The Sam’s, that they’ve been building right down the street from us since we moved here, finally opened last week. That means we don’t have to drive all the way up to OKC to go shopping. We took Arthur on his first Sam’s run on Wednesday. He holds a lot more bulk items than the Miata.

The Sam’s is so new that the concrete floors still look shiny. There was a huge line to get membership cards, and the greeter/bouncer seemed surprised we already had one.

We went back today because we’d forgotten Velveeta and didn’t get onions and bell peppers. The place was jam packed, but there were lots of checkout lanes open, so once we maneuvered the crowds, we got out of there pretty quickly.

We also went to an army/navy surplus (is the air force less wasteful?) store in Norman today that has everything 50% off. Berck got a pair each of navy, green, and cloud BDU trousers, and I got a navy pair…about $12 each. I love surplus stores. This one had crampons available, which would have come in handy on our icy hike in Zion National Park, though I couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse to buy them now in hope saving them for when we embark on some treacherous trek in the distant future.

We had to dash back from Sam’s, because Berck was scheduled to fly in a little while. He flew today and yesterday morning and Thursday night. He said he made himself nauseous tonight practicing chandelles.

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Actual Fact: In 1996 Ringo Starr appeared in a Japanese advertisement for apple sauce. Apparently, that’s what “Ringo” means in Japanese. (I don’t know if “Richard Starkey” means anything in Japanese.)