Day two arrived on schedule and I was ready to get legal in Laredo. But let me digress for a moment and note some interesting observations. I’ve only been out of the country for 4 months, but already I can sense the difference on returning NOB. For instance, they print signs in a language I can read. The streets are smoother – no topes, a HUGE improvement. Also, it’s truly amazing, you drive up to a little box and order food, then you pull forward to a window and a guy hands it to you, no parking and running off the car washers, no twenty minute wait for the food to be served, no waiting 20 minutes for your check, you just pull up, get the food and go! – what a concept. And the stores here – wow, grande, huge, big! They even had a radio station that spoke English (but only one, after all this is Laredo on the border).

So, breakfast ala brief and I headed directly to the Webb County Court House and waited for them to open the door. As I was parking the car I noted a restaurant across the street with a sign saying: “Pasele, we are open, we accept most visas, bring your friends and family NO CHECKPOINT” – well, life here is a bit different. I not only got legal plates, but I popped for special ones that look like the Texas flag (that should impress the gringos at the lake with their silly South Dakota plates) – my TX identity remains intact.

Back on the road again about thirty miles north of Laredo I look at the overhead console and there it is again “0 miles to empty” – there seems to be a trend here. I had intended to fill up SOB as it cheaper, but of course forgot. Fortunately a town popped up before I sucked the tank totally dry and I filled and headed on to the INS checkpoint. While a nice man and a BIG dog sniffed my car for drugs, explosives and/or food, a second fellow asked if I were a US citizen. We suddenly careened into a potential disaster point as I’ve been trying very hard to learn to say “Si and por favor etc.” and I started to answer his question with “Si”, but suddenly the specter of a protracted and uncomfortable conversation regarding my sincerity, my heritage, nationality and sense of humor flashed before my eyes and I managed to summon up a “YES SIR” and as we had passed Fido’s sniff test we were waved on – that was a close one.

At about San Antonio it began to blow and the Jeep isn’t exactly low profile I was struggling from there on. The side gusts were in excess of 50mph in places and by the time I reached Marble Falls the visibility was closing down. I lived in TX for 27 years and never saw that amount of dust and lack of visibility; it was blowing the fuzz on peaches in Fredricksburg!

I checked in and did some shopping for items on the list, shipped the painting to Canada, checked in and then to the storage room. As I picked my way through the maze of my life I did suddenly feel a loss seeing what was my former life in stacks and boxes, I also saw lots of stuff I thought would be great in MX, but I restrained myself and started looking for the specific items I had listed.

At the top of the list were the original computer disks for my operating systems and Office programs etc., the power washer and some tools. I began the process of moving items to the front to be brought back.

My good friends George and Karen met me that evening for dinner at my favorite Chili’s and while we couldn’t sit out on the deck it was wonderful to visit with them and show off my new tan (loved it). But the wind continued to howl and the visibility was very low. As an aside, have you ever noticed that when it blows, horses stand with their tail end toward the wind? – that’s also why they have tails, to cover potentially “exposed” areas where the wind might cause their eyes to bug out – really.

The adventure continues in the next edition titled “8 cans of Krylon spray por favor”.