I find myself becoming more conservative as I age. That’s a fact. I’m not frugal in all things, but if I can save a few dollars without much effort I usually take advantage.
So when we went to our local dry cleaners to drop off a couple of comforters, I balked at the 100 dollar price quote. One comforter was labeled as dry clean only but the other was marked machine washable. Knowing there was no way the bulky comforter would fit in my home washing machine, I left the dry clean comforter with the experts and set off to find a commercial laundromat to wash the other one.
The closest laundromat with machines large enough to handle a comforter was in Bastrop, TX about 20 miles from my home. Bastrop is a small town in Central Texas with a downtown that has maintained many of its historic buildings. The Colorado River flowing through town, just off Main Street makes it a lovely place to visit, even if you are looking for a laundromat.
We decided to eat lunch before we tackled our laundry project and found ourselves at Neighbors, a local restaurant overlooking the banks of the Colorado River. It had been awhile since we visited this restaurant and I’d forgotten the pleasant atmosphere. The Colorado River peeked through the trees as we enjoyed the cool air inside. 
We started off with Garlic Knots which are exactly like they sound, yummy yeast rolls twisted into knots with just the right amount of butter and garlic. I would have taken a picture, but they disappeared too fast!
Neighbors is famous for its pizza, but we chose to forgo the usual and try something different. We opted for The City Slicker Salad, a meatball sandwich and a meat calzone. The salad came topped with apples, walnuts and goat cheese and was served with a lemon poppy seed dressing. Delicious! Ron tackled the calzone, stuffed with pepperoni, sausage and cheese.Rich had the meatball sandwich which speaks for itself. It’s meatballs after all! It was a wonderfully relaxing and delicious meal.
After such a wonderful meal I wasn’t nearly so excited about the laundromat! Putting it off a while longer, we ducked into Best Buy for a quick errand and then found ourselves at Baskin Robbins. I mean there is always room for ice cream, right! Honestly, I don’t often eat dessert, but Baskin Robbins can almost always tempt me.
Finally out of excuses, we pulled up in front of the laundromat. It’s been years since I lived without a washer and dryer. The few times I find myself at the laundromat I am always grateful that I don’t have to be there very often. Digging for quarters, we shoved the comforter into the oversized machine and settled in for a half hour watching laundromat activity. This laundromat has a television, arcade games and booths. It’s quite interesting watching people come and go and feed the machines. Finally the washer cycle completed and we moved the comforter to the dryer. Thirty minutes later, the dryer was done, the comforter was folded and we were headed back home.
3.00 for the washer, 1.50 for the dryer saved me 45.00 dollars. Happy and contented, I dozed comfortably all the way home.
Nana's Apron Strings 