Tax Day At The Library
Garland County Library
Driving south I expected to avoid the storm that was coming from the west. Instead, the rains were fairly steady for most of the day. I received a notice that some of my tax documents were now ready, so I found the Garland County Library close by.
I spent most of the day in the library and finished my taxes. Interestingly, there were many people lined up for the county’s free tax filing service.
I spent most of the afternoon working on a photography class and perusing the library’s photography section. This library had an even larger collection than the last library with a lot of recent publications.
RC Coffee and Collectibles
I was looking for a coffee shop and found RC Coffee and Collectibles just down the street. When I entered the store, I wasn’t sure what it was. After first glance I thought it was a pawn shop. I didn’t see anywhere that they sold coffe.
Renee (r)
On further inquiry, I saw that they did have an area where they sold coffee and other food. I met Renee, the owner, behind the coffee bar and ordered a cappuccino, broccoli soup and a croissant. Everything was very tasty and well prepared.
The shop had many layers. They sold things online for people and there was an area to store the items. People rented space in the store and sold things. RC Collctibles also sold things in the store. It was an interesting concept in selling used goods with many different channels emanating from this store.
Following my lunch, I strolled around and captured a few photos of the shop. I noticed Walmart was conveniently situated across the street, so I made a quick stop to purchase some ice for my cooler. Afterwards, I made my way back to the library, where I was pleased to discover it remained open until 8:00 pm.
Little Italy
I drove to downtown Hot Springs for dinner, but the two places I went to had waiting lists of over an hour and the bar was filled at both. I found an Italian restaurant, Little Italy, further out and around the corner from the Cracker Barrel. It was a small restaurant and all the seats were taken. There was a bar and I could see a guy sitting on the end.
I took one of the other two seats at the bar. There was only one person, Latie, waiting on tables. The entire restaurant was filled with a group of musicians from an orchestra that had played in Hot Springs. Latie was clearly overworked. As she entered one of the orders, she handed me the menu and asked if I wanted something to drink. The beer selection was very basic and they didn’t have any stouts. I ordered a Stella and got into a conversation with Mike who was waiting at the bar for his takeout order. He was a Little Italy fan.
Mike runs Hot Springs History Tours, LLC. I told him I was planning on doing a hike in the morning and then leave the next morning. He convinced me to stay a few more days and “take in all that Hot Springs has to offer.” He went to his car to get a card and when he returned, Latie asked him for one as well. He told me to leave him a message if I was interested in a unique tour of Hot Springs.
While waiting for my meal, I decided to work on the computer. I had ordered spaghetti and meatballs with a side salad. During this time, I also had the pleasure of chatting with Latie. She was very attentive and kept checking in to ensure everything was going smoothly. I learned that Latie was going through a challenging divorce after being married for sixteen years, and she had moved to Hot Springs from Texas to escape the situation. Despite her personal struggles, she remained professional and friendly, even with her three daughters in the restaurant.
As the orchestra members prepared to depart, they expressed a desire to pay separately for their meals. However, the Little Italy restaurant's point-of-sale (POS) system was not equipped to handle this request and didn't easily support splitting a large order into separate bills. I told her they need to upgrade to Toast. The result was a long line forming, as the she re-entered each order individually. She expressed concern that her boss would not be pleased with the situation. She had tried many times to reachout to the owner to no avail. Despite the delay, the orchestra members remained patient and understanding, offering their support and empathy. In a remarkable display of generosity, one of the students even left her an $80 tip for a $20 meal. As she collected her tips, the server couldn't help but feel touched by the orchestra members' kindness.
I left at closing and headed around the corner to Cracker Barrel. There were several campers already setup. It was a fairly quiet location. By now, I can have the car setup in 10-15 minutes. I left the car running because it was going to be in the 30s. I read for about 30 minutes and then drifted off.