We spent some time in Austin, staying in an Airstream trailer. I didn’t care for it. Temperatures were on the cool side. Heat was provided by a portable heater near the bed. It wasn’t possible to keep the bathroom warm. The trailer had a hand-held hose in the tub in lieu of a shower. But it was only for two nights, and we were toasty warm in the bed.

We visited museums and such. It’s interesting how different museums offer different insights. The mission museum explained that while things didn’t go as planned, they successfully met their main objective, which was to turn the indigenous peoples into Spanish speaking Catholics. The Alamo emphasized the causes of the revolution and how a desire to restore the constitution turned into a fight for indepedence from Mexico. The Witte emphasized that the indegenous peoples were every bit as human as we are today, along with a very interesting presentation of the ecology of Texas. The Bullock museum discussed segregation up through the 50s. All these museums are covering the same material, but if two people each attended one of these museums, they would walk away with much different thoughts about Texas.

We also visited the LBJ library. They did a masterful job of protraying Johnson’s administration. We even squeezed in a visit to the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame. They did an excellent job of presenting the highlights as well as the low lights of the Rangers.

Here’s a couple of cool things. Sam Houston lead the battle that made Texas independent of Mexico. He was the governor of Tennessee, the president of Texas, and the governor of Texas twice. He was removed from office as governor when he refused to sign the articles of confederation.

Anybody who visits Texas, no matter how casual their visit, can’t possibly escape the “Come and take it” flag. Mexico gave Texas a canon to help them defend themselves from Comanchee Indians. When Texas rebelled, Mexaco wanted the canon back. Texans declined, raising their now famous flag. We saw a reproduction of the canon. I couldn’t believe how small it was.

We’ve made it to the B & B in Fort Worth. It’s a comfortable and very spacious room. I hope this finds everybody doing well.