December 21, 2001 Laredo, TX

Stuck in Laredo again, Howdy all, we are still in Laredo, as you might have guessed by the title.  We still haven't sold the car yet, and we can't enter Mexico with the car cause its still in brother Lee's name, but we are managing to entertain ourselves pretty well while we're stuck in Laredo.  We have implemented several money saving strategies for our entertainment here: we go to a matinee move then theater hop, thereby seeing 2 movie for $3.50, we use the computers at Office Depot and the Laredo Library, and we sleep for free at the State Park (escondido, of course). Well I guess we haven't written since before Big Bend, so here is all we have to say on that:  Go There!  If you are lucky enough to hit it at a low visitation time you will have the park to yourself.  It is a huge park, and not that many people make it all the way down here, save the nature lovers from Austin.  There is amazing scenery, boarder towns, history, and a couple of great bars- and I'm not one to talk about bars, but these were really good, mostly because they have great live music.  I guess when you live way out there, you need to entertain yourself, so there are some really good local musicians and they also get some good acts from Austin.  After BB we came straight to Laredo and have been here ever since.  We sold all our extra 'car camping' gear at the local flea market, where we were a real hit.  A couple of gringos with all our gear out on a tarp behind our car, some white boy music cranked up, and some rice and beans cooking on the stove.  We were swarmed with people trying to buy everything, especially the stuff that wasn't for sale.  The upshot is, we sold most everything except the car.  Greg almost got us killed because he was wearing only his shorts (a no no in most of Mexico) and dancing like a 'Dead Head' (actually the whole event felt very much like the parking lot at a Grateful Dead concert).  We made it out, without  bullets in our backs. We are hopeful that we can sell the car by monday or tuesday and be on the road again.  I guess that means Christmas in Laredo :(  We might try to find a church that is having dinner for homeless people, or something like that, just to have a little community for Christmas.  Hope you all have a very merry x-mas, and next time we speak, or type, we should be in Mexico, With Love, Glen & Greg