Rain is baaaack!

June 9, 2007
Still in Waterloo, OR

It was time to do the wash and pick up some supplies, so we headed into Lebanon, about 5 miles distant. And, there was that Saturday market to visit.

We arrived at the Laundromat, filled 4 washing machines (at $1.75 each) and took off, headed to the Saturday market. The signs directed us to the Elks Lodge parking lot, but when we got there, no market! Maybe they have Saturday market on Monday here??

With a few more minutes to kill while the clothes were in spin cycle, we drifted over to “The Filling Station,” a business establishment Janice remembered driving by a year ago. (“Filling station” for you young ‘uns out there is what gas stations were called back in the ‘real ‘olden days’, and my late mother continued to use that term, and was subject to a lot of ‘hoo-hawing’ about it.)

In honor of Mom, we stopped to look at this place, even though it clearly wasn’t a gas station. It was instead a place where one could secure parts for antique vehicles, those that really did use filling stations in their days. It does business world-wide via the internet. Need a grille for your ’25 Chevy? Only $595.00 (the grille!). Really a unique place in little ol’ Lebanon.

Next stop, back to the Laundromat to put the clothes in the dryer. As we were doing so, a fella offered us some directions, pointing out to us the best dryer. Our friend was in his late 50s, had a very ruddy complexion, and if it was “What’s My Line”, you would have guessed that he was a ‘carnie’, except that he had most of his teeth. In pointing out the best dryer, he added, “You could cook a chicken in that one”, and I surmise he might have done actually that on some bleary-eyed occasion. He had been coming to the Laundromat since 1989 and I’ll bet he even had nicknames for some of the machines. (e,g, “Sock-Eater”, “Lint-King”, “Ol’ Grinder”, and of course, the “Chicken Cooker.”)

Once all of our clothes were drying, we walked to the Dollar Store next door to kill a few minutes. As Dollar Stores go, this one was a flagship. Nine dollars (no tax) later, we returned to get our clothes. To our dismay, despite pumping in a fistful of quarters, they were not dry, even the ones in the “Chicken Cooker.” Amazingly, however, was the presence of a black sleeveless men’s t-shirt and a pair of camo (camouflage) pants belonging to our ruddy-faced friend that somehow had joined our clothes. As I pulled them out, he exclaimed, “Those are mine!”
Standing next to me, his breath reeked of booze, either the remnants of last night, or, more likely, from a ‘freshener’ in the parking lot. He then realized that the rest of his clothes were in the dryer next to our “Chicken Cooker”, and tossed the shirt and pants in with the rest of his wardrobe.

We were grateful that his clothes had been in the washer before joining ours in the dryer.

We tossed a few more quarters in, then called it ‘good enough’ and folded up our somewhat still damp clothes.

Walmart was the final stop. It was shortly after noon and the late sleepers had just arrived from the hills and hollers (i.e. hollows). Language spiced with Kentuckian twangs wafted through the air.
“Where the ‘taters?”
“See if Daddy will let me work on my truck in his garage, Momma.”
“Gimme 2 packs of those buck-fifty smokes.” (Rolled horse manure??)

I enjoy shopping at Walmart, if for no other reason than to thumb my nose at the labor unions. Just like the day we went to Disneyland years ago when the employees were on strike. (Management was running the rides and having a ball—and no lines. Waiting for another strike before I return.) Oops, my conservative ‘bent’ is showing! Walmart does have good prices, though. Strolling through the RV supplies section, I bought another vent gizmo for $18.64, less than half of what I spent a few days ago at an RV supply store!

Well, that was just about enough of Lebanon for us, so we passed by Carl’s Jr and KFC and headed back to the rig for a peanut butter-pickle-and-mayonnaise sandwich on rye toast! Yum, yum!