Travels of the Agnew Family for 2008.01.01 to 2010.01.31

I have heard people talking about "ropa" but until now I hadn't experienced it and boy was it an experience. "Ropa" is a Spanish word meaning fabric or clothes. In a US border town about ten minutes from our rv park there are a number of large industrial buildings that have "ropa" in the their name. These businesses get unwanted clothes from all over North America. Some of the clothes is used and is from places like the Salvation Army and some of it is brand new from clothing stores and manufacturers. A vast majority of the clothes are sorted and put into large bales (one bale fills the box of a small pickup truck) which are sold. I think a lot of it goes to Mexico. Some of the clothes is put into drums which people (usually Mexican) buy (I think). They take it to a large room, dump it and start going through it. Anything they don't want ends up in a large pile which anyone (Mexicans and winter Texans) can go through. After you have found your treasures they are weighed and you pay for them by the pound. At one of the "ropas" we paid 20 cents a pound.

Now you are wondering why I was there. My neighbours, Linda and Mary Ann and I went to "ropa" to look for clothes to use as costumes in the Mardi Gras parade that our park is doing in a couple of weeks. For about six dollars we ended up with two huge bags of clothes --- costumes for six people with left overs. A couple of the pieces still had the manufacturers tags on them.


The mountain of clothes at one of the Ropas.


Bales of clothes.

Tonight was Fun Night. People from the park entertain us with songs and skits. It was a great evening.

The hill billy band.


Ray the singing cowboy and his horse.


Our neighbour Bob and Norma sang a duet.