Back to Texas

We spent some time in Florida visiting and then headed back out towards Texas for a reunion with our boys, their wives and our grandkids.

First stop was Ocean Springs, MS near Biloxi. We stayed outside of town at an RV park with great outdoor views.

Then into Biloxi for fish dinner.

Continuing west, our next stop was Breaux Bridge, Louisiana (the crawfish capital of the world). We stayed at Poches' RV Park, located on two big fishing lakes and home of beautiful sunsets. It is, of course, not far from Poche's meat market and restaurant. Great cajun food at a great price. Breaux Bridge is now one of our stops along I-10. 

Sitting on the porch with the wind blowing in our hair.

Continuing west in Texas, we soon arrived and kicked off a weekend of fun with the kids and grandkids.....and Jack.

Our son Scott and his family joined us for a visit to the Texas state Capitol building. In 1839, the Republic of Texas established Austin as the capital. In 1853, Texas constructed a limestone building that lacked architectural refinement and one publication called it, "an architectural monstrosity".  

The new capitol was started in 1882 and completed in 1888. In 1989, just a little over 100 years from the buildings completion, a long term renovation and restoration of the capital began that included an underground extension.

The capitol is a roughly rectangular building with a four-story central block, symmetrical three-story wings extending to the east and west, and a dome rising from the center. It contains 360,000 square feet of floor space (not including the Capitol Extension), more than any other state capitol building, and rests on a 2.25-acre  footprint. The building has nearly four hundred rooms and more than nine hundred windows.

The Capitol building is surrounded by 22 acres of grounds scattered with statues and monuments. William Munro Johnson, civil engineer, was hired in 1888 to improve the appearance of the grounds. By the time the first monument, commemorating the Heroes of the Alamo, was installed in 1891, the major components of Johnson's plan were in place. These included a "Great Walk" of black and white diamond-patterned pavement shaded by trees. The four oldest monuments are the Heroes of the Alamo Monument (1891), Volunteer Firemen Monument (1896), Confederate Soldiers Monument (1903) and Terry's Texas Rangers Monument (1907), and these flank the tree-lined Great Walk. In the spring of 2013, ground was broken for the Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument; dedication took place on March 29, 2014.

Looking up at the capitol dome

Obviously, since it is Texas, everything is bigger.

Check out the interior door hinges.

We stayed at the Leander/North Austin KOA and here were our neighbors.

They were right at the end of the dog park.

We went back to Austin to visit the Linden B. Johnson Presidential Library and Museum. Located right on the campus of the University of Texas, this library stands ten stories tall. Most of the building floors are archives but there was still much to view on the floors for public access. Although I was not in favor of the Vietnam war, I personally believe that Johnson was the modern President who got the most done for the most people. His legislative accomplishments read like the basis of modern America. That is, until this Presidency. Johnson must be doing more than turning in his grave with what has happened and the overall attack on the Constitution, the intelligence community, the judicial system, and just about everyone who isn't in the top 1%. I guess what amazes me is why his supporters don't see it. Oh well, enough of that. Back to the library.

He was certainly a big part of my history.

Next, an afternoon with our granddaughter Haley in Salado, TX. Salado is a small town north of Austin that has become a mecca for art, specialty shops and so on. We stopped for lunch at The Stagecoach Inn. The building actually got its start as a stage coach stop. Now it is a fine dining establishment and B&B over looking the Salado Creek. Very pretty!

Shopping was pretty tiring. This guy looks like he has been there a while.

We ended our family reunion by tie dying where everyone got into the act and got something to take home.  It was, of course, at the suggestion of our son, Mark from San Francisco. He was right, it was a lot of fun.

Next time, more from Texas.