There’s not much worse than hotel laundries for the traveler.  Seldom does anything positive come from there.  To summarize:

• Typically the machines are old and slow
• Typically the machines are full, but have stopped spinning sometime … yesterday
• Typically the owner of the non-spinning clothes has passed out after gorging on room service
• The sky’s the limit on the price for a load.  Hotels will charge as much as modern coin insert hardware will allow

The saving grace for hotel laundry?  Wi-Fi … the greatest technology for down time … ever.

So the other day, I had been writing a blog and headed to the laundry with my computer when a woman stopped me in the hall.

“The laundry is full right now,” she said … awkward pause.  “I know that because the clothes in the machine are mine … and there is only one machine.”

(I gathered that lady … about your involvement with said load in progress … and by the way, I have been here 60 days so I am well aware on the inadequate number of machines …)

OH … but did I mention the lady had the coolest Australian accent?  Well, she did.

Karen

I waited a while, 30-minutes to be precise, because I had started the stopwatch on my iPhone so that I would know when the Aussie cycle should be coming to an end.  (Yes, I have this hotel laundry thing down … Ha … full-time travelers have little choice.  The competition for an open washer can get pretty cutthroat.)

So I was loading an empty washer, when the the Aussie came back in.  I couldn’t resist and complimented her on her nice accent.  Ha … Instant friendship.  Soon she was borrowing my computer to look up her “mum’s” flight information.  The two Australian ladies were meeting in Houston, and boarding a cruise ship for the Mexican coast, I learned with little effort on my part.

It was just a fun little cultural exchange, albeit brief.  I started my load, after retrieving a spare quarter from the washer, and handing it to Karen … the Aussie.  “What’s that?”

“We call it a quarter,” I joked.

“What is it good for?,” she asked.

“Nothing … the coin is absolutely obsolete … except for maybe hotel laundries and those machines that kids ride in front of the grocery store.” (Do kids still ride those, or have the lawyers and litigation put an end to that fun?)

She took it after several attempts to get me to take the obsolete coin.

I went back to work on a blog out in the lobby, never giving the meeting a second thought.

Ten minutes later, Karen joined me on the couch and said she had a favor to ask, as she showed me a photo on her phone.  The photo featured Karen in the side car of some old scooter.  The side car looked like a  1950s sci-fi rocket … pretty nostalgic.  The favor?  I guess Karen has a thing for taking her selfies on other people’s scooters, so she asked to get a shot on my big-O Triumph Thunderbird.  Sure … “knock yourself out.”

We snapped a quick photo, and I went back to work … and later went back to the laundry.  Karen was retrieving her dry clothes as I was emptying out my wet ones.

What the heck I thought … Maybe this American should be a nice guy and give the woman a memory of her trip, even better than a selfie on a motorcycle.

“How about a ride?,” I invited. “But … it will cost you a quarter.” (You saw that coming, dint you? … I digress …)

Ha … she didn’t hesitate.  Now wouldn’t it be more fun if everyone would be more social with strangers and more spontaneous?

Ha … we rode only for about 15 minutes.  Karen had to pick up her “mum.” (Mum would also get a selfie on the bike later …)

Before we road, Karen whipped out some tourist book, featuring “Texisms.”  She fired one off about “the kind of guy who would battle a bull with a switch.” Hmmm … That doesn’t sound like anything from the Texas I know.  (Hell.  We had bulls, but now trees and therefor no switches …) Wonder who compiled this list … I digress.

Ping, Mum

As we rode, I commented that she is pretty trusting, and should be more careful in a big Metropolitan area … Ha … and it also occurred to me … “What if she is a really, really good professional scam artist, and maybe I am about to be robbed.”  It was just a passing thought.  I didn’t buy into it.

Hearing my concern, she said … “Yes I should be careful.  You could have a gun.  You Texas can carry guns now.”

I just smiled.

Bon voyage, mate.  Hope your ride made the complete Texas experience.

Know what I sayin?