Texas State Capital

Friday, January 29, 2010

We didn’t have a tornado last night, but we did get rocked by an all night thunderstorm.  We had a huge crack of thunder that made me sit straight up but Mrs. Light Sleeper didn’t hear it.  Apparently the area received about 2 1/2” of much needed rain. When we woke up this morning it had stopped raining but it had swollen the creek behind us.

 

  The temperature this morning was 7 degrees Celsius but the wind made it feel much colder.  We went to see the Texas State Capital Building.  Like everything else in Texas; this building is BIG.  It is also really beautiful.  The exterior facade is Texas pink granite which was quarried just 50 miles away.  The original exterior was originally supposed to be local limestone however it was found to discolour badly.  (We have seen several examples in other buildings surrounding the capital building and it is not at all attractive, not like the limestone used in the Manitoba Legislature Bldg.)  The floors at the entrance foyer are inscribed with the names of significant battles in the history of the republic of Texas.  The dome is massive with multiple tiers and a spiral staircase leading to the upper levels. The top of the dome is 216 feet above the floor, which bares the coats of arms of all the nations that have been a part of Texas history. 

One thing that we found out about and particularly liked about the Texas Senate chamber was that during a filibuster a Senator can talk for as long as he wants but he can not sit or lean on his desk, he can not eat or drink or otherwise excuse himself and he must stay on topic.  Seems quite different from our parliamentary way of doing things.

Some miscellaneous observations – Lots of security staff around the grounds (we spoke to a Security Guard who told us that her best friend had moved to St.Anne, MB); the Visitor Information Centre and in the State Capital Building in particular.  Vehicle traffic entering and exiting the grounds is blocked by huge pollards that raise and lower to ground level.  The wrought iron fence surrounding the grounds has gold Texas stars all along it’s length.  The door hinges are all inscribed with the words “Texas Capitol” .