Austin Part 2

Glad you came back. One of the activities we had planned was to go on a Duck Tour of the Capital. I had decided on that for two reasons. Number 1: Kevin and I missed our Duck  Tour in Boston. Number 2: I wanted the kids and Janine to see the Capital of Texas and I knew Janine would not be up to that much walking and it was really HOT! It was a great decision. It was a perfect introduction and our Duck Truck driver was a great tour guide. He kept asking if any one knew the Texas Symbol for ????  I knew most of them and would tell Zee right quick so he could shout it out first. He loved being the star of the tour! The only one I missed was where did the word Texas (Tejas) originate. I said Mexico or Spain, which is kind of right, but the original word was from the Caddo Indians and the Spaniards interpreted it as Tejas.



The Duck Truck is an amphibious vehicle. That means it can go in both the water and on land. Azariah was a little nervous when it was time to launch into the lake, but then decided it was just fine and exciting. The vehicle we were on was built specifically for the Duck Tours. Originally they used the amphibious vehicles from World War II but not any more. It was pretty awesome. Here is the link to their web page if you would like more information: Austin Duck Adventures.


This is our Duck Truck driver/tour guide. His real job is a fire fighter for the City of Austin. He was a lot of fun.

One of the very first buildings he pointed out was the Littlefield Building. I found that to be interesting because George Washington Littlefield had it built for the banking center of Austin. It was also known as the tallest building between San Francisco and New Orleans. What really interested me is that it is the same George Washington Littlefield that my hometown is named after. I knew he had a big ranch in the Littlefield area but didn't know he was one of the big shots of Austin.

 Next we went by the Capital Building. Of course it was modeled after the Capital of the United States but since this is Texas and everything is bigger in Texas, it was made just a bit bigger.

Next on the tour: The University of Texas. The fifth largest University with over 50,000 students. That's the main reason I was never interested in going there too big for a small town girl like me.



One of the last places he showed us on the tour that I was sure to make note of was the Texas Lottery. The place you go to claim your large lottery winnings. Not that I will ever win. I never even think about buying a ticket, but just in case, I now know where to go to claim my loot.

Everyone on board got these duck quackers. Periodically throughout the tour the guide would say "Give them a Duck Tour cheer." and everyone would quack their quackers. The kids thought it was grand.

Zee peering over the side of the Duck Truck once we were in the Lake Austin waters. Even though you can't see his face you can tell he was smiling. He did have a blast.

 Tzippi checking out the view from her side of the Duck Truck.

 Some of the fancy homes on the banks of Lake Austin. The guide showed us one of the million dollar homes he had been in to put out a fire. He said he felt bad they tracked soot all over the white carpet. Oh, well. What do you do look for shoe covers or save the home?

All in all it was a great tour that lasted about an hour and a half. A great way to view the highlights of our capital while sitting down. I highly recommend it.