Last Thursday we took Stanley out to see the local sights before he headed out on his trip. We wanted him to have a few pictures of home for him to keep with him on his journey. It was cold, foggy, and drizzle-y out. We didn't get to do all that we had hoped, but I think the kids had a good time downtown.First we went to the Santa Rita No. 1 oil pump. It's on part of the University of Texas' property. Before the pump was built, everyone said finding oil in this location was a ridiculous idea. Once the pump was in action, it was named Santa Rita- after the Saint of the Impossible.
Here's Flat Stanley outside the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. The bronze Lone Star sculpture is 35 feet tall! Just down the street from the museum is the state capitol. You can see the building from all over the city. Here are Amri and Stanley on the lawn.
" Wonderful views of the Capitol's dome from many vantage points throughout the Austin area are protected from obscuration by state law. " -a quote from the Texas State Preservation Board's website.The Colorado River winds through the city. On the banks of it there's a city park called Auditorium Shores. We've only recently moved here, so I'm not fully informed about everything, but I've heard this part of the river referred to as "Town Lake" and "Ladybird Lake," but I know that it really is not a lake and is just a wider part of the Colorado River, which flows East, out of town and rather close to our house. Auditorium shores is a hot-spot for festivals and outdoor music events during warmer months. It also has an off-leash dog park. People often canoe in the river here. Plus, there's a giant statue of Stevie Ray Vaughn. Apparently he played a number of shows at Auditorium Shores.
Part of the skyline disappeared in the fog. I don't know if Austin is always so foggy, but this winter I've had numerous nerve-racking evenings attempting to drive through it. Sometimes I feel like we live on the moors of England!East of Stevie Ray, and just down the street from the capitol building, there's the Congress Street Bridge. The bridge goes over the river and also happens to host the largest urban bat colony in North America. From mid-March through November you can view thousands upon thousands of Mexican Free-Tailed Bats blanketing the sky at dusk. We've gone to see this before- it's pretty cool. It's the wrong season for bat watching, so we just took a photo op with the bat sculpture, instead.
Finally, we stopped off at Barton Springs. Again, it's the wrong season for this destination, but we stopped by anyway. Barton Springs Pool is fed by a natural underground spring and stays about 68 degrees year round. The city's website says Native Americans called this the Sacred Springs and came here to heal their wounds. The size of the main pool was enlarged in the late 1920's. Barton Springs is also one of the 4 known habitats of the Barton Springs Salamander, which is listed on the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Services as an endangered species.
That was the end of their last day together. We went home, helped Stanley put the last of his clothes in his suitcase, and took him to the mail box. Let the adventure begin!
