Walmart Sunbathers: Only in Spokane?

I counted TEN sunbathers in the Walmart parking lot the other day on our way in to shop. We were in there an hour, and those same sunbathers were still out there when we came out to our car! Some of them were on their phones, but others were hanging out with friends. Is this just a Spokane thing, or does this happen where you live, too? Am I the only one who finds this weird?

I grew up near the ocean, in Southern California. Sunbathing was done at the beach if you lived close enough, and at someone's pool or in their backyard, if you didn't. One apartment we lived in had roof access, and we sunbathed on the roof. Looking back, that probably wasn't such a good idea.

When we were kids, it was considered sissy to bring a towel to the beach. You just walked down there barefoot in your swimsuit and ran into the water, diving under the waves so they didn't knock you down. When you got out, you lay down on the hot sand until the sun dried you. Sand doesn't stick to you if you're dry.

There is no beach here in Spokane, but there are community pools that only cost a dollar for the whole day. There is a large Riverfront Park downtown on the Spokane River, which has a waterfall right in town. Liberty Lake is nearby. Why would anyone be a Walmart sunbather? I did turn 50 this year. It's possible I'm not seeing the attraction. Tell me what it is! I'm so curious!
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I weighed in at 152.2 this morning, 1.6 pounds lighter than last week. I walked at least a mile every day. Some days, I manually cut weeds in the garden. A few times, I got on the stair stepper. As far as my diet goes, my approach is to eat Scarsdale meals at home, and normally at parties and when we go out. I had an extra helping of buttery chicken noodle casserole at the church potluck yesterday, though, and that cost me half a pound in weight gain.