Texas State Capitol

My oldest son, Jimmy, called me last evening and said, "Guess where I'm standing, Mama! On the star in the State Capitol!" Having been to the Texas State Capitol quite a few times in the past, I said, "Wow! Is the statue of Stephen F. Austin still there by the door? He was a small man and the statue is almost lifesize.....a few other statues used to be there by him, too...maybe Davy Crockett?" He walked over to the door and said, "They are still here.....along with Sam Houston, too!"

We talked a few minutes about how much they were enjoying seeing the Texas State Capitol. They had gone into the Senate where school legislation was being debated, to see how government works, and then explored all over the building.  It is a beautiful piece of architecture made of pink granite with the wide Congress Avenue leading up to it...as impressive inside as out...especially beautiful at the end of the day, when the setting sun is shining on the tall pink dome under a clear blue Texas sky.  

 Jimmy said they had missed the bats going out from under the bridge a few streets over from the Capitol....I had seen them many times, and the three little girls would have really liked seeing them fly out....I told him if they went to Sixth Street to be careful....used to be you could walk anywhere in Austin at any time, day or night, and not have to worry.

They had planned to go to San Marcos and float down the river, the Frio, I think...but Esther being pregnant prevented them from doing that, so they went on to Austin...Lake Travis in Austin is also nice, and there are many things to see and do...I love Austin...perhaps because it is laid out about the same way Waco is....also it is a city full of important historical things, with even the streets named for Texas heroes and statesmen.

What I really like is that Jimmy and his family chose to stay in Texas for their vacation, instead of going to Colorado skiing or whatever in other states, as they had in the past...that keeps the tax dollars and the tourist industry going in Texas...plus, if driving, the high price of gas would be a big factor in the decision to stay closer to home....There is so very much to see in Texas if one will only look...

I told Jimmy he needs to watch my 2-volume movie, "TEXAS", based on the novel of the same name by James Michener, to really understand the history of Texas and what has made it so uniquely different in so many ways from other states. And, if he wants to take a week or two, or a month even, to read Michener's 1,096-page novel, "Texas", he can borrow it from me!!!