Members Only

It was another hot afternoon on asphalt, and by the time we arrived in Uvalde, John and I decided to head to the town square for a beer. (Those crazy masses of squawking birds I encountered in Louisiana had found their way here and were roosting in the trees.) We circled around for some time without any luck and decided to pop into a local steakhouse for a brief cocktail hour instead. As we were about to enter, we noticed a plain wooden door to the side. "Private Club," it read. Intrigued, we went inside and learned from the bartender that Uvalde--which is incidentally the birthplace of Matthew McConaughey--is a semi-dry town. That is, alcohol can be served, but only in so-called private clubs. Having found the only watering hole in town, we decided to spring for the standard three-dollar membership, which lasts three days. We took note of a warning on the wall that "Walked tabs may result in loss of membership."