Austin, Texas

November 19,
The drive from San Antonio to Austin was about 2 hours.  The locals call this the Texas hill country.  It is a bit more hilly than the flat land south of here but compared to New England this is not hilly.  The grass is beginning to die off and turning a soft ginger color.  The live oaks remain leafed out and green.    They have a beautiful wide canopy that creates a welcoming shade from the sun.  The weather has turned cool, sweater weather, as we say in New England.

Austin is the capital of Texas and for such a giant state the capital city is rather small.  The University of Texas is located in the center of the city.  It has a lovely “quad” where college students hang out.  On this Sunday morning, there were students riding their bikes through the campus area and sitting on the grass reading. There is a lovely view from the campus bell tower to the capitol building with a statue of George Washington looking at the capitol, reminiscent of the Washington Mall. The college neighborhood is very multi-cultural.  There are many Asian, Indian and Pakistanian students bringing a delightful “color” to Texas.  The motto of the school, “A cultivated mind is the guardian genius of a democracy” was engraved on one of the buildings.  It would be my hope that these young cultivated minds offer their genius to guard a greater democracy for their future.

We hung out in a nearby restaurant,  Kerbey’s, having coffee and observing the students enjoy their Sunday morning breakfasts. The restaurant was very energized with young people.  Large groups of students sat together, laughing and sharing stories with one another. We were clearly the oldest people in the restaurant; could be grandparents to some.  It was a pleasant reminder of our own college days in Miami almost 50 years ago.  I wonder how our generation will be viewed by these students.  Did the cultivated minds of our generation offer our genius to guard a greater democracy?