We woke up to what would become a somewhat familiar scene: two people somehow finding enough privacy in a Walmart parking lot and next to the largest vehicle in that lot to carry out an illicit affair. Ward took the dogs out at 8:30, and noticed that despite the almost empty parking lot, a middle age woman had decided to park right next to the RV. She was still in the car, putting on make-up and adjusting her hair. Ward didn't think much of it until he walked back to the RV and saw a second vehicle, a truck that now housed the woman and a man canoodling in the front seat. They didn't pay much mind to Ward or the dogs. When we pulled away at 8:55, both cars were gone, presumably off to work. So it appears that Walmart now rolls-back prices and wedding vows. But the sad thing isn't how public this tryst was, but how short; 20 minutes in the morning in the front seat of a Ford 350 just isn't enough, but what do we know about modern romance? We are just proud that they chose to park by us, and like to think that they saw the RV as a symbol for Love on the Run.
As hot as that might have been, the weather had again turned against us, dropping into the 30s and threatening not to get much warmer. The next thing on our calendar was another library booksale in San Antonio the following Friday, so we decided to head back to Pecan Park in San Marcos so that we could at least freeze in comfort. But first, we had to hit up The Tamale House, a famed Mexican breakfast/lunch spot with cheap eats. Under the astute and remote guidance of Joel and Andrew, we made sure to order Migas, a breakfast favorite of scrambled eggs, onions, and stale tortilla chips served with rice, beans, and flour tortillas. Amazing. Stephanie ordered a few 85 cent tacos, and it was clear why Migas was the famed dish. Not that the tacos were necessarily bad, but the Migas was perfect.
Later in the day, back in San Marcos, we mailed 6 boxes of books back to Richmond. At the time we're writing this, 1 month later, one box still hasn't arrived. It most likely is with the box that is still en route from New Orleans, mailed on February 1st. Hmmmm. The USPS has been a good friend to Chop Suey over the years, so we're hoping that they are just taking our books on a nice tour of the United States before carefully and kindly delivering them to Cary Street.
As the Texas light faded and gave way to bright stars and freezing winds, we made great use of the recreation room at Pecan Park. During our first visit we noticed that the 800 square foot room was heated and equipped with a full kitchen, a huge flat screen, and 6 large tables that were apparently only used for puzzles. We had just bought a 1000 piece puzzle that morning at a thrift store and were anxious to start it, so we basically set up camp there for the night. The best thing about this room is that nobody used it after 5 pm, and we were given the keys so we could stay as late as we wanted. This is one thing that we have noticed about RV parks: despite the amenities (heated pool, hot tub, clean bathrooms, rec room with a full kitchen, beautiful river walks, etc.), the residents don't really seem to care enough to use them. Maybe it's the cold weather that is keeping people inside, but even when it is warm, we have noticed that people just like to hang out in or around their RVs. Granted, they are living in mobile homes that cost well over $100,000 and are full of plenty of modern comforts, but this tendency to stay put runs contrary to the very idea of RVs: movement, travel, and adventure. Rather than exploring, most of the people we have met just travel enough to get to the park, and then they don't leave until they are on to the next one. It reminds us of the people who buy SUVs because of the adventurous commercials, but then hate to get them dirty on city streets. In any case, their inertia was to our benefit, giving us the full run of this large room. We cooked a red Thai curry, started our puzzle, and watched Rocky on AMC.
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