about 40 miles north, as the crow flies, of Kingston, where we stayed in the Black Range Lodge. I was incorrect about the last people leaving in 1920. The owners of the general store (The Pioneer Store and now a museum) locked the store up and left in 1920. In 1975, the Edmunds, a retired couple from Canada, were driving their RV through the mountains of New Mexico and made a wrong turn, stumbling upon what was left of the place. Seven people, all seventy years of age or older still resided in the town. They were either original owners or relatives of former owners. The Edmunds bought the general store and began the restoration. All the city records were found but a good portion of them had deteriorated beyond hope from mold, bats and rodents. Ew. The Edmunds have been buying other properties and restoring those, as well. Their daughter is the museum curator and guide now. That is about the extent of what I know. Here are a few more pictures. They were taken with my old phone and the indoor pictures are not the best.

Pioneer Store and museum. Boarded up for more than 50 years.

Pioneer Store and museum. Boarded up for more than 50 years.

The inside of the old general store.

The inside of the old general store.

They sold a little of everything.

They sold a little of everything.

This is a dental chair and instruments. I don't see any Novacaine needles, though.

This is a dental chair and instruments. I don’t see any Novacaine needles, though.

This is the bank and it isn't completely restored yet. The plans are to make it into a small cafe.

This is the bank and it isn’t completely restored yet. The plans are to make it into a small cafe.

A small cabin that was moved here from further down the main street.

A small cabin that was moved here from further down the main street.

The inside of the cabin.

The inside of the cabin.

Missing the long days on the Road

Posted by Mark on March 13, 2013
Posted in: Mark.

A

A road runner on a stone wall.I got this picture while in Las Cruces in May 2012.

We rode on many busy streets to get to our motel in El Paso.

We rode on many busy streets to get to our motel in El Paso.

Here are some pictures of a ghost town not far from Kingston NM. It is Chloride, NM.

Here are some pictures of a ghost town not far from Kingston NM. It is Chloride, NM.

I visited this old town with my friend Jack in the summer of 2012.

I visited this old town with my friend Jack in the summer of 2012.

It must have been a hot, dusty place in the 1890's. The last people left the town in about 1920.

It must have been a hot, dusty place in the 1890’s. The last people left the town in about 1920.

Well, it is Wednesday and I am back to my regular routine. Work has been good and bad. Good because I’ve been so busy and productive after 10 days off. Bad because I miss the wide open spaces of the desert and mountains I grew accustomed to seeing everyday. I just re-assembeled my bike. It took about 30 minutes including installing a new Brooks B – 17 saddle. I rode it on the street at the end of my driveway for a minute or two and it felt great to be on two wheels again. It feels good to sleep in my own bed, too. And the home cooking… well, Holly has been unbelievable with the fresh fruits and vegetables I missed so much out West. We had lots of Mexican food and hamburgers during our ride, but not much in the way of green veggies and fresh fruit. Since returning home I’ve had Kale, Swiss Chard, spinach, tomatoes, acorn squash, lentils and I see there are fresh yellow and red beets on the menu tonight. Why can’t we get Holly to come and prepare all our food for us on the road? Brian needs his spinach! Let’s start a petition to hire her as the bike ride chef!!
We spent the rest day in El Paso driving to Fort Hancock, the next town we will ride to on L3. We used Google Bike Maps for directions but it was a road different from Adventure Cycling Route Map Section 3. West Texas seems more desolate than anything we have encountered yet. (We will start our ride about 7 miles from downtown El Paso as that is the extra distance we needed to ride to get to the Courtyard Marriott near the El Paso airport. The streets in El Paso don’t make much accommodation for bicyclists. It will be safer that way.) After Fort Hancock, we visited The Border Patrol Museum. What a waste of time…enough said. Wasn’t my idea!
I will try to blog about our summer rides just because I don’t get any other chance to write.

Mark

Day 8: Dance Across the Rio Grande

Posted by Beth on March 10, 2013
Posted in: SAG Lady.

By Day 8 everyone was ready for Leg 2 to end. Burnout had set in, all the scenery was looking the same, and we were all starting to miss our homes. Fortunately the last day’s ride was supposed to be pretty easy, at least compared to Day 7’s slog. And finally, for the first night of the trip, Dad had gotten a good night’s sleep.

The guys got a late start so as to avoid traffic out of Las Cruces, which meant we all got to hang out with Mary, Nalla, and Soukuma some more.

Nalla trying out Mark's bike

Nalla tries out Tim’s bike

IMG_1105

Mary and Soukuma

Texas bound

Texas bound

It was a pretty easy day for me, too. I saw Mary and the kids off, worked a bit in the room, then started for El Paso. The drive was striking for the many pecan farms along Route 28. Pecan trees are planted in grids, and it makes for a neat effect when you’re driving past them. I think one of the guys posted a photo, but here’s one from Flickr for reference. The desert was beautiful but we all welcomed the change of scenery.

I found the cyclists on a trafficky road in El Paso just a few miles from the finish line. They were all a little grouchy and were disagreeing about the best way to get to the hotel. Dad almost called it a day — after all, they’d made it to their destination city. But he decided to stick with the team and ended up leading them the rest of the way.

I checked in to the hotel, chatted with Chris a little bit, then realized I needed to go out and get some celebratory beer. I drove to a Walgreens and grabbed a cold six pack of Dos Equis. When I pulled into the hotel parking lot the bikes were lined up outside the front entrance. The ride was over.

DONE.

DONE – but of course Tim is already mapping out L3

Hotel Art of the Day

Etched tree on yellow background ~10x10" Courtyard Marriott, El Paso, TX

Etched tree on yellow background
~6×6″
Courtyard Marriott, El Paso, TX

Sorry you can’t see this too well; it was really tough to get a good shot. It has an even cooler companion piece against a green background, but there wasn’t enough contrast for it to render well in a photo. And it wasn’t fully visible.

Hotel Art Score

6/10. I’m not thrilled with this choice of matting; I see what they were going for with the squares, but I think they should either have done a thinner white matte or none at all and used a slightly thinner frame. I’m thinking too much about mattes and not enough about trees. Also, this and its companion were hung in a weird spot, partially covered by the TV. But the smallness is great — it makes you look, and it’s pleasant to look at.

Art Art Score

6.5/10. This is actual art and I like it.

Day 7: Worried, Worried

Posted by Beth on March 10, 2013
Posted in: SAG Lady. Leave a Comment

The trip is over, but I want to write about the rest of my L2 experience; I regret not having recorded the final days of my L1 adventure. This blog is for family and friends, but it’s also very much for me and for us. I will treasure being able to go back and relive these experiences.

Day 7: Kingston, NM to Las Cruces. I woke up in the early a.m. hours after my body sobered up, my throat parched from all of last night’s wine. My bed at Black Range Lodge was extremely comfortable, but I couldn’t relax back into sleep. I lay in bed thinking about work and life, finally going downstairs to turn on the coffee maker at 7.

Within a few minutes, Tom, staff cook and woodworker, freelance silversmith and gold digger, came in from outside and began making breakfast, chatting affably about life in Kingston. Mark and Tim filtered in, and we quickly downed a pot of very good locally farmed coffee. Black Range Lodge easily takes the prize for best coffee of the trip.

In continuation of my inadvertent weight gain plan, I enjoyed a hearty breakfast of French toast, eggs, turkey bacon, and fresh homemade bread. Then around 7:45 a glassy-eyed Brian zombied into the kitchen. Yet again he had not slept well. Today’s ride, while not mountainous, would be the longest, at almost 90 miles. I was seriously worried about his ability to make it, and so were his brothers. I kept making jokes that weren’t really jokes about how I could just drive him to Las Cruces. He insisted he was fine. He looked miserable.

A very tired Dad heads out of Black Range Lodge

A very tired Brian heads out of Black Range Lodge

The whole crew!

The whole crew!

Photo by Catherine -- the guys wanted to get going but she wanted to get the perfect shot

The guys, already bemoaning their late start, wanted to take off, but Catherine from Black Range Lodge needed to get the perfect “Leaving Kingston” shot. She tried to take a movie but my camera battery ran out.

After the bikers left, I did some work in my room and stressed out about Dad’s condition. If something happened to him, would it be my fault for not insisting he take the day off? I concluded that he’s a grown-up and it was his decision. His brothers would look after him and someone would call me if I needed to rescue him. Then I resumed stressing out.

I planned to meet them in Hatch, New Mexico, chile capital of the world, for lunch. I drove there on I-10 (speed limit 75, gulp) and didn’t pass them. I parked in a lot behind a gas station to worry more, making many fruitless attempts to track Dad’s location. I texted the team asking them where they were, but no one replied. After 20 minutes I started feeling antsy and self conscious, so I drove to a nearby Dollar General (there are many Dollar Generals in this part of the country) and parked Midnight Rider. For once feeling hungry (a rarity on this trip), or maybe just to take my mind off of not knowing when or whether I would ever see the guys again, I ate the small bag of Cool Ranch Doritos I’d been given by the cold check-in lady at the Holiday Inn Express in Silver City.

I’m not kidding when I say this: the happy childhood memories contained in the experience of eating Doritos were a magic balm; I instantly calmed down and finally started thinking clearly. Obviously the guys had taken a different route; they wouldn’t have gone on the interstate. I decided to head out to find them, and within minutes I passed Tim and Mark, who looked confused that I was going the opposite direction. About half a mile behind them I found Dad soldiering along.

I turned around, pulled up ahead of them, and told Mark and Tim to pick out a place for chile burgers. They asked if I’d seen my dad, which told me he’d been well behind them most of the day. I planned to try to convince him to give up again.

We ended up at Pepper Pot. Chili burgers were just what everyone needed (except Tim who was a wimp and got a regular burger) to power through the rest of the ride. I discovered that Dad’s phone had been on airplane mode, which explained why I couldn’t track him. I made my pitch for quitting, but he seemed much better after eating, so I gave it up and figured he’d be okay.

On the drive from Hatch to Las Cruces I even stopped to get out of the car and take some photos.

All of the photos look like this — indeed much of L2 looked like this

My cousin Mary arrived in Las Cruces about an hour after I checked in. I don’t get to see her often and it was really nice to catch up and spend time with her adorable kids. With the help of the tracking app I timed the guys’ arrival perfectly, and we all met them as they pulled up to the hotel. I gave Dad a hug. I was so happy his day of riding was over.

After relaxing for a bit we headed out to a nice dinner at La Posta, a huge restaurant in Mesilla that keeps a bunch of parrots in its lobby. This dinner is most notable for Tim discovering a beer he likes enough to drink regularly: Dos Equis.  He owes it all to Mark, who had been craving one (or more accurately, two) after the long day’s ride.

Nalla was good at dinner so she got to blow out the candles on the table

Nalla was good at dinner so she got to blow out the candles on the table

Hotel Art of the Day

I forgot to take a photo of the art but found one on the Springhill Suites website. You will now appreciate the efforts I have made to cut out the glare of the glass in my shots.

Blue tiles Springhill Suites, Las Cruces, NM

Blue, green, and gray tiles
~48″x24″
Springhill Suites, Las Cruces, NM

Hotel Art Score

5/10. It’s very easy to ignore this piece, which looks like a a close-up of a nice kitchen backsplash. Yeah, it goes with the sofa. It’s got some texture. It’s completely inoffensive. Its blandness works against it, though. The colors are too cold and unvaried to make the room feel homey. But its failure is partly the fault of the overall interior design of these suites, which I would label “confused modern” or “what it looks like when a contestant on a design show doesn’t have enough time to finish.”

Art Art 

3/10. I like the idea of examining everyday objects like tiles closely — genuine beauty and wonder can be found in things like this. But I detect no heart, and not much thought, behind this piece. It had the potential to be something real but it just doesn’t care enough.