2-2-2011

Our first library booksale was taking place in San Antonio on the 4th, so we left New Orleans with enough time to make some thrift pit stops and to stay the night in Beaumont, TX. One of the first thrift stops we made was outside of Baton Rouge, but our GPS kept pointing us to a peculiar part of the street that housed a few trees and a drainage ditch. We called the store for directions: “Hello, we can't seem to find your store. We're on Branford, but we're not sure where you are.” “Y'all know where Gautier is?” “No, we're not from here. How far are you from Louisiana State University?” “I don't know about that.” Well, it turns out that the store is within 2 miles of LSU, on the same road in fact. This is a problem we have encountered any time we ask for directions; the person we're asking has very little comprehension of where they are in relation to anything around them. Even if said landmark is the one of the most notable locations in their city. The best most have been able to do is give us fast food restaurants and bearing points. Sonic has been used 3 or 4 times, each time in a different city. We've come to realize that if our final destination isn't within 400 feet of a Taco Bell, Sonic, or Jack in the Box, we're on our own.

Speaking of getting lost near great restaurants, we are reminded that we forgot to mention one of the best things about Mobile, AL, a city that was adept in hiding the rest of it's better things from us. After visiting a Salvation Army thrift store on the west side of the city, we were told of a great downtown thrift store that was behind the Department of Health. The directions turned out to be somewhat accurate, but we ended up circling the Health Department twice. The first time, Stephanie noticed a pretty gnarly food cart on the sidewalk behind the state building. We took a closer look on the second pass, and caught more details: a package of Wonder Bread, dirty and peeling menu, a lit cigarette within reach of the owner, and a line of 4 people who were dressed like they worked at the Health Department. All in the backyard of an agency entrusted with protecting the health of the city. We found the thrift store after two more turns, and enjoyed a great lunch in our RV about 60 miles west of Mobile.