Can We Make It In This Small Town When Starbucks Couldn't?

At the beach yesterday

Well, we're here in small town Texas on the coast. We've gone from a metroplex area with more than 6.5 million people to a small coastal town with 9,400 people. The main thing I ask here is "why?" Not "why are we here?" but "why is that driver waving at me?" and "why are the day camps free?" and "why are total strangers talking to us and giving our kids Popsicles?"

People in small towns are friendly. It's a broad statement, I know, considering I have only one week of experience in one small town, but I think it may be true across this nation.

Our neighbor in our temporary home has two boys, a trampoline without the side netting and a rickety tree house consisting of two plywood boards, no railings. This would never do in the 'burbs. The homeowners association would have you tarred and feathered. The boys wanted my son to come into their home to play. My son responded "I don't think I can since my mom doesn't know your mom." The boys looked at my son as if he were a martian. In the city, you teach stranger danger before potty training.

Then, the other day I signed the kids up for day camps next month. "How much are they?" I asked the older lady with soft white hair and broad smile. "They're free," she said. "Why? What's the catch?" I asked. "There's a grant for all county residents allowing children to attend for free," she said. Quickly, I signed the kids up before the rules changed. As I looked over the dates and times trying to coordinate schedules, the lady stared at me and said, "You're confusing me." Apparently, scheduling isn't a big problem in a small town.

The local coffee shop named "The Daily Grind." It's also an art gallery.

Yesterday, I was in dire need of a pedicure, so I popped into a nearby place and met another lady named Nydia.  She informed me that next weekend the city hosts its big arts festival. "Have you ever been to an arts festival?" she asked me. I had this one in the bag. "Of course, I'm from Dallas/Fort Worth. There are really big ones up there." She smiled politely at me and then said, "This is a really big one too. You better get your grocery shopping done before Friday." I blinked and stared at her. "Why?" I asked. "Because the tourists all come in and buy up all of the staples. But you can still buy beer. The town never runs out of beer for some reason." Good to know.

I also popped into a decorating store hoping to get some ideas for recovering my sofa and chair. "Do you reupholster?" I asked the saleswoman. "No, we don't. We just have some fabrics. But we do recommend a man who does boat covers."

When it took a week to get Internet service, I asked our other neighbor where the nearest Starbucks was. She laughed at me (a common reaction my family generates). "It went out of business. It's now the Burger King. And Chili's left too. It's now being turned into a K-Bobs." Good to know.

So, next week, my list of things to do is buy groceries before they are gone, contact the boat cover man, and figure out something for the kids and I to do on Mondays since everything is closed here on that day. 

Wondering if a man who makes boat covers can really reupholster my sofa.

The Wondering Texan