Sunday was our last day in Texas. We woke up in the morning to a Holiday Inn that didn't serve breakfast, a very perplexing situation since we usually choose Holiday Inn as that allows us to not have to worry about breakfast. Luckily, we weren't very hungry and a couple of snacks from Walmart were sufficient to satisfy the hungry horde.
Without rushing, we got ready for Church and made our way to Capitol City Baptist Church. The Simpson's were kind enough to take us out to eat after service to Taco Deli on Lamar. Bro. Simpson asked where we would like to go and I told him that Simon said that he would want to go out for Taco's. He got a smile on his face and said Simon knew him quite well. We enjoyed the fellowship and the taco's were some of the best I have ever had. We had the Cowboy and the Pollo Fantastico. Interestingly, several people preferred the vegetarian option called the "Space Cowboy". While the time was great and the weather was perfect for eating outside, the Simpson's had many responsibilities at Church, so we had to cut our time short.
The last sight that we wanted to see on our vacation was the Texas Capitol, and since we had plenty of time between services, we drove over to Downtown Austin and made our way to the largest Capitol building in the U.S. Thankfully, there was a place to park about 1 block away from the Capitol. When we arrived at the Capitol Grounds, there were a small group of protesters who were worried that Trump was going to privatize the Post Office. I don't remember that being in the news, but they seemed quite worried about it. However, they weren't bothering anybody (expect themselves).
We entered the building with just enough time to use the restroom (and learn that we definitely aren't in Alabama anymore) before the next tour started. We joined the tour and learned about the building and its construction. The first thing you see as you enter the Capitol is the Rotunda, a huge circular room of 4 stories tall. The ground has the seals that were used for the different governments that Texas was under, including the Mexican Empire, the Republic of Texas, and the Confederate States of America. Along the walls of the Rotunda, there is a portrait of all the governors of the State of Texas. With the most recent on the ground floor, and the first one at the top. Every time a new governor is elected, they shift the portraits over one spot. The tour guide said there were about 4 spots left before they would have to think up something new.
Our tour guide was Paige, she was very knowledgeable about the Capitol telling us great stories about the different portraits that we saw in the Senate and House rooms. This was the first time that we have been allowed in the Senate Chamber. The U.S. Capitol, the Missouri Capitol, and the Arizona Capitol all allowed us in the House Chamber, but the Senate was always locked. The rooms were very similar with the main difference being the number of chairs in each room. Both had beautiful paintings of different times in Texas history including the Battle of the Alamo. One story we heard was how Texas paid for the Capitol building. Of course, the good people of Texas wanted a Texas sized Capitol, but at the time were unsure how to pay for it. So in a story that could only be told in Texas, the State sold off a piece of land near Amarillo about the same size as Connecticut to pay for the construction. A developer from Chicago bought the land and turned it into a the XIT Cattle Ranch. They also used local materials for the building's exterior. They found another cattle rancher in the nearby town of Marble Falls who had a ton of Texas Pink Granite (or Sunset Red). The granite was donated which gave the rancher better land for grazing cattle, and the State the material it needed to build the Capitol. The tour guide then let us know that the Capitol was (of course) the largest in the country. I wasn't sure if she meant from the State Capitols only, so I asked. With pride in her voice, she announced that the Texas Capitol was 15 feet bigger than the U.S. Capitol Building. Once the tour was over, we walked around it a few more minutes. We found the gift shop and the Chapel room (which was unfortunately locked).
After that, we went back to our Hotel to rest for a few minutes before going to Church for the evening. We went to the evening service. Rebekah and Matthew quickly made friends and abandoned us to sit with them, while we sat with a couple with a ton of kids who quickly made friends with Julia and Joanna. I learned after the service that the husband was from Romania (and still had a strong accent) and knew Pastor Logan when he was a missionary to that country. After service, Jonathan and his Mom and Dad took us out to eat at Rudy's BBQ., for some good ole Texas BBQ. We got to know their family and Stacy especially hit it off with his mother as they talked education in detail.
With the night over, we went back to the hotel and started packing our bags for home. On Monday, we made our way back to Huntsville in a very long trip. The trip back was uneventful, with the most interesting part being that Matthew Jr. was chased out of the men's restroom by a loudly cursing woman who demanded that the man she was traveling with give her the keys to the car. We arrived back at our house around 9pm after a full day of driving from a city that it appears like we will be visiting many more times in the coming years.
No comments:
Post a Comment