Travelog - Feb 6 – Day 6

Image left: Rotunda floor as seen from the first floor.
State capital showing the legislature side. Note the glass covering over the skylights.
Left photo: Rotunda floor as seen from the first floor.


Image above: One of the doorways off the main entrance
Photo side - first & second floors in the rotunda

Today I was allowed to stay in bed for as long as I wanted. I believe it was about 9:30 when I finally arose. After an absolutely marvelous beakfast of cereal with fresh fruit & eggs with mushrooms & onions eaten out at the picnic table, we loaded into the car and headed into Austin.

Our first stop was the visitor centre. Lovely place although we missed it once, then circled the block and approached it once again. We were lucky with parking and found a spot almost in front of it. The staff there are truly friendly and most helpful. After picking up the obvious, we headed for the State capital, not far away. Again we got lucky in finding on street parking. Al & I agreed to take the dogs in shifts, so I trotted off into the legislature bldg. I caught the first tour which I greatly enjoyed. I then returned to the car and switched duty with Al. The dogs and I toured the outside of the legislature with me noting some of the features I would not have noticed had I not taken the tour. I did find the open below ground, circular rotunda of the new section which was added in 1991-1995. When I looked down, several people had set up a table in the rotunda’s main floor and were talking about the rattlesnake which inhabits Texas. On the table were 6 snakes, one of which was quite enervated. It’s tail made a continuous rattling sound which could be heard 3 floors up and outside.

We returned to the trailer about 3:00pm, a long enough day for all of us. I scurried off to the main office to ask more questions and from there to take my daily shower, hot tub and dip in the pool. On the way back I met a lady from G9 (number of campsite) who was walking her whippet. Husband drove by shortly afterwards in his Toyota truck, the once Al has been going on about. She offered the use of her landline telephone connection if I wanted to call the various help desks to sort out our wireless problems.

Dinner was our first barbeque and Texas t-bone bought at a local butcher’s reminding Al of places in Honduras. Using my newly purchased local tree & bird guide, I have identified the ‘talking’ bird – a great-tailed grackle. This bird is quite the mimic making sounds like a milk crate being dragged across concrete, in addition to its usual long, drawn out squeeeek. The largish trees in the campground are live oak whose leaves have absolutely no similarity to oaks as we know them. I believe my ‘egg’ trees are eastern redcedar. Surprisingly, there is a rose bush here in the park that is blooming.

It is now 9:41pm and time to turn in. Until tomorrow.
PS The temperature today was running in the high 60’s fahrenheit.