CA to NY 6

Day 27 8/3/17

Today Chuck and I drove into Austin, the capital of Texas. Chuck visits frequently as Facebook has an office in the heart of the city so he knows his way around and was a good tour guide. We didn't stop for a visit; we had to make it to the capitol before it closed for the day. We were fortunate to catch the State Senate in session. An interesting note worthy of some thought: Unlike other State Senates, Texans meet for just 140 days every odd numbered year beginning the second Tuesday in January. With that short amount of time, I guess the pressing, more important agenda items rise to the top and get taken care of immediately. This is loaded with political implications (and comments) for our own national scene now taking place in Washington.

A massive and beautiful structure

On top of the copper roof installed in 1887, workers placed
the zinc Goddess of Liberty statue in February of 1888.

Constructed of Sunset Red granite, the Capitol has
stood as a symbol of the legendary spirit of Texas

We entered through the South Foyer and...

...were greeted by Sam Houston, the only person in
American history who served as governor of two states;
Texas and Tennessee, and...

...Stephen F (Fuller). Austin, the Father of Texas

An impressive view looking up about 218 feet.

And from the third floor above looking down at the terrazzo floor, you see
the six seals of the countries whose flags have flown over Texas:
Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, The Confederate States of American and the United States.

To see the rest of the photos taken click on this link for the Austin Capitol Photos

After that visit, dinner was at Coopers BBQ, recommended by Chuck's former manager. A very popular and interesting dining experience. Click HERE for the total experience.

First you tell the chef what kind of meat and how much of it
you want: ½ pound, ¼ pound. He'll cut it, dip it in the pot of BBQ sauce
and lays it on a piece of butcher paper on the tray.

Then, while another fella weighs the meat, you select what
sides you'll want.

The bar featuring a nice selection of draft IPA

Dining outside is available also.

More dining area to the right of the bar.

While dining on a picnic type table, I was able to watch people pass by, a favorite pastime for me.  

So, to end the day, we took the 40 minute trip back to Georgetown. There's a phenomenon, a nightly ritual during the summer that takes place at the Congress Avenue bridge in Austin. When they rebuilt the bridge over the Colorado River, the crevices beneath became the new home for the Mexican free-tail bat. It's warm for the pups and there are no predators. Pregnant females come to give birth each year and, at dusk, a million and half bats leave those crevices to devour 30,000 insects each night. It's the largest urban bat colony. I did not get to see that in person, but on the way home, at 7:47 pm, Chuck caught a glimpse of a group of them. I can confirm their effectiveness because during my entire visit, I was not bother or did I see any insects...like the annoying ones for campers.

Fortunately, Chuck was the driver; that enabled me to get the quick shot.

Click on THIS link to see the one minute video clip; it's quite a sight.

Tomorrow's blog: The Inside Space Cavern Tour....like Mr. Claustrophobic is going into the depths of the earth. Really Chuck? Oy.