DAY 6 WED. MAR. 23 AUSTIN, TX.

Austin is hot .... friggin' hot. This 90 degree F. weather is not what we expected and it's starting to take a bit of a toll. Lilke "mad dogs and Englishmen" we went out in the noon-day sun and got fried. But we weren't alone. The city is populated by legislators, lobbyists, business people, techies, and students, and, if they're not wearing dark suites or ridiculous high heels, they're wearing jeans and hoodies ... in 90 degrees !! Apparently, this is just a "little warm" for Austinites.

Today, we are visiting the incredible capital building, and we were awed by the 218 foot high dome. The building, along with the offices and underground extension would make many nations blush. We took an informative tour and then sat in on sessions in both the House and Senate. I was totally fascinated, not necessarily by the stately grandeur of the building, but by what I saw and heard... politics in its home element. Although we weren't familiar with the issues, I was able to pick up on the somewhat partizan parry and thrust in the House, followed by the almost collegial spirit in the Senate. Apparently, the Texas legislature meets only every two years, and for a five month session, so they MUST get legislation passed fairly quickly. They all seemed to be hard at it, and the galleries and hallways were jammed with lobbyists and aids, and interested observers.

As we exited the capital, we came upon a crowd of red-shirted "protesters" who eagerly applauded several speakers at the main entrance. As we made our way through the crowd, we realized that, far from being radicals, they were retired teachers, like us, concerned that their pensions might be targeted in the Texas deficit-reduction initiatives. Apparently, these retirees hadn't had a cost of living increase in ten years !! A sympathetic legislator called this "ridiculous", to loud applause, including us. I felt like suggesting that they buy into a successful sports franchise like the Dallas Cowboys, but wisely kept my opinions to myself.

We lunched at the glorious Driskill Hotel, a Victorian gem. It was constructed in 1886, and must have been the centre of Austin's social scene in those days. It is a true throw-back to America's "Guilded Age" and spoke of that nation's new found power, elegance, and wealth: an emerging power after the trauma of the Civil War.

And then, there was the walk home. It took us an hour and a half in scorching heat. We were crazy to try it, but we did it, sweating and cursing, watching blue jays, mockingbirds, squirrels and Texas Longhorns football players at spring training mock our every step.

And then .... Austin is cool. We did a crawl of some of the music venues in the Entertainment and Warehouse districts. Such wonderful music in so many styles. We drank whisky and vodka and grooved. We only scratched the surface but learned two things: Austinites love their music, and when you're exposed to music that is SO good, so sublime and soulful, and you later hear a band that is merely "OK", you get disgusted and want to leave the club. The great music was all I had hoped it would be, and Lou and I stayed out late and thoroughly enjoyed it. And it was only 3 clubs out of more than 200 !!